Toni Braxton

After struggling with bankruptcy and the resulting hiatus from recording, Braxton came back with The Heat (2000). She's in fine form; the songwriting is consistently strong, the production is excellent, and Braxton lights up the tracks with her husky, mature singing. Often a cut above her peers, this album is no exception.

Large-living R&B divas rarely take risks: Balladeers like Toni Braxton tend to favor familiar
scripts, interchangeable backdrops and similarly successful co-stars. But that doesn't mean
they don't deliver. On the contrary, Toni Braxton's third Babyface-dominated album, The
Heat, updates and diversifies her stylistic surroundings while delivering the expected
boudoir soundtrack. Unlike many of her peers, this preacher's daughter doesn't... More >