Does Braxton’s New Album Have a ‘Pulse’?

When you hear the name Toni Braxton, you think of the ‘90s where she ruled as queen of the R&B love song. She was no slouch in the woman empowerment realm either. With songs such as “Seven Whole Days” Braxton sang of getting rid of men who would only bring you down. Her latest album “Pulse” has hints of this glory-past. However, if this were her first album she might not have the fan base that she has now.

So far after the top 20 charting single “Yesterday” there has been two singles released (“Make My Heart” and “Hands Tied”) that have stalled in the middle of the R&B charts. Granted there is no telling how well the album will do given the backing from the record company that was lacking in her previous album releases. After the relationship with L.A. Reid and Babyface dissolved in the early ‘00s, Braxton did not seem to have a successful writing team where she could convey emotion through someone else’s words. Herein lies the problem with her newest album. There seem to be too many writers for each song; which causes them to sound pedestrian at best. Essentially that special-quality of being able to sing a well phrased lyric is lacking in part because of the writers.

Perhaps if Braxton had more control over this album it would not sound like generically-churned out R&B. It is rare these days that singers are just singers. Although Braxton has a couple of co-writing credits on the album, she has no producing credit. This is also a point of contention since the producer credits sound more like a law firm. There are just too many people involved in this process and as a result Braxton’s talent gets lost.

All is not terribly sour though. Two songs, “Woman” and “If I Have to Wait” show promise. Still “Woman” sounds like a watered-down version of Karyn White’s ‘80s monster hit “Superwoman.” While “If I Have to Wait” is well-written and sung, but there is no soulful substance to the track. They are sorely ordinary.

Pulse overall is not a bad album, however it doesn’t take risks. If Braxton is not going to take the reins of the production of her music, then her relationship with Atlantic Records may be as short-lived as the relationships she sings about.