Billboard's review
TONI BRAXTON
The Heat
Producer(s): various
LaFace/Arista 3008-26069
Genre: R&B
SPOTLIGHT
Originally reviewed for week ending 4/29/00
It's been four years since Toni Braxton took us on her
flight of fancy with the No. 1 single "You're Makin'
Me High." Now-after settling a well-publicized legal
skirmish with record company management-LaFace's first
lady of song is back with her long-awaited third
album. With trademark vocals in hand, Braxton doesn't
stray too far from the tried-and-true formula of lush
midtempo tunes and ballads that made her a household
name in the mid- to late '90s. Prime examples: the
title track, the Diane Warren-penned "Spanish
Guitar," "You've Been Wrong," and "Never Just For A
Ring." But it's a looser Braxton who shines on the 12-
track set's best cut, "Gimme Some" (featuring a rap
guest shot by TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes), and the
Rodney Jerkins-penned/produced top 10 single "He
Wasn't Man Enough."
Thanks billboard.com
