Braxton and her four sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar signed with Arista Records as The Braxtons in 1989. The following year, the group released their debut single, "Good Life".[2] Though the song was commercially unsuccessful, it attracted the attention of record executive Antonio "L.A." Reid and record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who were shopping around for talent for their new label LaFace Records.[1] Instead of signing the quintet, they opted to offer Braxton a contract as a solo artist. With only one year to finish at Bowie State University, where she was studying to become a music teacher, she relocated to Atlanta to pursue a singing career.[1]
In Japan, the album was released as Love Affair, also a song on the album. The Japanese edition contains the same track listing as the standard version; the only difference is the Obi strip and the bonus lyrics booklet written in Japanese.
Toni Braxton received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Ron Wynn from AllMusic said that the album showcased Braxton as "an elegant and earthy songstress, nicely balancing those seemingly divergent sentiments [...] Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic, dismayed, and disillusioned [...] but she's never out of control, indignant, or so anguished and hurt that she fails to retain her dignity."[3]Los Angeles Times critic Connie Johnson wrote: "Sounding like an unlikely hybrid of Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker and Tracy Chapman, Braxton's sultry, earthy delivery makes her a standout in today's R&B arena."[6] Similarly, People found that "when Braxton slides into her lower register she echoes Anita Baker, and when she skips around the higher notes there's also a hint of Whitney Houston. The influences are there, but Toni Braxton is most definitely her own woman. On this sophisticated, stylish and soulful album, she slates her case."[13]
Mitchell May, writing for the Chicago Tribune, noted that "Braxton wisely lets the mood of a tune dictate her approach, allowing her to supply an emotional depth that perhaps even the songwriters didn't know was there." He also found, however, that "the disc loses steam around midpoint."[4] In a mixed review, Rolling Stone journalist John McAlley felt that "Braxton has got chops and spunk... And, yes, there are a handful of songs in which she gets to do the do. But there's not a poet in the house among LaFace's family of writer-producers – no Smokey Robinson, no Linda Creed. And for all its polish, too much of the music on Toni Braxton mistakes melodrama for passion and set pieces for soul."[9] Marisa Fox of Entertainment Weekly found much of the album "generic" and concluded that Braxton "can sing, but there's nothing in her songs or delivery to set her apart from any number of wine-cooler R&B divas."[5]Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "neither" rating in his Consumer Guide book.[14]
Toni Braxton debuted at number 36 on the Billboard 200 and later spent two non-consecutive weeks atop the chart as well as three non-consecutive weeks atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It has sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States and 10 million copies worldwide.[15][16]
^[a] Despite not being credited as songwriters of "How Many Ways" in the album's liner notes, Keith Miller, Philip Field, and Anthony Beard are listed as songwriters by ASCAP and BMI.[19][20]
^As of April 2011, Toni Braxton had sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[15] with an additional 972,000 copies sold at BMG Music Club.[59] Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[60]
^Toni Braxton (Spanish edition liner notes). Toni Braxton. LaFace Records. 1993. 74321-21261-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Toni Braxton (liner notes). Toni Braxton. LaFace Records. 1993. 73008-26007-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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