Type: Christmas, Lyrics are included with the album
Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Review
Snowflakes is hardly a traditional Christmas record. Of its nine proper songs (the two final songs are instrumental and remix variations of two cuts that came before), there are only two standards -- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Christmas Song" -- unless you want to count Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here," familiar through Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. The rest has been co-written by Braxton and a variety of collaborators, then polished by her, Keri Lewis, and Antonio "L.A." Reid. Not surprisingly, the end result is something that's very similar to a proper Toni Braxton record, only with an appropriately hushed tone and the sultriness replacing the overt sexiness. Some of the originals are pretty good -- particularly the two opening cuts, "Holiday Celebrate" and the Shaggy duet "Christmas in Jamaica" (it's always a good idea to front-load holiday records) -- and the rest that don't make much of an impact are nevertheless pleasant and add to the mood. And that pretty much summarizes the record -- it's not remarkable, but it's nice, providing a nice, romantic soundtrack for an evening of cuddling in front of the tree and a roaring fire. Which is all that you could ask for, really. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Robert Berg (Viola), Jeremy Lubbock (Conductor), Tony Williams (Drum Programming), Craig "Niteman" Taylor (Assistant Engineer), Thom "TK" Kidd (Engineer), Precision (Producer), Toni Braxton (Vocals (Background)), Jeremy Lubbock (String Arrangements), Don Sebesky (Conductor), Donnie Scantz (Instrumentation), Henry Ferber (Violin), Chanté Moore (Vocals (Background)), Sonny Lallerstedt (Guitar (Classical)), Carlo Dalla Chiesa (Photography), Rebecca Bunnell (Violin), Jim "Z" Zumpano (Engineer), Tamar Braxton (Vocals (Background)), Randy Poole (Assistant Engineer), Craig Love (Producer), Cecilia Tsan (Cello), Jason Shablik (Engineer), Clare Fischer (Orchestration), Daniel Smith (Cello), Brent Fischer (String Arrangements), Daryl Simmons (Producer), Poke & Tone (Producer), Donnie Scantz (Vocal Engineer), Scott Meeder (Drums), Fran Cooper (Make-Up), Jorge Moraga (Viola), Michael Thompson (Guitar (Electric)), Rob Skipworth (Assistant Engineer), Brenton Banks (Violin), L.A. Reid (Executive Producer), Clare Fischer (String Arrangements), Sally Berman (Violin), Ashley Alexander (Engineer), Robbes Stieglitz (Assistant Engineer), Jeremy Lubbock (String Conductor), Kazi Pitelka (Viola), Brad Gilderman (Engineer), Marie Davis (Hair Stylist), Assa Drori (Violin), Vance Taylor (Piano), Thomas Dienner (Viola), Shaggy (Producer), Igor Kiskatchi (Violin), L.A. Reid (Producer), Poke & Tone (Remixing), Dave Palmer (Mixing), Kevin "KD" Davis (Mixing), Toni Braxton (Arranger), Brent Fischer (Percussion), Tom Ranier (Celeste), Mario Diaz de Leon (Violin), Dan Smith (Cello), Jim Fox (Guitar), Daryl Simmons (Percussion), Toni Braxton (Executive Producer), Ashley Alexander (Assistant Engineer), Robert Sanov (Violin), Courtney Walter (Design), Darren Godwin (Assistant Engineer), Farrah Fima (Assistant Engineer), Arni Egilsson (Contrabass), Sonny Lallerstedt (Guitar), Gordon Dukes (Vocal Engineer), Jean Sudbury (Violin), Larry Mah (String Engineer), Keri Lewis (Mixing), Toni Braxton (Vocals), Neal Starkey (Bass), Tom Ranier (Piano), Allen D. Hong (Assistant), McArthur (Drums), Keri Lewis (Executive Producer), Assa Drori (Engineer), Scott Meeder (Drum Overdubs), Irma Neumann (Violin), Anatoly Rosinsky (Violin), Lynn Grants (Viola), Courtney Walter (Art Direction), Toni Braxton (Producer), Peter Donald (Drums), Armen Ksadjikian (Cello), Arni Egilsson (Double Bass), Lisa Sutton (Violin), Al Schmitt (Mixing), Keri Lewis (Instrumentation), Herb Powers (Mastering), Shari Zippert (Violin), Oscar Hidalgo (Double Bass), Shaggy (Vocals), Jerry Epstein (Viola), Brandon Harris (Assistant Engineer), Daryl Simmons (Arranger), Elizabeth Wilson (Violin), Kayo (Bass), Assa Drori (Concert Master), Toni Braxton (Vocal Arrangement), Ray Bardani (Mixing), Donnie Scantz (Producer), L.A. Reid (Drums), L'Wren Scott (Stylist), Babyface (Producer), Daryl Simmons (Keyboards), Brent Fischer (Conductor), Jim Hughart (Bass), Nathan East (Bass), Darren Godwin (Engineer), Don Palmer (Violin), Jason Shablik (Assistant Engineer), Allen D. Hong (Project Coordinator), Keri Lewis (Producer), Babyface (Vocals (Background)), Jason Goldstein (Mixing), Steve Genewick (Assistant Engineer), Don Sebesky (Arranger), Oscar Hidalgo (Contrabass), Randy Poole (Engineer), Craig Love (Guitar), Larry Mah (Engineer), Henry Gronnier (Violin), Dave Palmer (Engineer), Gordon Dukes (Engineer), Dave Reitzas (String Engineer), McArthur (Producer), Tom Rainer (Piano), Tom Rainer (Celeste), Heather Michell (Vocals (Background)), Ivy Skoff (Production Coordination)
Snowflakes is the first Christmas album (fourth overall) by American R&B singer–songwriter Toni Braxton, released in the United States on October 23, 2001 by Arista Records. Along with the traditional Christmas songs "The Christmas Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and a cover of Vince Guaraldi's 1962 song "Christmas Time Is Here", the album contains original songs which focus not only on Christmas, but also on love. Braxton was newly married and expecting her first child while making the album.
