Ultimate Toni Braxton

• Artist: Toni Braxton
• Rating:
• Release Date: November 04, 2003
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

Most modern-day female pop singers start their careers doing their sexy, stylish dance-oriented material then settle into a career as an adult contemporary crooner. Toni Braxton didn't follow that route. She started the '90s singing elegant, refined quiet storm ballads and ended it singing sleek dance-pop tunes as she slinked around in skimpy outfits. She wasn't the only one of her peers to follow this trajectory -- Mariah Carey pretty much did the same thing, only to the extreme -- but it's a little odd to listen to Braxton evolve from the sophisticated urban contemporary crooner to oversexed R&B thrush, even if it's not a bad thing at all. One thing that elevated Braxton above her peers is that she was a controlled, powerful singer who rarely oversang, and she had a good selection of material, much of it written or co-written by Babyface. That's why her 18-track hits collection Ultimate Toni Braxton works well even through her shifts in style -- she is a confident enough performer to sell both the slow romantic ballads and material that swings harder. That's not to say that there aren't some slow spots here -- the previously unreleased cuts are no great shakes, and sometimes the abundance of slow numbers makes things sound too samey -- but she was one of the top urban soul singers of the '90s, and this is the album that illustrates why. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Give U My Heart (Lyrics)	Bo Watson, L.A. Reid, Daryl Simmons, Babyface	Toni Braxton, Babyface	(4:00)
Love Shoulda Brought You Home (Lyrics)	Babyface, Bo Watson, Daryl Simmons	Toni Braxton	(4:51)
Another Sad Love Song (Lyrics)	Daryl Simmons, Babyface	Toni Braxton	(3:49)
Breathe Again (Lyrics)	Babyface	Toni Braxton	(4:15)
Seven Whole Days [Live]	Babyface, L.A. Reid	Toni Braxton	(4:40)
You Mean the World to Me (Lyrics)	L.A. Reid, Babyface, Daryl Simmons	Toni Braxton	(3:59)
How Many Ways (Lyrics)	Toni Braxton, Noel Goring, Vincent Herbert, Philip Field, Keith Miller	Toni Braxton	(4:26)
You're Makin' Me High (Lyrics)	Babyface, Bryce Wilson	Toni Braxton	(4:06)
Let It Flow (Lyrics)	Babyface	Toni Braxton	(4:09)
Un-Break My Heart (Lyrics)	Diane Warren	Toni Braxton	(4:28)
I Love Me Some Him (Lyrics)	Andrea Martin, Gloria Stewart, SoulShock & Karlin	Toni Braxton	(4:36)
I Don't Want To (Lyrics)	R. Kelly	Toni Braxton	(4:17)
He Wasn't Man Enough (Lyrics)	LaShawn Daniels, Harvey Mason, Jr., Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jenkins III	Toni Braxton	(4:00)
Just Be a Man About It (Lyrics)	Johnta Austin, Ted Bishop, Toni Braxton, Bryan-Michael Cox	Toni Braxton	(4:16)
Hit the Freeway (Lyrics)	Pharrell Williams, Chauncey Hawkins	Loon, Toni Braxton	(3:47)
Whatchu Need [#]	Fred "Uncle Freddie" Jerkins III, Rodney Jerkins, Toni Braxton, Kenisha Pratt, LaShawn Daniels	Toni Braxton	(3:38)
The Little Things [#]	R. Kelly	Toni Braxton	(4:31)
Un-Break My Heart [Soul-Hex Anthem Radio Edit]	Diane Warren	Toni Braxton	(3:35)

Credits

Karlin (Producer), David Foster (Producer), L.A. Reid (Producer), Jon Gass (Live Mixing), Soulshock (Producer), R. Kelly (Producer), Bobby Guy (Group Member), Richard Thomas Jennings (Art Direction), Bo Watson (Live Mixing), Jim "Z" Zumpano (Engineer), Karlin (Arranger), Daniela Federici (Photography), Soul Solution (Producer), Babyface (Producer), Toni Braxton (Producer), David Foster (Arranger), Soul Solution (Group), Bryan-Michael Cox (Producer), Allen D. Hong (Assistant), Joe-Mama Nitzberg (Creative Director), Herb Powers (Mastering), Daryl Simmons (Producer), Loon (Guest Appearance), Babyface (Guest Appearance), R. Kelly (Arranger), Ted Bishop (Producer), Soul Solution (Remixing), Rodney Jerkins (Producer), L.A. Reid (Live Mixing), The Neptunes (Producer), Ernie Lake (Group Member), Bryce Wilson (Producer), Vincent Herbert (Producer), Soulshock (Arranger)

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