"You Bring Me Joy" is a song written by David Lasley originally recorded in 1980 by Norman Connors featuring the vocals of Adaritha for Connors' ''Take It to the Limit'' album. It was released as a B-side single in 1980 on

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

. American R&B singer and songwriter Anita Baker covered the song for her second studio album, ''

Rapture The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...

'' (1986), produced by

Michael J. Powell Michael J. Powell is an American R&B musician, record producer and arranger who is best known for his work as producer for eight time Grammy Award-winning soul / R&B vocalist Anita Baker. Powell was born in Chicago and lived there until his fam ...

. In 1990, Lasley released the song on his ''Soldiers on the Moon'' album, a live studio recording with

David Benoit David Bryan Benoit (born August 18, 1953) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer, based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Benoit has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He is a ...

on piano, Jeff Porcaro on drums and Abraham Laboriel on bass, and produced by Jeffrey Weber. Jonathan Widran of AllMusic described "This collection sports...sensuous originals including "You Bring Me Joy" from Anita Baker..." Yolanda Adams gave a tribute performance of "You Bring Me Joy" to Anita Baker at the 2018 BET Awards honoring Baker with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Critical reception

The song received notable critical praise and mention in numerous record reviews and reviews of Anita Baker's live performances.

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

of the New York Times wrote "In the verses of David Lasley's beautiful pop-gospel ballad 'You Bring Me Joy,' Miss Baker's voice looped from phrase to phrase in the manner of

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

. Then, for the song's climactic declarations, she became a pure gospel singer, testifying with a stirring fervor and directness." Jeff Tamarkin of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' describes Baker's performance of "the devastating David Lasley-written 'You Bring Me Joy' to kick the show into high gear and create the charged mood that was sustained throughout." Of the Sunday night Irvine Meadows show of songstress Anita Baker, Steve Eddy wrote of the songs "The most notable Sunday evening was "You Bring Me Joy" a David Lasley tune that has a pleasing Gospel tinge."

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

, in his book ''Let Love Rule'' called "You Bring Me Joy" by Anita Baker "one of the sweetest R&B ballads."

References

External links

* {{Anita Baker 1980 songs Anita Baker songs Songs written by David Lasley Rhythm and blues ballads Soul ballads David Lasley songs