Giving You the Best That I Got (album)

Giving You the Best That I Got is the third album by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker, released in 1988. It was Baker's first and only #1 album in the US, her second #1 R&B Album, and was certified 3× platinum in 1989 by the RIAA. The title track was released as the first single from the album and became Baker's highest-charting single in the US, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album earned Baker three Grammy Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards.

Track listing

 * 1) "Priceless" (Garry Glenn) – 5:00
 * 2) "Lead Me into Love" (Steve Lane, Larry Prentiss) – 4:45
 * 3) "Giving You the Best That I Got" (Baker, Randy Holland, Skip Scarborough) – 4:18
 * 4) "Good Love" (Gary Taylor) – 5:39
 * 5) "Rules" (Graham Lamb, Phil Nicholl, Maggie Ryder) – 3:52
 * 6) "Good Enough" (Baker, James McBride) – 4:50
 * 7) "Just Because" (Alex Brown, Sammy McKinney, Michael O'Hara) – 5:13
 * 8) "You Belong to Me" (Terry Britten, Billy Livsey, Graham Lyle) – 3:50

Critical reception
Alex Henderson of AllMusic rated the album four points out of five, calling it not "on the par with" Baker's previous albums but better than most of R&B albums released in 1988.

Commercial performance
The album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide (including 3 million from the US).

It became Baker's first and only number one album on Billboard 200 and her second number-one R&B Album. In March 1989, the album was certified 3× Platinum in 1989 by the RIAA.

Singles
The title track became Baker's highest charting US hit, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on both the R&B (Hot Black Singles) and Adult Contemporary charts.

"Just Because" peaked at number one on the Hot Black Singles, making it Baker's second number one and also made the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number fourteen. It has since been described as a wedding reception favorite.

"Lead Me into Love" peaked at number four on the Hot Black Singles and 32 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Personnel

 * Anita Baker – lead vocals, backing vocals (4, 5), BGV arrangements (5)
 * Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (1, 2, 5, 7), synthesizer programming (1, 2, 7, 8), string arrangements (7)
 * Vernon D. Fails – keyboards (1-4, 6)
 * Dave Boruff – synthesizer programming (1, 8), saxophone (8)
 * George Duke – acoustic piano (2)
 * Bobby Lyle – acoustic piano (2)
 * Dean "Sir" Gant – acoustic piano (3, 6)
 * Gary Taylor – keyboards (4)
 * Joseph Vitarelli – Synclavier (4)
 * Peter Schwartz – keyboards (5)
 * Bruce Nazarian – Synclavier programming (5)
 * Reginald "Sonny" Burke – keyboards (8)
 * Patrick Moten – keyboards (8)
 * Neal Walker – keyboards (8)
 * Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (1, 2, 5, 7)
 * Michael J. Powell – guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 8), string arrangements (7)
 * Donnie Lyle – guitar (4)
 * Nathan East – bass (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
 * Omar Hakim – drums (1, 2, 3, 6)
 * Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 2, 3, 5, 6)
 * Gerald Albright – saxophone (6)
 * Courtlen Hale – saxophone (8)
 * Chuck Findley – trumpet (8)
 * Paul Riser – string arrangements (1, 2)
 * Alex Brown – backing vocals (1, 3, 7), BGV arrangements (7)
 * Angel Edwards – backing vocals (1, 3)
 * Valarie Pinkston Mayo – backing vocals (1, 3), BGV arrangements (1, 3)
 * Carol Perry – backing vocals (2), BGV arrangements (2)
 * Darlene Perry – backing vocals (2), BGV arrangements (2)
 * Lori Perry – backing vocals (2, 7), BGV arrangements (2)
 * Sharon Perry – backing vocals (2), BGV arrangements (2)
 * Marva King – backing vocals (7)
 * Roy Galloway – backing vocals (8)
 * Lynne Fiddmont – backing vocals (8)
 * Fred White – backing vocals (8)

Production

 * Executive Producer – Anita Baker
 * Producer – Michael J. Powell
 * Production Coordination – Sephra Herman, Tweed and Tominaga.
 * A&R – Raoul Roach
 * Engineer – Barney Perkins
 * Second Engineer – Milton Chan
 * Assistant Engineers – Les Cooper, Fred Law, Bruce Nazarian and Tim Purvis.
 * Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
 * Art Direction – Carol Bobolts
 * Photography – Adrian Buckmaster