"Body and Soul" is a song by American recording artist

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

, released in 1994 as the lead single in support of her fifth album, '' Rhythm of Love'' (1994). The song received critical acclaim, peaking at number four on the US '' Billboard''

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart and number 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It earned Baker another top 40 pop hit following 1988's "Just Because", which peaked to number 14 on the same chart. In Europe, "Body and Soul" charted in the UK, reaching number 48 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Critical reception

Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' wrote, "What a pleasure it is to welcome Baker back to the fold. On this glorious peek into her new '' Rhythm Of Love'' opus, she gives us the beautiful tones that have set her apart from the typical R&B diva, warmly embracing a soothing retro-

pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cu ...

arrangement. A bit more adult and sophisticated than

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

is currently programming, but we pray that tastemakers will make room for something so creatively satisfying. It's so rare that we are given music of this high caliber." Steve Baltin from '' Cash Box'' said, "Clearly Baker from the first note, the song stands out in the crowded R&B field because of its slightly

jazzy Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...

feel. A winner all the way." Caroline Sullivan from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' remarked that "her lazy phrasing deftly lifts the string-saturated "Body and Soul" out of

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

-ville". Chuck Campbell from '' Knoxville News Sentinel'' felt the singer "flaunts her power belting" on the song. Pan-European magazine '' Music & Media'' commented, "

Soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

's best female balladeer gives a lesson in body language. Advise listeners of lovers' radio to dim the lights, move their body gently and let their heart speak." James Hamilton from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

s ''RM'' Dance Update described it as a "gorgeous bluesy piano played wailing husky gospel-jazz-soul waltz". Jonathan Bernstein from '' Spin'' named it a "standout" track of the album, declaring it as a "slowburning classic".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

www.AnitaBaker.com
1994 singles Anita Baker songs Songs written by Ellen Shipley Songs written by Rick Nowels 1994 songs Contemporary R&B ballads 1990s ballads Elektra Records singles {{1990s-R&B-song-stub