Toni Braxton joins Atlantic

[EricMontreal22]

And that's what worries me... Well two things--I think it almost always backfires when labels decide to release different singles in different countries (Kylie fans who know the mess the X campaign was singles wise know what I'm talking about--of course Heart was produced by Lucas Secon who has done a track on Kylie's new album).

I also am not sure Toni *should* do a song "for the kids". Don't get me wrong, half of the music I listen to seems to be from singers who are over 40 (Donna Summer being an obvious example) and I'm all for them keeping their sound current. But, Toni's biggest hits largely have been MOR radio hits, and I just watch that video and gotta wonder *who* it's directed at. (and yes I know my fave Kylie is the same age as Toni, but she knows her audience).

I know she's had many difficulties, but I'm kinda shocked this is only her sixth studio album...

I know a top 10 album is still something given all her problems reelasing an issue, but surely the label is disappointed by this:

"The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 54,000 copies, serving as Braxton's fifth US top-ten album.[28] It also entered at number one on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[29] In Canada, Pulse debuted at number 72 on the Top 100 Albums chart,[30] and in the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 28 on the Top 40 Albums and at number seven on the R&B Albums chart.[31][32] In its second week Pulse sold 16,588 in the US.["

(That said I wouldn't even know she had an album if it wasn't for this forum--and I belong to several pop music forums like PopJustice, lol so...)

I didn't realize she had sung a cover of the Delta Goodrem track. And that so few critics had reviewed her apparently: http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/braxtontoni/pulse

[Chris B]

Eric, a huge problem with this album is a lack of promo from her label. Yesterday and Hands Tied both are doing amazingly well on the format they're released to, but they ONLY were released to Urban Adult Contemporary. Why? That makes no sense. Why not send them to Urban Mainstream? Rhythmic? Try sending them to pop for some crossover! It's ridiculous how her brand new label is letting her down in that regard. I do think Yesterday and Hands Tied had potential to be big hits. And then you have If I Had To Wait and Woman that are crossover smashes waiting to happen.

Another thing, Make My Heart doesn't bother me because she has done so many upbeat tracks. It's just a different style. You're Making Me High, Please, He Wasn't Man Enough and Hit the Freeway are all classic Toni. Listening to her last night I was remembering just how many uptempo hits she's had.

And the early 90s? Golden! Another Sad Love Song is just beautiful.

[EricMontreal22]

It seems odd they paid for so many fairly high budget videos, and don't want to promote her as much as possible... But I've given up expecting record labels to be smart

Making me High is midtempo if you ask me but yes, that's a good point (love Wasn't Man Enough--one of my fave Darkchild songs and I can remember it being massive, of course, in gay bars--I also own and love the CD singles for Unbreak my Heart and especially Spanish Guitar with their classic Hex Hector remixes lol) I think I want to like Make My Heart more, but to me it's really busy, yet kinda goes nowhere... Hrmm

[DRW50]

That video is such a mess They start in with the verrrrry awkward dancers coming through the door, who seem to be like the Legion of Substitute Heroes sidekicks to The Warriors, then you have all these other random breakdancers who seem like something out of Chaka Kahn's I Feel For You video, and finally they just give up and start showing making of moments where people are making fun of the moves Then the church women at the end, I love it. And the cheesy man ripping open his shirt, posing, in what looks like a purple version of Y&R's porny theme background. And the pointing at their lips with the finger guns...oy.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah it's just... bizarre. I mean it looks like they put a lot of effort into it and then when editing didn't know what to do... (and the choreography is some of the weirdest stuff I've seen in a music video...) They don't even seem to be in a club, just some small loft apartment... It reminds me of one of those videos you see at cheap gay bars and have never seen before and never will again, and only realize how bizarre and cheap they are when you're sufficiently drunk and staring into space.

[DRW50]

Maybe the guy posing and ripping his shirt open was supposed to be some homage to the You're Making Me High video.

That stuff, and her side by side with the silly Gaga/Rihanna/random 1985 R&B diva outfit, if they'd taken that out and just left in the cheesy stuff in the parking garage, it would have flowed better.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah it's almost like there was one director and concept, they decided it wasn't working and suddenly they rushed some fill in shots.