Toni Braxton/ Sex &Cigarettes
If you follow Toni Braxton's discography closely (or simply give it a quick scan), you're probably familiar with one overriding narrative -- a woman played and betrayed by her lover. Starting as far back as the release of her 1993 breakout self-titled debut, this theme of the jilted lover has resulted in some of her biggest hits including Another Sad Love Song, Breathe Again, Un-Break My Heart and Just Be A Man About It. It's also spawned a riveting sub-plot which dominates 2014's Grammy-winning Love, Marriage & Divorce, her tellingly titled duet album with singer-songwriter and long-time collaborator Babyface.
After all these years, Braxton apparently still has more post-breakup gripes to divulge and she's done precisely that on her latest offering Sex & Cigarettes, her debut with Def Jam Records and eighth overall. "Just want to let you know/I won't let this one go/You got me down, but I ain't out," she sings in the chorus of acoustic/orchestral opener Deadwood before letting rip her husky-voiced modulation."Think you got me good/Left me like some deadwood/I may be down, but I'll turn around."
The hurt continues on the title track, which follows a more conventional route through a power ballad arrangement. "At least try to lie to me, lie to me/Oh yeah, instead, you come straight to our bed/Smelling like sex and cigarettes," she half-pleads, half-bemoans the audacity of her cheating lover. These raw, ambivalent emotions are further explored on Long As I Live, a yearning R&B ode to a past love, and FOH, a quietly angsty ultimatum ("'Cause I'm in love with you now/Are you in or you out? … If you don't want me around, then don't come around/And cloud up my atmosphere/F*ck outta here").
Sorry is set to the swagger of southern soul and marks one of the few up-tempo offerings on the album (another notable example being the radio-ready Missin' which incorporates elements of lite-EDM and tropical house, and wouldn't have sounded out of place on the Top 40 a few years ago). Co-written by Colbie Caillat and Babyface, My Heart offers yet another maudlin moment to fill the album's piano ballad quota. The same could also be said for Coping, a mid-tempo ballad underpinned by Coldplay-esque crescendo piano chords.
Even though for the most part predictable, Sex & Cigarettes does make for a welcome and cohesive addition to Braxton's career-spanning discography. The album's relatively short length (30 minutes) also means that nothing (and, by that, we mean those mawkish ballads) overstays its welcome. All things considered, this is a classic Toni Braxton record that should please both serious and casual fans and further cements her legacy as R&B's reigning queen of heartache.
THE PLAYLIST
Polycat/ Pu Chuai Tee Dee Tee Sud (Your Butler)
From appearing in the Hollywood blockbuster The Hangover 2 to becoming Thailand's favourite synth-pop trio, retro-loving outfit Polycat has been keeping it busy over the last few years. With their last EP, 2017's Japanese-language Doyobi No Terebi still on everyone's lips, the beloved trio hasn't wasted a second to share new (and presumably one-off) single Pu Chuai Tee Dee Tee Sud (Your Butler). Over familiar '80s throwback production, the song contains lyrics that could easily serve as a sequel to Puan Pra Ek, a "friend zone" anthem off their 80 Kisses album.
Calpurnia/ City Boy
It's no secret that Fin Wolfhard, better known as Mike Wheeler from Netflix series Stranger Things, is pretty into music. So much so that he and his three buddies formed their own band Calpurnia. City Boy, then, is their first single taken from their yet-to-be-titled debut EP. The song speaks of Wolfhard's love for lo-fi, psyched-out indie rock cut from the same cloth as his musical idol Mac DeMarco. "I am a city boy/You are a city girl/You date the city tool/I am a city fool," goes the jangly chorus that unexpectedly culminates in a pretty gnarly guitar solo.
Amen Dunes/ Believe
New York-based singer-songwriter Damon McMahon has returned as Amen Dunes on his sixth LP Freedom, and here we have its latest cut, Believe. In keeping with earlier offerings Miki Dora and Blue Rose, the track is an expansive folk rocker where McMahon muses about mortality ("I believe, can't deny it/Seen heaven, don't get down/When I was a kid I was afraid to die/But I grew up now") and misty-eyed nostalgia ("Back in 1992/Things were simpler baby, you hear everyone say/But don't make it true"). Another emotionally stirring tune from one of today's most underrated musicians.
Snow Patrol/ Don't Give In
The band responsible for indie rock anthem Chasing Cars is back with their first piece of new music in seven years. Lifted from their forthcoming seventh full-length Wildness, Don't Give In finds the UK six-piece in their soft Americana mode. "Don't give in/Don't you dare quit so easy/Give all that you got on the soul," frontman Gary Lightbody sings, relating his struggle with making the record as well as long-suffered depression. Produced by Jacknife Lee (Robbie Williams, One Direction, Taylor Swift), the album is set to drop late next month.
Kadhja Bonet/ Mother Maybe
Rising LA-based soul singer Kadjha Bonet's Mother Maybe starts off spectacularly, with funky basslines and dramatic synths that usher in her cool, elastic voice. "You're the thought wrapped in my head/You're the ink that leaves this pen as I write all about you/As you are," she coos with a laid-back jazz flow. "Mother I may be/Or maybe not." If this is any indication of her upcoming output Childqueen, fans of experimental soul-R&B will be in for a real treat.
