Nobody does it like Toni Braxton

I rediscovered Toni Braxton by accident. I was playing Christmas CDs when I came across her Snowflakes. It is a Christmas album but with a smooth jazz sound that is uniquely hers and it is mostly made up of originals. You know how artists record Christmas songs and they sound Christmasy. In Toni’s case though, she made a Christmas album that is different from others because it is a Toni Braxton album. 

Then maybe because I hadn’t listened to her in quite a while, I also realized how her style is so unlike today’s R&B singers. Braxton sings and she projects sleek sophistication. No embellishment at all. Just soulful singing. Those girls referred to as divas nowadays should take lessons on how to present a song from her. Preserve the integrity of the melody and feel every word. But then only a few of them can sound like her or look like her for that matter. Her album covers were the most daring 15 years ago and who can forget her stint as Belle in Beauty And The Beast on Broadway. I believe she was the first and maybe the only one to play Belle in a figure-hugging gown.

My Braxton rediscovery did not end with Snowflakes. It turned out she has a new CD, Pulse, her first in about six years. And it is good. Her singing is awesome and I like the fact that unlike her last album, Libra, which I think did not sell well, Pulse is all about rhythms. Toni goes fast and sassy, Wardrobe, Make My Heart, groovy and soulful in, Yesterday, Hands Tied and soaring with emotion in the ballads, Pulse, Woman, and If I Have To Wait. Tops among the selections are Hero, If I Have To Wait and Hands Tied. I do not know if this is right or if I should be looking for changes, but I like these songs because they remind me of her early hits.

And speaking of her early hits, my rediscovery again of Toni Braxton did not end with Pulse. I also got this set of new CDs called The Essential Mixes.

Trust record companies to find new ways to make use of existing masters. There are compilations, repackaging, loan outs to other labels, use in movie and television soundtracks, commercials, etc. etc. I now present to you the latest, remixes. The use of these was once limited to clubs back in the ’80s where DJs become popular if they were good at mixing sound. 

A mix means taking the elements of a recording and then remixing it at the studio to produce a different sound. You can have a louder rhythm section. You can remove the drums. You can soften the brasses. You can pretty much do anything to your heart’s desire if you have the tracks. Then you get a new remixed master.

This is also like you have a song performed by a full orchestra. You can then remove all the instruments and just use a guitar. The result is a light acoustic mix. Or if you have a ballad and you replace the music with dance grooves. This is almost like a new recording although you did not touch the vocals.

And so we now have the Essential Mixes series from Sony Music where Braxton is among the featured artists. Her Essential Mixes album is divided into two sections, Smooth and Dance. In Smooth Mix with their R&B grooves turned down are Breathe Again, Another Sad Love Song, You Mean The World To Me, I Belong To You, How Many Ways, He Wasn’t Man Enough and Hit The Freeway. Then in Dance Mix, now with a more pronounced beat are Un-break My Heart, You’re Makin’ Me High, I Don’t Want To, Spanish Guitar and You’re Making Me High. Now where is How Could An Angel Break My Heart, which is one of Toni’s best? But then you cannot have everything.

Also featured in The Essential Mix series are TLC, R. Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Luther Vandross, Kylie Minogue, Usher and Justin Timberlake. Do not let the term remix scare you. These are not club versions. They are actually greatest hits collections that sound new.