R&B Bridgez: Celebrating Toni Braxton’s ‘The Heat’ 25th Anniversary
Includes Toni Speaking On the Scrapped "Maybe" Video & Clip.
Today marks the 25th Anniversary of Toni Braxston‘s thrid studio album, “The Heat.”
Toni Braxton, the daughter of a Methodist minister, grew up with four younger sisters and a younger brother in Severn, Maryland.
As a child, she wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music, but singing in the church choir made her decide to pursue a musical career.
After brief stints as a secretary and a court reporter, she formed a vocal group, the Braxtons, with three of her sisters.
Her membership in that foursome led to an acquaintance with hitmaking producers L.A. Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, who offered her a solo deal with their label, LaFace.
Replacing Anita Baker, who was unable to fulfill her commitment, Toni lent her talents to the “Boomerang” soundtrack in 1992, scoring a hit with the single “Love Shoulda Brought You Home.” She followed up with a self-titled debut album chock full of lovelorn hits, including the sweetly sincere “You Mean the World to Me,” the delightfully dramatic “Breathe Again” and “Just Another Sad Love Song.”
While Toni Braxton was certainly no stranger to such formulaic sad love songs, her appearance on the scene was a breath of fresh air, using her husky and powerful voice to celebrate rather than overshadow her material.
Toni‘s deep voice, mature material and tendency to shy away from vocal acrobatics resulted in the marketing of the performer as an adult contemporary artist, all glamour and sequined gowns at the relatively young age of 25.
This smart marketing matched with Toni Braxton‘s undeniable talent led to multiplatinum sales for the record, but the follow-up album “Secrets” in 1996, had the artist skewing younger with a fresh, more playful look and attitude.
Still, alongside slinky beat-driven songs like “You’re Making Me High” stood the tried and true melancholic ballads like “Un-break My Heart.” In the year after the release of the multiplatinum success “Secrets,” Toni Braxton was involved in contract disputes with her record company over what she saw as an unfair lack of compensation considering the sales she was generating for the label.
Explaining that she only saw something in the neighborhood of .35 per unit sold, Toni Braxton sought a way out of her contract, and in February of 1998 filed for bankruptcy.
In the midst of contract talks with LaFace and Arista and unable to put out another record, Toni Braxton headed to Broadway, where she took over the role of Belle in Disney‘s “Beauty and the Beast.” Promising to add some edge to the sunshiny role, Toni Braxton was presented with a new song written especially for her in the production, and enjoyed a successful run on stage.
Reconciling with LaFace and Arista in 1999 meant that her third album “The Heat” was set for a 2000 release.
Boasting the vocal abilities that made her a superstar and showcasing a new more proactive attitude, Toni Braxton wasn’t lamenting lost love on this release so much as asserting her own power.
“The Heat” was released 25 years ago today, on April 25th, 2000.
With two hit singles in succession questioning the subject’s masculinity, “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and “Just Be a Man About It.”
Toni Braxton no longer seemed the beautifully tragic victim, but rather a mature woman coming into her own.
On the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart, “He Wasn’t Man Enough” leaped to #1, after street-date violations caused it to debut a week early, at #22. In it’s first full week of sales, the single moved just short of 25,000 units.
“I’ve been taking control of my life and I’m being responsible for what happens in my career,“ Toni Braxton stated at the time, adding that ‘The Heat‘ “shows the positive direction I’m feeling in my life.”
A video for the fan-favorite “Maybe” was shot by director Chris Robinson. The video was never released, as Toni Braxton didn’t want fans to get her body double, confused with her. For the anniversary, UB has a clip below of that interview and the beginning of the “Maybe” video rough cut.
Contributions on “The Heat” came from such noted producers as Keri Lewis of Twin Cities own Mint Condition, who co-produced “Speaking In Tongues,” “The Art of Love” and “The Heat” with Toni.
Renowned hitmaker Rodney Jerkins oversaw the album’s first single, “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” while “Gimme Some,” which features the late great Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and the acoustic “Fairy Tale” were produced by Babyface.
The tender ballads “Spanish Guitar” and “I’m Still Breathing” were produced by David Foster.
“The Heat,” sold two million copies and brought her another million-selling single and the Best R&B Grammy with “He Wasn’t Man Enough.”
Wearing a dress to the 2001 Grammys that rivaled the previous year’s scanty offering by Jennifer Lopez, Toni Braxton went out of her way to shrug her previous image and succeed both in raising eyebrows and selling records.
Toni Braxton more literally took on a whole new character later that year, making her feature acting debut in “Kingdom Come” in 2001.
A heartwarming comedy, the film chronicled the events and emotions surrounding an Black family reuniting for their patriarch’s wake.
Playing the glamorous cousin who marries the Mister Right that the deceased’s daughter-in-law (Jada Pinkett Smith) let get away, Toni Braxton succeeded in making the most of both her snarky sultriness and graceful elegance, and turned in a fine performance.
Studying under trained stage actor Ella Joyce and counting singer/actress Vanessa L Williams as an inspiration, Toni Braxton seemed to be taking the possibility of pursuing an acting career seriously, and could ostensibly emerge as a viable double threat.
Take A Trip Down Memory Lane With “The Heat!”
