Toni Braxton
is both an elegant and earthy songstress, nicely balancing those seemingly divergent sentiments on her self-titled debut disc.
Braxton
's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic on "Breathe Again," dismayed on "Another Sad Love Song," and disillusioned on "Love Shoulda Brought You Home." But she's never out of control, indignant, or so anguished and hurt that she fails to retain her dignity. It's a sign of how great the
Babyface
/
L.A. Reid
production team was that they didn't settle for a defining mood; they presented
with enough diverse emotional settings to hold the interest of both males and females. [A deluxe reissue included bonus radio edits added to the original album, as well as a second disc's worth of additional remixes and "The Christmas Song."] ~ Ron Wynn