If you don’t know Toni Braxton, where have you been?
Her catalogue of songs in the late ’90s and the early 2000s included hits like ‘Unbreak My Heart’ and ‘He Wasn’t Man Enough’.
And though her signature power ballads might have gone away, her silky R&B sounds and husky voice remain.
With her new not-quite-an-album, not-quite-an-EP ‘Sex & Cigarettes’ now available for fans, what’s the verdict?
The two highlights of this album are the final two songs on the album, ‘Coping’ and ‘Missin’’.
‘Coping’ is a dramatic ballad where you feel every heartbreak, every struggle, every pain that you can possibly get out of a heartbreak song. It is a bit ironic that a lot of the songs here are about heartbreak, yet she’s recently engages and is presumably happy in love. I think that’s where past experience and her ability to tell stories about love and heartbreak are what still make the song so believable.
‘Missin’’ is the most up-to-date song here, with that little hint of tropical house flowing through.
It’s an upbeat way to close out the album and I think it’s quite clever to do this. With great rhythm and really great melody it’s going to get stuck in your head.
This release isn’t groundbreaking and it’s not going to set the chart alight, however I was surprised to see it on Friday morning on release day popping into the iTunes top 10.
There’s still a huge fan base for Toni Braxton and I’m one of those fans. She continues to create a really great music that is relevant to music and to her.
If you love nostalgia, then this is a great release to indulge in.
Even if you don’t love nostalgia and you just love a really great, sexy, and heartfelt music, ‘Sex & Cigarettes’ demands to be heard.
VERDICT : 4/5.
MUST LISTEN : Missin’, Coping.
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