Soul veteran Anita Baker is making a return to the music world, following a 10-year absence.

The Grammy-winning "Sweet Love" singer has signed a deal with Blue Note Records to produce at least two albums and expects to release her first project before the end of the year.

Baker stepped away from the music industry after the 1994 release of her album 'Rhythm of Love' because she had two young sons to take care of, a mother suffering from Alzheimer's disease and a father dying of bone cancer.

Following their deaths - Baker's father died in 1998 and her mother passed away in 2000 - she felt ready to pursue her career again.