Toni Braxton is set to release her tenth studio album, “Spell My Name,” on August 28 through Island, a Universal Music Group label. The album’s new single, “Dance,” is a feel-good disco stomper and follows on the heels of “Do It,” co-written with longtime collaborator Babyface, which was the most added song at adult R&B radio after its release. The remix featured Missy Elliott and the song is still logged firmly in the upper regions of the adult R&B chart.
After threatening to quit the business a few years ago, Braxton has enjoyed something of a career resurrection sparked by 2014’s Grammy winning “Love, Marriage, Divorce,” a duet album with Babyface that debuted in the top 10. It was followed by 2018’s multi-Grammy nominated album “Sex and Cigarettes,” which spawned the No. 1 adult R&B single “Long As I Love” and a subsequent tour.
Braxton came to prominence in the early and mid-’90’s with a slew of hit singles, mostly penned by LaFace label co-head Babyface, including “Love Shoulda Brought You Home,” “Another Sad Love Song,” “Breathe Again,” “Seven Whole Days,” “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and Diane Warren’s “Unbreak My Heart.”.
Despite releasing six solo albums between 1996 and 2010 (“Secrets”, “The Heat,” “Snowflakes”, “More Than a Woman,” “Libra” and “Pulse”) and scoring hit singles with “You Mean the World to Me,” “You’re Makin’ Me High” and “I Love Me Some Him”/“I Don’t Want To,” sales failed to match those earlier in her career and she left her longtime home of LaFace/Arista, moving to Island/Def Jam. Ironically, it also turned out to be the new musical home of Babyface and, thus, their successful duets album.
Braxton’s career second act has coincided with the success of WE’s reality TV show, “Braxton Family Values,” in which she stars along with her family members. The show has showcased her romance with hip-hop mogul Bryan “Birdman” Williams of Cash Money Records. According to news outlets, the couple recently eloped and married.