Search - Toni Braxton :: Snowflakes

Jumping high heels first into the Christmas genre, Toni Braxton has come up with a spectacular first effort. Teetering into smooth jazz territory, Braxton gives her sophisticated, breathy vocals a workout on this untraditional Yuletide collection. Instead of revamping old holiday standards, Braxton has cowritten seven new songs--with husband Keri "Mint Condition" Lewis, her sister Tamar, David Foster, and Kenny "Baby Face" Edmonds--and has created what sounds more like a proper Toni Braxton album than a seasonal offering. When Braxton did decide to cover a classic, she choose more contemporary tunes such as perennial favorite "The Christmas Song," which she revives with aplomb and crisp pacing, and the beloved "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which she doesn't tinker with at all. Braxton also pulls Charlie Brown's "Christmas Time Is Here" out of mothballs and gives it a contemplative, melancholy spin that serves the tune well. "Snowflakes of Love" is penned by Braxton and Lewis, and uses the same instrumental that Memphis soul giant Isaac Hayes recorded for the soundtrack for 1974's Truck Turner, giving it a jazzy, masterful feel. The real standout on the album is the reggae-spun "Christmas in Jamaica" with the raunchy, comic vocals of Shaggy. Like the snowflakes it's named after, this CD is a real original. --Jaan Uhelszki