Toni Braxton
Studio album by
Toni Braxton
ReleasedJuly 13, 1993 (1993-07-13)
RecordedMay 1992; November 1992–1993[1]
Studio
Genre
Length53:18
Label
Producer
Toni Braxton chronology
Toni Braxton
(1993) 		Secrets
(1996)
Singles from Toni Braxton
  1. "Another Sad Love Song"
    Released: June 29, 1993
  2. "Breathe Again"
    Released: October 6, 1993
  3. "Seven Whole Days"
    Released: October 8, 1993
  4. "You Mean the World to Me"
    Released: April 21, 1994
  5. "I Belong to You"/"How Many Ways"
    Released: June 10, 1994

Toni Braxton is the debut studio album by American singer Toni Braxton, released on July 13, 1993, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The album was primarily produced by L.A. Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons.

The album has sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States and 10 million copies worldwide.[2][3] It earned Braxton several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album).

Background

Braxton and her four sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar signed with Arista Records as The Braxtons in 1989. The following year, the group released their debut single, "Good Life".[4] Though the song was commercially unsuccessful, it attracted the attention of record executive Antonio "L.A." Reid and record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who were shopping around for talent for their new label LaFace Records.[1] Instead of signing the quintet, they opted to offer Braxton a contract as a solo artist. With only one year to finish at Bowie State University, where she was studying to become a music teacher, she relocated to Atlanta to pursue a singing career.[1]

Release

The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at numbers seven and two on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively. The album's second single, "Breathe Again", reached the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B charts and at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Other singles were released from Toni Braxton in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", and the double A-side "I Belong to You"/"How Many Ways".

In Japan, the album was released as Love Affair, also a song on the album. The Japanese edition contains the same track listing as the standard version; the only difference is the Obi strip and the bonus lyrics booklet written in Japanese.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Chicago Tribune[6]
Entertainment WeeklyC[7]
Los Angeles Times[8]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[9]
Q[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
The Tampa Tribune[13]
USA Today[14]

Toni Braxton received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Ron Wynn from AllMusic said that the album showcased Braxton as "an elegant and earthy songstress, nicely balancing those seemingly divergent sentiments [...] Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic, dismayed, and disillusioned [...] but she's never out of control, indignant, or so anguished and hurt that she fails to retain her dignity."[5] Los Angeles Times critic Connie Johnson wrote: "Sounding like an unlikely hybrid of Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker and Tracy Chapman, Braxton's sultry, earthy delivery makes her a standout in today's R&B arena."[8] Similarly, People found that "when Braxton slides into her lower register she echoes Anita Baker, and when she skips around the higher notes there's also a hint of Whitney Houston. The influences are there, but Toni Braxton is most definitely her own woman. On this sophisticated, stylish and soulful album, she slates her case."[15]

Mitchell May, writing for the Chicago Tribune, noted that "Braxton wisely lets the mood of a tune dictate her approach, allowing her to supply an emotional depth that perhaps even the songwriters didn't know was there." He also found, however, that "the disc loses steam around midpoint."[6] In a mixed review, Rolling Stone journalist John McAlley felt that "Braxton has got chops and spunk... And, yes, there are a handful of songs in which she gets to do the do. But there's not a poet in the house among LaFace's family of writer-producers – no Smokey Robinson, no Linda Creed. And for all its polish, too much of the music on Toni Braxton mistakes melodrama for passion and set pieces for soul."[11] Marisa Fox of Entertainment Weekly found much of the album "generic" and concluded that Braxton "can sing, but there's nothing in her songs or delivery to set her apart from any number of wine-cooler R&B divas."[7] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "neither" rating in his Consumer Guide book.[16]

Accolades

The album earned Braxton several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album).

Commercial performance

Toni Braxton debuted at number 36 on the Billboard 200 for the week ending July 31, 1993.[17] Following Braxton's appearance at the American Music Awards of 1994, the album rose from number seven to number one in its 31st week on the chart, on the issue dated February 26, 1994, becoming the first number-one album for LaFace Records.[18] It spent a second non-consecutive week atop the Billboard 200 for the week ending March 19, 1994, following the 36th Annual Grammy Awards.[19] The album has sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States and 10 million copies worldwide.[2][3]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Another Sad Love Song"
5:01
2."Breathe Again"Babyface
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
4:29
3."Seven Whole Days"
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
6:22
4."Love Affair"
Tim & Ted4:28
5."Candlelight"
  • Gaylor D
  • John Barnes
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
4:36
6."Spending My Time with You"Bo & McArthurBo & McArthur4:08
7."Love Shoulda Brought You Home"
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
4:56
8."I Belong to You"
  • Vassal Benford (also music)
  • Ronald Spearman
Benford3:53
9."How Many Ways"
Herbert4:45
10."You Mean the World to Me"
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
4:53
11."Best Friend"
  • Braxton
  • Vance Taylor
4:28
12."Breathe Again" (Reprise)Babyface
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
1:19
Total length:53:18
European edition bonus track[20]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Give U My Heart" (Mad Ball Mix)
  • Watson
  • Babyface
  • Reid
  • Simmons
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Herbert[c]
6:11
Total length:59:29
Spanish edition bonus track[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Breathe Again" (Spanish version)Babyface
4:30
Total length:63:59

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Toni Braxton.[24]

Musicians

Technical

Artwork

Charts

Certifications and sales

‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›
Certifications and sales for Toni Braxton
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[58] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[59] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[60] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[61] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[65] 8× Platinum 6,107,000[i]
Summaries
Worldwide — 10,000,000[3]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for Toni Braxton
Region Date Label Ref.
United States July 13, 1993
[66]
Japan September 22, 1993 BMG [67]
United Kingdom September 27, 1993 Arista [68]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Tracks 1–7 and 10
  2. ^ Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7
  3. ^ Track 4
  4. ^ a b Track 5
  5. ^ Track 7
  6. ^ Engineering on track 8
  7. ^ Track 9
  8. ^ Track 11
  9. ^ As of April 2011, Toni Braxton had sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[2] with an additional 972,000 copies sold at BMG Music Club.[63] Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[64]

References

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  2. ^ a b c Maza, Erik (April 11, 2011). "Toni Braxton's decade-long record sales slump". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Toni Braxton: Back on Top After Bankruptcy". Jet. Vol. 98, no. 6. July 17, 2000. p. 58. ISSN 0021-5996 – via Google Books.
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  6. ^ a b May, Mitchell (October 7, 1993). "Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton (LaFace)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Fox, Marisa (July 23, 1993). "Toni Braxton". Entertainment Weekly. No. 180. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Johnson, Connie (September 5, 1993). "Toni Braxton, 'Toni Braxton,' LaFace/Arista". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  9. ^ Moon, Tom (August 22, 1993). "Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton (Arista)". The Philadelphia Inquirer. ISSN 0885-6613.
  10. ^ "Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton". Q. No. 163. April 2000. p. 106. ISSN 0955-4955.
  11. ^ a b McAlley, John (November 25, 1993). "Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton". Rolling Stone. No. 670. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
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  21. ^ Toni Braxton (Spanish edition liner notes). Toni Braxton. LaFace Records. 1993. 74321-21261-2.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ "How Many Ways (Work ID: 380350156)". ASCAP. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  23. ^ "How Many Ways (BMI Work #1857645)". BMI. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
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  60. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Toni Braxton – Toni Braxton" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved November 16, 2018. Enter Toni Braxton in the "Artiest of titel" box.
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