Libra (Toni Braxton album)

Libra
Studio album by Toni Braxton
Released September 27, 2005 (2005-09-27)
Recorded 2004–2005;
DenDiezel, Soulpower Studio, The Underlab
(Los Angeles, California)
Doppler Studios, Silent Sound Studios, Upstairs Studio
(Atlanta, Georgia)
Encore Studios
(Burbank, California)
The Hit Factory Criteria
(Miami, Florida)
Ocean Way Recording
(Hollywood, Los Angeles, California)
The Poolhouse
(New York City, New York)
The Village
(West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California)
Genre R&B, Hip-Hop, Pop
Length 40:00
Label Blackground
Producer

Rich Harrison, Scott Storch, Bryan-Michael Cox, Keri Lewis, The Underdogs, Babyface, Antonio Dixon, Soulshock & Karlin, Cory Rooney, Dan Shea

(Executive producer): Vincent Herbert
Toni Braxton chronology
More Than a Woman
(2002)		 Libra
(2005)		 Pulse
(2010)
Alternative cover
European re-release cover
Singles from Libra
  1. "Please"
    Released: May 30, 2005
  2. "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)"
    Released: September 26, 2005
  3. "Take This Ring"
    Released: December 2005
  4. "Suddenly"
    Released: February 2006
  5. "The Time of Our Lives"
    Released: June 15, 2006

Libra is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Toni Braxton. It was released in the United States on September 27, 2005 by Blackground Records. The album's title is a reference to Braxton's astrological sign, Libra.

The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 114,000 copies in its first week.[1] Only three singles were released from the album, and due to lack of promotion from Blackground Records, Braxton's then-record label, all of them failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, subsequently causing Braxton to terminate her contract with the label. Nonetheless, as a result of the European success of "The Time of Our Lives"—Braxton's collaboration with the group Il Divo, which served as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup theme song—, German label Edel Records re-released the album in continental Europe in late June 2006 including "The Time of Our Lives" as well as a brand-new cover art. Previously, the regular European edition of the album had included three bonus tracks: "Suddenly", "I Hate You", and "Long Way Home". The song "Stupid", which is track 8 of the album, has briefly appeared in the 2005 Tyler Perry film Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Libra gained gold status by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 4, 2005,[2] having sold over 431,000 copies within the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[3]

The album cover was included on Maxim's list of Sexiest Album Covers.[4]

Contents

Digital downloads

Some U.S. retail stores, such as Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart, included a bonus digital download when Libra was first released. The tracks given for digital download were either a leftover track or one of the bonus tracks featured on the album's 2006 European pressing. The track "Places" was included as a digital download at Wal-Mart stores.

Track listing

  1. "Please" (Scott Storch, Makeba Riddick, Vincent Herbert, Kameron Houff) – 3:57
  2. "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)" (Bryan-Michael Cox, Kendrick Dean, Johnta Austin, Toni Braxton) – 4:05
  3. "What's Good" (Cox, Austin, Braxton, Joe Sample) – 4:14
    • Contains a sample of "In All My Wildest Dreams" by Joe Sample (Joe Sample)
  4. "Take This Ring" (Rich Harrison) – 4:35
  5. "Midnite" (Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin, Harold Lilly) – 4:11
  6. "I Wanna Be (Your Baby)" (Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Babyface, Daryl Simmons) – 3:48
  7. "Sposed to Be" (Antonio Dixon, Keri Hilson, Patrick "j.Que" Smith, Mason, Thomas) – 4:07
  8. "Stupid" (Cory Rooney, Braxton, Keri Lewis) – 3:36
  9. "Finally" (Mason, Thomas, Dixon, Eric Dawkins, Durrell Babbs) – 3:30
  10. "Shadowless" (Alex Cantrell, Philip White) – 3:57

European edition

  1. "Please" – 3:57
  2. "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)" – 4:05
  3. "What's Good" – 4:14
  4. "Suddenly" (Richard Marx) – 4:43
  5. "Take This Ring" – 4:35
  6. "Midnite" – 4:09
  7. "I Wanna Be (Your Baby)" – 3:48
  8. "Sposed to Be" – 4:07
  9. "Stupid" – 3:36
  10. "Finally" – 3:30
  11. "I Hate You" (Mason, Thomas, Babyface, Dixon, Dawkins) – 4:01
  12. "Shadowless" – 3:56
  13. "Long Way Home" (Schack, Karlin, Cantrell, White) – 4:32
Re-release bonus track
  1. "The Time of Our Lives" (with Il Divo) (Jörgen Elofsson) – 4:44

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [5]
Amazon (positive)[6]
Slant Magazine [7]
USA Today [8]

Andy Kellman wrote for Allmusic that "Libra offers no surprises. It's lean and balanced, just like all other Braxton albums, though too many songs are tepid and merely functional for background listening, so it winds up a safe distance from the likes of the self-titled debut and Secrets.[5] Tammy La Gorce wrote for Amazon that "Libra, more than just a vehicle for evolving, adapting, and overcoming, is among the freshest, most tastefully done R&B discs to come out in 2005."[6] Sal Cinquemani wrote for Slant Magazine that "While Braxton meshed impeccably with her hip-hop counterparts on More Than A Woman, her collaboration with Rich Harrison sounds forced, even desperate. And with the Babyface and Daryl Simmon-penned "I Wanna Be (Your Baby)," the team that once delivered multiple R&B classics all on one Braxton record struggles to produce just one for their old friend here. The track is a serviceable vehicle for Braxton's seasoned alto, but more successful are the sultry "Sposed To Be," "What's Good" (which is a decidedly traditional ballad but avoids the schmaltz that weighed down much of the singer's previous material), the acoustic album closer "Shadowless," and the loungy "Stupid"—she might not know it yet, but if the woman who was once compared to Anita Baker is going to have a future in music, this song is it."[7] Steve Jones wrote for USA Today that "the more mature Braxton is no longer waiting around for someone else to un-break her heart."[8]

Personnel

  • Kameron Houff – engineer (track 1)
  • Tavia Ivy – backing vocals (track 6)
  • Kim Johnson – backing vocals (tracks 1, 9)
  • Karlin – producer, arranger, instrumentation (track 5)
  • Tom Kelly – engineer, editing (track 7)
  • Thom "TK" Kidd – engineer, editing (track 7)
  • Saro Lyn Killian – assistant engineer
  • Keri Lewis – producer (tracks 8, 10); co-producer (tracks 2, 3); executive producer; additional keyboards, mixing, programming (track 8); vocal producer (tracks 1, 7, 9)
  • Jonathan Mannion – photography
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing (tracks 5, 10)
  • Michael Muller – photography
  • Greg Phillinganes – piano (track 6)
  • John Ricard – photography
  • Makeba Riddick – backing vocals (track 1)
  • Cory Rooney – producer, arranger, programming, piano (track 8)
  • Dave "Natural Love" Russell – mixing (tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, 9); engineer, editing (tracks 6, 9)
  • Dan Shea – producer, programming, guitar, piano (track 8)
  • Latrell Simmons – backing vocals (track 6)
  • Siete – guitar (track 2)
  • Rob Skipworth – assistant engineer, editing assistant
  • Soulshock – producer, arranger, instrumentation, mixing (track 5)
  • Sean Spellman – stylist
  • Gary Stiffelman – legal representation
  • Scott Storch – producer (track 1)
  • Anthony Terrabonne – assistant engineer
  • Sam Thomas – engineer (track 2); mixing (tracks 2, 3)
  • The Underdogs – producers, performers (track 6)
  • S. Wade – art design

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position
German Albums Chart[9] 60
Swiss Albums Chart[10] 25
U.S. Billboard 200[11] 4
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[11] 2

Release history

Region Date Label
United States September 27, 2005 Blackground Records
Europe October 21, 2005 Edel Records
June 23, 2006 (re-release)

References

  1. ^ Whitmire, Margo (October 5, 2005). "Gretchen Wilson Zooms Straight To No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/1001260244.story. Retrieved August 23, 2008. 
  2. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. November 4, 2005. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&title=Libra&artist=Toni%20Braxton&perPage=25. Retrieved January 27, 2009. 
  3. ^ Mitchell, Gail (January 12, 2007). "Braxton Released By Blackground, Sues Ex-Manager". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/1003532374.story. Retrieved December 18, 2008. 
  4. ^ "Sexiest Album Covers". Maxim. Alpha Media Group Inc. http://www.maxim.com/music/lists/43808/sexiest-album-covers.html#6. Retrieved January 31, 2009. 
  5. ^ a b Kellman, Andy (September 27, 2005). "Libra - Toni Braxton - Allmusic". Allmusic - Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/libra-r793886/review. Retrieved July 23, 2011. 
  6. ^ a b La Gorce, Tammy (September 27, 2005). "Amazon.com: Libra, Toni Braxton". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Libra-Toni/dp/B000AXWHQ2. Retrieved July 23, 2011. 
  7. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (September 24, 2005). "Toni Braxton: Libra - Music Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/toni-braxton-libra/647. Retrieved July 23, 2011. 
  8. ^ a b Jones, Steve (September 23, 2005). "'Jacked Up' Wilson defies stereotypes". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2005-09-26-listen-up_x.htm. Retrieved July 23, 2011. 
  9. ^ "Musicline.de – Chartverfolgung – Toni Braxton – Libra" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/title/Braxton%2CToni/Libra/longplay. Retrieved August 23, 2008. 
  10. ^ "Toni Braxton – Libra". Media Control. Hung Medien. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Toni+Braxton&titel=Libra&cat=a. Retrieved November 1, 2010. 
  11. ^ a b "Libra – Toni Braxton – Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/libra-r793886/charts-awards/billboard-album. Retrieved August 23, 2008. 
Toni Braxton
Studio albums
Toni Braxton (1993) · Secrets (1996) · The Heat (2000) · More Than a Woman (2002) · Libra (2005) · Pulse (2010)
Other albums
Tours
Maze Tour (1994) · Secrets Tour (1997) · Libra Tour (2006)
Featured singles
Related articles