Tackling Anita Baker is never a casual decision. Her 1986 signature ballad “Sweet Love” demands velvety phrasing, effortless vocal range, and an airtight rhythm section that knows when to breathe. So when big-band revivalists Leonid & Friends dropped their take on the soul classic in late September 2026, the spotlight fell squarely on lead singer Ksenia Buzina. Released to celebrate her birthday, the performance gives the Siberian-born vocalist center stage while the ensemble proves its chops reach far beyond classic-rock radio.
Founded and directed by bassist Leonid Vorobyev, the group built its international reputation on impossibly meticulous recreations of Chicago songs. Here, the horn lines swing with lush warmth alongside acoustic piano, crisp guitars, and electric keys. Rather than mimicking Baker note for note, Buzina leans into the groove with quiet confidence, making the song feel personal rather than purely reverent. The arrangement honors the original track’s slick sophistication while giving every instrument plenty of room to shine.
When Baker released “Sweet Love” as the opening track of her landmark album Rapture, it redefined mid-eighties quiet-storm R&B. Co-written by Baker, Gary Bias, and Louis Johnson, the song climbed into the US Top Ten and earned the trio a Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Song. Baker’s rich, elastic contralto made the composition an enduring standard, setting a high bar for anyone taking it on.
For Leonid & Friends, expanding into deep-pocket soul marks another chapter in an unusual musical journey. Vorobyev originally launched the outfit in Moscow in 2014 simply to record a Chicago song for his sixtieth birthday. Word-of-mouth success turned a studio one-off into a full touring powerhouse that eventually took on Earth, Wind & Fire and Steely Dan. Buzina joined the ranks in 2016, bringing a multilingual vocal versatility that broadened the band’s sonic palette well past its horn-rock roots.Experience the classic standard performed live by Anita Baker herself.
The late-September timing is no coincidence either. Vorobyev has established a fond tradition of releasing a special showcase for Buzina’s birthday, previously highlighting her on the Carpenters’ “Superstar” and the Bacharach-David standard “I Say a Little Prayer.” Shifting from the fragile melancholy of the Carpenters to Baker’s fiery soul is quite a stretch. As one viewer remarked, jumping into Anita Baker’s catalog was a major leap, but Buzina did not disappoint.
The gamble paid off online, with the video racking up nearly 1.4 million views by November 10, 2026. Viewers praised the band’s musicianship, with one listener declaring that these productions feel like masterpieces rather than mere covers. Watching a sprawling, dedicated ensemble breathe fresh life into an R&B staple shows just how electrifying human musicianship can be.