Surprisingly slow to capitalise on the the success of the hit show she and her family star in, the eldest, and most successful sister, Toni Braxton, returns with new single I Heart You.
Hearing the song about a month back I wasn't overly impressed. Despite aiming for the club, the production was a little limp and lifeless to really grab, and the vocals weren't anything exceptional. We all know Toni Braxton can really sing, but here she was delivering the vocals like it was a ballad instead of a club track! Everything about this song needed to be lifted and energised. I do like the build up in the middle and the following Christina Aguileraesque vocal run that follows it, but I think this song would have worked with more fire or, failing that, at a slower tempo.
The video for I Heart You, isn't up to much either. Unfurnished sets, awful hair, a recession-special budget and a male dance troupe that looks like it had been assembled off of the street, given matching jackets and told to dance with the promise of a hot meal and shelter, are only some of its many issues. I'm genuinely surprised the director, Billie Woodruff, was so eager to attach his name to the project in such a prominent way as the opening credit. If it was me I would have laundered that cheque, so as to avoid any paper trail, and from then on denied any involvement with it!
Still, great to have Toni Braxton and her contralto tones back!
Rating: C
Thoughts, Devotees?
