Toni Braxton's second album, Secrets, follows through on the promise of her eponymous debut.
Like her first album, the majority of Secrets was co-produced by Babyface and his partner L.A.
Reid, while the material is divided between songs written by outside songwriters like R.
Kelly, Tony Rich, and Diane Warren and originals by Braxton and Babyface.
Braxton and Babyface's collaborations are the highlights of the album, combining rich melodies and gorgeous choruses with subtle, clever lyrics that are never laced with clichés.
Nearly equalling the original numbers are contributions by Tony Rich ("Come On Over Here") and R.
Kelly ("I Don't Want To"); with these tracks, both musicians demonstrate why they are considered two of the top songwriters in '90s R&B and soul.
Secrets does have a couple of weak moments.
The numbers produced by David Foster are too predictable in their slick commercial appeal, but Braxton manages to infuse the songs with life and passion that elevates them beyond their generic confines.
And her vocal talent is what unites Secrets and makes it into a first-rate contemporary R&B collection.
Braxton is a singer who can cross over into the smooth confines of adult contemporary radio without losing or betraying the soul that lies at the foundation of her music, and her talent burns at its brightest on Secrets.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Come On Over HereMarc Nelson, Tony Rich, Darrell Spencer | Toni Braxton | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | You're Makin Me HighBabyface, Bryce Wilson | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | Un-Break My HeartDiane Warren | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Talking In His SleepToni Braxton, Keith Crouch | Toni Braxton | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | How Could an Angel Break My HeartBabyface, Toni Braxton | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Find Me a ManBabyface | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 7 | Why Should I CareBabyface | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | I Don't Want ToR. Kelly | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | You're Makin' Me High (Tempo Mix) | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | Un-break My Heart (Classic Radio Mix) | Toni Braxton | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 11 | I Don't Want To (Frankie Knuckles Radio Edit) | Toni Braxton | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| 48 mins | 110 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 331 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharliss Asbury | A&R |
| 2 | Babyface | Composer, Drum Programming, Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboard Programming, Keyboards, Lyricist, Producer, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Kyle Bess | Assistant |
| 4 | Paul Boutin | Assistant |
| 5 | Leslie Brathwaite | Engineer |
| 6 | Toni Braxton | Composer, Creative Director, Executive Producer, Lyricist, Primary Artist, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | "Bassy" Bob Brockman | Mixing |
| 8 | Jonathan Buck | Composer, Lyricist |
| 9 | Jakkai Butler | Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Jin Choi | Assistant |
| 11 | Luis Conte | Guest Artist, Percussion |
| 12 | Keith Crouch | Arranger, Composer, Engineer, Hammond B3, Instrumentation, Producer, Vocal Arrangement |
| 13 | Sharon Daley | A&R |
| 14 | Nathan East | Bass |
| 15 | Kenneth Edmonds | Executive Producer |
| 16 | Russell Elevado | Engineer |
| 17 | Felipe Elgueta | Engineer |
| 18 | Sherree Ford-Payne | Guest Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | David Foster | Arranger, Guest Artist, Keyboard Programming, Producer |
| 20 | Simon Franglen | Synclavier Programming |
| 21 | Kenny G | Guest Artist, Saxophone |
| 22 | Jon Gass | Mixing |
| 23 | Brad Gilderman | Engineer |
| 24 | Frank Gonzales | Assistant |
| 25 | Reggie Griffin | Guitar |
| 26 | Mick Guzauski | Mixing |
| 27 | Brad Haehnel | Assistant |
| 28 | Reggie Hamilton | Bass |
| 29 | Brandon Harris | Assistant |
| 30 | Richard Huredia | Assistant |
| 31 | Booker T. Jones III | Mixing |
| 32 | Karlin | Arranger, Composer, Lyricist, Producer |
| 33 | R. Kelly | Arranger, Composer, Guest Artist, Instrumentation, Lyricist, Mixing, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 34 | Bill Kinsley | Assistant |
| 35 | Eugene Lo | Engineer |
| 36 | Ron Lowe | Assistant |
| 37 | Jeremy Lubbock | String Arrangements, String Conductor |
| 38 | Glen Marchese | Assistant |
| 39 | Manny Marroquin | Engineer |
| 40 | Andrea Martin | Composer, Lyricist, Vocals (Background) |
| 41 | Jon Merchant | Assistant |
| 42 | Peter Mokran | Engineer, Mixing |
| 43 | Chanté Moore | Guest Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 44 | Marc Nelson | Composer, Lyricist, Vocals (Background) |
| 45 | Dean Parks | Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 46 | Greg Phillinganes | Fender Rhodes, Piano |
| 47 | Neal H. Pogue | Engineer |
| 48 | Herb Powers | Mastering |
| 49 | Antonio M. Reid | Executive Producer |
| 50 | L.A. Reid | Producer, Vocal Arrangement |
| 51 | Dave Reitzas | String Engineer |
| 52 | Bryan Reminic | Assistant |
| 53 | Tony Rich | Arranger, Composer, Guest Artist, Lyricist, Producer |
| 54 | Marnie Riley | Assistant |
| 55 | Nigel Sawyer | Design Assistant |
| 56 | Larry Schalit | Assistant |
| 57 | Al Schmitt | String Engineer |
| 58 | Ivy Scoff | Production Coordination |
| 59 | Shanice | Guest Artist |
| 60 | John Shrive | Assistant |
| 61 | Davett Singletary | Art Direction |
| 62 | Ivy Skoff | Production Coordination |
| 63 | Soulshock | Arranger, Composer, Lyricist, Producer |
| 64 | Darrell Spencer | Composer, Lyricist |
| 65 | Gloria Stewart | Composer, Lyricist |
| 66 | Robbes Stieglitz | Assistant |
| 67 | Randee St. Nicholas | Photography |
| 68 | Tim Thomas | Vocal Arrangement |
| 69 | Michael Thompson | Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 70 | Candy Tookes | A&R |
| 71 | Randy Walker | Engineer, MIDI Programming |
| 72 | D.L. Warfield | Design |
| 73 | Diane Warren | Composer, Lyricist |
| 74 | Bryce Wilson | Composer, Drum Programming, Guest Artist, Keyboard Programming, Lyricist, Producer |
| 75 | Shanice Wilson | Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |