This is a really hard one, but I'm taking Anita Baker. Sade is great and she has the longevity thing, but Anita had more songs I liked.
I agree. Ms. Baker
did have more songs I liked than Sade especially when Anita was lead singer in a soul group (whose name escapes me now)before she became the 'Anita Baker' we listeners are all familiar with.
But the question is...
Who is the better song stylist?and I think the interesting thing is that Sade wasn't really a strong lead singer; She has this deep, monotone voice. She can barely raise her notes octaves above Ms. Baker's church choir-like voice and at the height of Sade's prime during the mid to late 80s, her sound virtually started a new radio listening market as most people didn't know Sade was
really a lead singer of a British band because her name headlines the act: 'cool jazz', if I recall... ...
but...
I dig Sade simply because she merely sounds comfortable in her own element and doesn't try too hard to be something that she's not.