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Anita Baker has eight Grammy awards and four platinum albums. But when the R&B singer took the court to sing the 'Star-Spangled Banner' at game four of the NBA Finals, she reminded us of the bad auditions during the first weeks of 'American Idol.'Baker missed several notes of the National Anthem, giving an overall cringe-worthy performance before the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics played. (As a side note, the Celtics overcame their opponents to even the series at two games a piece.)
Watch Anita struggle with the song below.
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That's a difficult song. Anita Baker is known for sweeping high and low notes, but I have a feeling Whitney would have done much worse.
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What kind of professional(tongue in cheek) does not prepare for their show? Poor, Poor,
Agree about Whitney Houston. But somehow the Special Olympics (at least in Michigan) chooses to use her version everytime there is an event, make me feel bad for the Special Olympians especially when we have so many good version out there. May be the Special Olympics Administration in Michigan simply has bad taste.
Not Anita Baker's best but not nearly as bad as the article tries to portray.
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Right on. The notes were on the scale, it was just a jazz scale that the general public isn't used to. The distortion didn't help either.
Agree. I was waiting for the bad notes. What's the big deal? She was a couple keys to high to start but pulled it off. I have performed the Anthem before and it is tricky because you have to start at the very bottom of your register or you will be in trouble at the "Rocket's Red Glare" part. I have never been a fan of jazz versions of the Anthem. First I heard was Jose Feliciano back in the 60's. Hated it then, hate it now. My humble opinion: Sing the notes and riff something else. She sang it relatively straight. Give her a break.
I agree 100%. Even the best of the best can have a bad night. God bless her. This is every performer's worst fear.
Agreed! It wasn't bad at all. Not the best but definitely not the worst. Apparently I have poor hearing, because I also didn't hear her abuse the lyrics. She sang every word!
I agree. I thought Aretha Franklin's version was much, much worse than Anita Baker's.
Agree. Not her best and I do not think she is butchering the anthem like Rosann Barr.
Patricia is absolutely right. The writer not only owns one of the worst TV sets I have ever seen (or heard with the worst sound quality possible--I thought those TVs went out shortly after color TV was developed), but Ms. Baker was right on pitch and hit HER notes. That was a jazz interpretation, which is what the lady does. Whitney Houston when she did her famous version did not hit the WRITTEN notes by Francis Scott Key either, she also made up a few of her own...and hit them. Just different interpretation. Only thing harder than singing that song is watching and listening to the video off the writer's terrible TV. Writer needs to get a better TV and a first grade music style book.
I think they should play a pre-recorded version instead of having all these people butcher the song and ruin a great event. Nobody will remember the plays that changed the game, all they will remember is the National Anthem being sung so horrible.
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Lee DeWyze sang the National Anthem a lot better than Anita Baker.
At a public event, the Anthem should be sung "live" ... by someone who knows the words and notes **as they were written**. What is appalling is that over the years, event attendees start screaming and yelling loooong before the song is over ... extremely rude and disrespectful.
Am not a singer myself, but I do remember how difficult this one was from school days . It wasn`t a piece of cake then, nor will it ever be. Your suggestion, from where I sit, would prevent this from happening to artists in the future, that were having an off night, or thought they could in the studio, but live it became a monster, in front of many, leaving regrets,disappointment, and some unhappy fans of that artist.
It is a hard song to sing but does anyone remember Kate Smith? She always did a fantastic job of singing our National Anthem.
look it up on youtube. It sounds much better.
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i must be deaf or my ears defective because it sounded fine to me
not "butchered" as the headlines claims
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I'm right there with you, Alice. It sounded fine to me, too.
You need to have your hearing checked or you just simply have very bad taste for music. She didn't just butcher it, she annihilated it. Warbling it just doesn't go with it. Can we say the world would have been a better place if she hadn't sung it? It borders on a gross insult to all patriotic citizens..........