More Than a Woman

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More Than a Woman
Studio album by Toni Braxton
Released	November 19, 2002 (2002-11-19) (U.S.)
Recorded	2001-2002
Genre	R&B, pop, hip hop
Length	49:40
Label	Arista
Producer	Babyface, The Neptunes, Darkchild, Keri Lewis, Irv Gotti, Brandy, Robert "Big Bert" Smith, Mark Pitts, Chink Santana, No I.D.
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Blender link Entertainment Weekly (B) link
Toni Braxton chronology
Snowflakes (2001) More Than a Woman (2002) Ultimate Toni Braxton (2003)
Singles from More Than a Woman
"Hit the Freeway"

More Than a Woman is the fourth studio album by the First Lady of LaFace Toni Braxton, released in the United States on November 19, 2002 by Arista Records. It was certified gold by the RIAA in late 2002.

Most of the songs were written by Braxton, her husband Keri Lewis, and her sister Tamar Braxton. The album was produced by Braxton, Lewis, and Antonio "L.A." Reid. It sold around two million copies worldwide.

Singles

Originally, the first single was said to be a sample-heavy track called "No More Love", produced by and featuring Irv Gotti. However, after Gotti had leaked the song to radio, Braxton and Arista decided not to include the song on the final track listing.

The official first single released from the album was "Hit the Freeway" featuring rapper Loon. It peaked at number eighty-six on Billboard Hot 100, number thirty-two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number two on the Hot Dance Club Play.

The second single was set to be "Lies, Lies, Lies" (with an unreleased video shot as well), but it was switched to "A Better Man". No video was ever made for the song (since Braxton's second pregnancy was occurring at this time), although promotional CDs were made available for radio.

Additionally, to service radio shows, a double A-side vinyl for "Give It Back" and "Let Me Show You the Way (Out)" was released.

"Me & My Boyfriend" (a cover of Tupac Shakur's 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend") was set to be a single at some point, but Jay-Z and Beyoncé released the single "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" around the same time, which is based on the same song, and Braxton refrained from releasing her version as a single, accusing Jay-Z of stealing her idea (although it should be pointed out that "How Much", a duet between Mariah Carey and Usher on Carey's 1999 album Rainbow, uses the same Shakur sample).

A few years after the album's release, a dance remix of "Lies, Lies, Lies" was leaked online on the fansite Toni-Online.

Critical Reception

According to Metacritic, the album holds a score of 77 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 8 reviews.^[1]

• All Music Guide says:

"If there's any problem with More Than a Woman, Toni Braxton's fourth album, it's that its so consistent, so much a continuation of its predecessor, Heat, that it may be hard to pinpoint distinctive characteristics".

• Blender says:

"While her wailing contemporaries go off the rails with exaggeration, Braxton merely tightens her groove and rides these mellow, meaty melodies".

• Launch.com says:

"All this anger's not just therapeutic--it also makes her transition to hard hip-hop diva seem sensible, instead of just a marketing move, by grounding it in something real.".

Track listing

1. "Let Me Show You the Way (Out)" – 4:18
2. "Give It Back" (featuring Big Tymers) – 3:38
3. "A Better Man" – 3:58
4. "Hit the Freeway" (featuring Loon) – 3:48
5. "Lies, Lies, Lies" – 5:10
6. "Rock Me, Roll Me" – 4:57
7. "Selfish" – 3:46
8. "Do You Remember When" – 4:02
9. "Me & My Boyfriend" – 3:43
10. "Tell Me" – 4:09
11. "And I Love You" – 3:59
12. "Always" – 4:29

Personnel

Musicians

• Patricia Aiken – violin
• Brian Benning – violin
• Sally Berman – violin
• Rebecca Bunnell – violin
• Chris 'Daddy' Dave – drums
• Drew Dembowski – bass
• Assa Drori – violin, principal
• Thomas Dienner – viola
• Blake English – guitar
• Agnes Gottschewski – violin
• Lynn Grants – viola
• Maurice Grants – cello
• Henry Gronnier – violin
• Al Hershberger – violin
• Oscar Hidalgo – bass
• Ricky Kinchen – bass
• Renita Koven – viola
• Johana Krejci – violin
• Phillipe Levy – violin
• Keith Lewis – cello
• Jeremy Lubbock – strings
• Earl Madison – cello
• Tomi Martin – guitar
• Dennis Molchan – violin
• Jorge Moraga – viola
• Ricky Rouse – guitar
• Dan Smith – cello
• Stokley – guitar
• Terrence "Bearwolf" Williams – keyboards

Production

• Executive producers: Toni Braxton, Keri Lewis, Antonio "L.A." Reid
• Producer: Babyface, Darkchild, The Neptunes, Keri Lewis, Irv Gotti, Ivan Matias, Robert "Big Bert" Smith, Mark Pitts, Chink Santana, Brandy, No I.D.
• Vocal assistance: Tamar Braxton, Brandy, Andrea Martin, Stokley
• Engineers: Paul Boutin, Andrew Coleman, Blake English, Paul Foley, Stephen Glicken, John Hanes, Jean-Marie Horvat, Larry Mah, Victor Mancusi, Fabian Marasciullo, Brian Springer
• Assistant engineers: Cedric Anderson, John Horesco IV, Mike Houge, Brett Lieberman, Tim Roberts, Craig "Niteman" Taylor
• Mixing: Leslie Brathwaite, Kevin "KD" Davis, Blake English, Serban Ghenea, Steve Hodge, Victor Mancusi, Dexter Simmons, Phil Tan
• Mastering: Herb Powers
• Production Coordination: Allen D. Hong, Kirk Lightburn
• A&R: Theresa Wilson
• Design:
• Art Direction: Richard Thomas Jennings
• Photography: Tony Duran, Daniela Federici

Charts

References