Anita Baker Back On Tour

(CBS)  This month, R&B singer Anita Baker will kick off her comeback concert tour in New York, and on Wednesday morning, she sings a holiday favorite, "This Christmas," on The Early Show.

The singer/songwriter took the last seven years off to raise her sons, Eddie, who is 8, and Walter, 9. Now, she has decided to get back into the recording studio and plans to release a brand new CD of music next year.

Her comeback tour kicks off at the Westbury Music Fair on Dec. 17, 18, 20, and 21. She'll be in Merriville, Ind., on Dec. 27, and 28. And on New Year's Eve, she'll be in Houston, Texas.

Baker defined "quiet storm" R&B in the '80s and '90s with her brand of music, influenced by jazz, gospel and traditional pop.

She has won seven Grammy awards and has sold more than 13 million records.

Her top hits include "Sweet Love," "Giving You The Best That I Got," "Good Love," "Body and Soul," and "Caught Up In The Rapture."

Her 1986 "Rapture" album sold six million copies in the U.S. and abroad and won her a Grammy. In 1988, she took the R&B and Adult Contemporary genres by storm once again with her album "Giving You The Best That I Got." That album went double platinum in fewer than eight weeks, selling more than two million copies within two months of its release and earning her more Grammy awards.

In 1990 ,she released another new album of music called "Compositions."

In 1992, Baker retreated to her suburban Detroit estate and took time to raise a family. In 1994, she released "Rhythm of Love," her last album to date. Her last live appearance was in 1995.

Now, she's back.