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http://www.metroline-online.com/pages/entertainment/music/takenforaspin/with-pulse-braxton-returns-to-form.shtmlWith ‘Pulse,’ Braxton Returns to Form
After contending with health issues that almost stopped her from performing, Braxton’s triumphant return, “Pulse,” arrives May 4.
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Toni Braxton’s been a force in R&B for over a decade. The long-running #1 “Unbreak My Heart” still stands as a high water mark in the genre, but the artist has released a number of sultry, sexy songs over the years, punctuated by her fantastic singing and beautifully unique voice.
After contending with health issues that almost stopped her from performing, Braxton’s triumphant return, “Pulse,” arrives May 4.
The album has a balance of slow, simmering ballads, which is an area under which Braxton has traditionally thrived, as well as a few upbeat songs that have vibrant production and serve the singer well. Clocking in at 11 tracks, it doesn’t try to be everything, and doesn’t try to cram the disc full of music; instead, it focuses on a tight track list of well-crafted songs.
The album leads off with the trio of singles released in anticipation of the disc, “Yesterday,” “Make My Heart” and “Hands Tied.” The lead-off single and album starter “Yesterday” is a mid-tempo track, featuring Trey Songz, that sets the tone nicely for the album - classic Braxton, but more modern. “Make My Heart” then blows the hinges off the door with one of the most upbeat songs Braxton has ever recorded. It’s lively with a beautiful horn arrangement and a potent vocal take from Braxton, and is a major highlight of the album. “Hands Tied” is one of the more beautiful songs that Braxton’s approached, with a gorgeous, simple arrangement with a perfect delivery from the singer.
Both “Hands Tied” and “If I Have to Wait” are driven by a piano arrangement, although “Tied” has an R&B slant and “Wait” slides closer to a pop-country feel with the addition of some other instrumentation, including guitars. “No Way” is more guitar driven, and echoes back to some of her earlier ballads, which is in by no way a bad thing; it’s one of the more emotional tracks on the album, and her singing is up to the challenge.
In the more upbeat range, “Lookin’ At Me” has a marching band kind of feel (think of the kind of songs that came out of those dance movies for inspiration). The hand-clapping arrangement keeps the song chugging along, and Braxton’s vocals are winning, if showing less range than on some of the other songs.
Some of the songs stumble a bit. The midtempo “Wardrobe” is a nice pop tune, and although it’s one of the more forgettable tracks on the album, it fits in nicely. “Hero” is an in-the-now R&B number that succeeds in that format, but the chorus feels a bit lightweight given the tone the song’s setting. It’s a nitpick though on what is a beautiful song.
Overall, this is a triumphant return for a unique talent, and it’s well timed. With R&B and dance lately becoming a more unified whole, it takes an artist like Braxton to keep the genre more varied and interesting, and she’s done it here. This is well worth a purchase.
For big fans of Braxton and those who gotta have it all, I spotted on iTunes a deluxe edition, which adds about a half dozen bonus tracks, as well as some music videos, that offer some additional material for those who can’t get enough.