When I first heard that Ms.
Toni Braxton was
retiring from music, I was just heartbroken. How could that be? Refraining from a title of one of her songs, "
How could an angel break my heart?" That was just heart-wrenching, soul-crushing and devastating, to say the least (?). Truthfully, she was one of the main stars of the 90's era, a voice so recognizable and exquisite, a real gem of the R&B of that decade.
So for the past two weeks I have been paying homage to this R&B royalty, because it's really amazing what she had accomplished with her music. And although all of her
money problems and severe
health issues, she is still standing like a true warrior and giving her best at what she does.
Coming from a musical family (
The Braxtons, which now are starring on an
infamous TV reality show) to stardom as a soloist, Toni is a force to be reckoned. And although her latest efforts (both
Libra and
Pulse) haven't had the same success has her first albums, that doesn't mean she has lowered her quality on them. Alas, the world of music is a conjunction of good tunes, killer looks AND great promotion, something she had lacked on her recent efforts.
On a similar fashion as Mariah Carey, she started as a baladeer with glimpses of pop music intertwined on her first album, conveniently titled
Toni Braxton, a trend that was followed on her most succesful effort, commercially and critically speaking,
Secrets. But then things changed and she started to sound more urban and contemporary, losing some of her clothes on the process but never her musical integrity, and that's a positive thing.
To spice things up, Toni decided to make record on a more urban style, and embarked on a journey enlisting some of the heavy weights on hip hop at the time. It's funny to see all those great divas hanging out with all those gangstas that only talk about bitches and hoes and money and buzz, but I guess they were more polite and behaved around them.
But enough of the chit-chatter, let's just enlist my favorite songs from Toni on alphabetical order. Hopefully we coincide on some of the tunes, and if not, please let me know in the comments below:
"Another Sad Love Song" - This was Toni's first top ten hit on Billboard and the song that established her as a musical Prodigy. The song and video are so elegant and provocative at the same time. This is one of the finest examples of the 90's R&B and one of her signature songs.
"Come On Over Here" - A track from the
Secrets album, this mid-tempo song reflects a more mature singer that is comfortable with who she is and aware of what she wants. Seriously, this song falls in my category of "Baby-Making Songs" for a reason. It's so groovy. A perfect fit for the mood of this particular album .
"Gimme Some" - This is a track for
The Heat and, boy, it's so sultry and steamy as a hot day here on Monterrey, but you know, with lesser icky feeling. Featuring a rap of the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the innuendo of the song is not so much as other songs from her. She is so straight forward about it, that I cannot see any heterosexual man refusing to this offer. Great song.
"He Wasn't Man Enough" - Lucky me, she just released this song at the time I was so into American music. That year (2000) was one of the best of my life. With a music video that starts so cheesy but evolved into a hip-hop drama starring
Robin Givens, of Mike Tyson fame. Definitely one of her signature Works and one of the best songs from this lady. At this point in life, it hasn't lost any of its magic touch, and that's an achievement.
"Hit The Freeway" - This
Pharrell -
Neptunes effort from the
More Than a Woman album encounters Ms. Braxton on a tricky situation with one of her lovers, where she's giving him the finger and taking him out of her life. Why this song had no success, is still a puzzle for me. But it's a really well-made song, and Toni is more in point tan ever. Of course, a little rap in the beggining and that was it. A real gem.
"I Belong To You" - Although her first album is full on ballads, this is easily one of the most uptempo songs from that record, and definitely one of the most alluring. Not a ready-for-the-dancefloor tune, but one that has to be danced slowly with your current lover. I imagine that and gives me chills.
"Let Me Show You The Way (Out)" - Definitely Toni has a preference for songs talking about heartbreaks and deceitful men in her life. But preferably on a rhythmic note. This is by far one of my fave faves from her, it has it all: Groove, great lyrics, and the always great voice of this diva. Using a
great sample of "The Impressions", this is definitely a worthy single. Too bad she didn't choose it, but nevertheless the song has a place in my heart forever.
"Lookin' At Me" - As mad as I was for the
Pulse album underperforming on the charts, I was blown away on how good the songs off that record were. This song is definitely worthy of a spin, and she sound so confident once again, and her voice amazingly hasn't changed a bit throughout the years.
"Make My Heart" - I'm so furious that this song didn't get the attention it deserves, because, frankly, it is amazing. The 80's vibe of it,
courtesy of Evely Champagne, and an equally amazeballs video, depicting all of the 80's cliches in a manner so amusing... I mean, this song was meant to be a great hit, but instead remained as a definitely astonishing and larger than life tune. So maybe in a near future she will sing this song in a concert that I will attend, and that would make my life complete.
"My Ring" - This is not a track that you could find on an album of Toni. It's more like a B-Side that somehow manages to be a great song and then got retitled on the
Pulse record as "
The Wave". But I enjoy more this version. The theme is about a woman bragging about her new man and of course, her new ring. What else?
"Sposed To Be" - This track from
Libra is really another "Baby-Making" song. This type of R&B it's really a trademark for her, and she delivers as a pro.
"Take This Ring" - And of course, we come to the
Rich Harrison song, with that Motown vibe that made such hits as "1 Thing" by
Amerie or "Crazy in Love" by
Beyoncé. This is definitely single material, and I'm blown away by the fact that she (or the label, go figure) skipped it. And yet, this song is so infectious and groovy I tend to listen to it like 3 or 4 times each time I'm in the mood for it. I mean, the chorus is just magnificient and makes me wanna move in so many ways, ha! With a
sample from "The Meters" and the usage of trumpets and horns, this is guaranteed shaking-and sweating whenever you listen to it.
"Un-Break My Heart" - Officially the first song I heard from her and, boy, never looked back. Making up a word is one thing, but turning into a beautiful concept and traslate all the emotions and feelings that come with it, it's so fantastic. I don't have many words to describe this song (awe-inspiring comes to mind), but it's beyond that. With so many artists covering this song as well as in
English as in
Spanish, this song became a success for her in so many countries where R&B is not that powerful and thanks to it, she become a full time diva and a superstar in her own right.
Eleven weeks at the Billboard Top 100 are a true proof of that. And the song sounds as fresh as the first time, a true test of whether a song is good, great or a classic. This one sure falls in the last category.
Aside No. 1: On the video the actor and model Tyson Beckford made a glorious appearance. I mean glorious! He also appeared on Britney's "Toxic", so there's that.
Aside No. 2: Dont' you think Toni looks so resembling of Halle Berry on this picture?I think she does!
"You're Makin' Me High" - A
Babyface production, this mid-tempo sure is another entry to my "Baby-Making" songs. And this is because it's so mesmerizing. And enticing. Play this song and I'm sure you will be making love through the whole thing (no pun intended). The video is so fun and boy, those guys are... well. I'm not so keen about the hair-do she's sporting (it looks like a bad wig), but definitely this is a signature song for her and a really splendid one. Play this once and sure you're going to keep it on repeat. A funny thing I just found out: this song was sampled on a
Method Man and Redman collabo for a soundtrack of "
How High", because, you know, getting high is something those two do on a regular basis. But you don't need weed or anything else to enjoy this fine piece of music.
Summarizing: I think we need more Toni on our lives, and I'm so sad that she's retiring, but I'm confident enough she has plenty of music to give it all to us on a medium term. Meanwhile, we must take a listen to all of her albums to notice how terrific she is and the influence she has had on the R&B world as we know it today.
I will be glad to listen from you, so if you like this post (or not), please let me know on the commentaries. Hope you have enjoyed this post, and you consider giving Toni Braxton a spin on your music player!
