Libra (Toni Braxton album)

In 1992, Braxton signed a solo recording contract with LaFace Records, a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds from former recording group the Deele, and distributor Arista Records. Her subsequently released first two albums Toni Braxton (1993) and Secrets (1996) became critical and commercial hits and sold a combined 21 million copies, earning $170 million in worldwide sales. Her recording contract with LaFace was substantially below those of other recording artists and bound her to refund all kinds of expenses the label had financed in advance. In December 1997, after learning that she had accumulated more than $1 million in debts, Braxton became embroiled in a legal dispute with LaFace, when she filed a lawsuit asking to be freed from her long-term contractual obligations to the label. After then being counter-sued by the label for breach of contract, the singer eventually filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998. In 1999, Braxton mended her relationship with LaFace and the lawsuit was settled. it sold four million copies worldwide and spawned the commercially successful, Grammy Award-winning single "He Wasn't Man Enough." The following year, Braxton released the Christmas album Snowflakes (2001) and began work on her next album More Than a Woman. A continuation of The Heat, it saw her reteaming with a variety of hip hop producers and rappers such as Irv Gotti, the Neptunes, Mannie Fresh, and Loon in favor of a "harder sound." In September 2002, while gearing up for the release of the album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child and she was subsequently forced to cancel many scheduled performances due to complications. Executives at Arista Records were reportedly frustrated with the timing of her second pregnancy since it prevented her from doing the extensive promotion for More Than A Woman, the label refused. Disappointed by its underperformance, which Braxton attributed to the little promotion activities that the Arista management had arranged for her due to her second pregnancy, she requested her manager Barry Hankerson to obtain a release for her from any future recording obligations to the label, and in March 2003, Braxton issued a press statement saying she was leaving Arista for Hankerson's Universal-distributed Blackground Records. ==Recording and conception==

of the Underdogs to work with Braxton on Libra. The former Mint Condition member had been involved to varying degrees in all of Braxton's three prior albums, also serving as an executive producer alongside Braxton and L.A. Reid on previous effort More Than a Woman (2002). Commenting on the album's modification process, Braxton expressed her uncertainty about whether her music should follow trends. With the record company trying to make her sound more commercially viable, she felt pressured to approach a more uptempo, hip hop-oriented sound with the songs. ==Songs==

The album's first track and lead-single "Please" is produced by Scott Storch and it's an arresting danceable ballad recalling the glory moments of her early days. The second track, the ballad "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)", is sung in a rapping way, with fast talking where the melody isn't lost and harmonizing is inserted at the right moments. The album's third track "What's Good" is a decidedly traditional ballad, Isley Brothers-esque throwback and uses a clip from Joe Sample's "In My Wildest Dreams". The fourth track "Take This Ring" produced by Rich Harrison, is an upbeat heavily percussion driven record. An aggressive song that is balanced by well managed vocal arrangements led by unapologetic lyrics. It was compared to Amerie's 1 Thing, also produced by Harrison. It has drum-and-bass-heavy accusational fire. "Suddenly", which only appears on the European edition of the album, is a relatively jazzy track. It's easily comparable to How Could an Angel Break My Heart" and it features the trumpeter Chris Botti. "I Wanna Be (Your Baby)" is a ballad written by Babyface and Daryl Simmon. "Sposed to Be" is a "tranquil song" with a finger snapping groove. The self-recriminating "Stupid" was compared to the work of Anita Baker. "Finally" makes lyrical references to past hits like "Breathe Again". "Shadowless" is an acoustic guitar ballad in which she sings about a love lost and a plea to win it back. ==Critical reception==

Upon release, Libra earned generally mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented Braxton vocal performance and her return to form on the album's ballads, but were critical towards its uptempo material. In his review for USA Today, Steve Jones noted that Libra broadens "her perspective while growing increasingly feisty [...] Still, the more mature Braxton is no longer waiting around for someone else to un-break her heart." AllMusic editor Andy Kellman felt that "Libra offers no surprises. It's lean and balanced, just like all other Braxton albums, though too many songs are tepid and merely functional for background listening, so it winds up a safe distance from the likes of the self-titled debut and Secrets." In a mixed review, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that "while Braxton meshed impeccably with her hip-hop counterparts on More Than A Woman, her collaboration with Rich Harrison sounds forced, even desperate. And with the Babyface and Daryl Simmons-penned "I Wanna Be (Your Baby)", the team that once delivered multiple R&B classics all on one Braxton record struggles to produce just one for their old friend here." ==Commercial performance==

Libra debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 for the issue dated ending October 5, with 114,000 copies sold. Braxton's fourth top-five entry, it marked a significant lift for the singer, whose previous release More Than a Woman (2002) had opened at number 13 with first-week sales of 98,000 copies. On November 4, 2005, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. In a 2012 interview with ABC News, Braxton expressed discontentment with the project when asked about the commercial failure of her albums from the mid-to-late 2000s, including Libra: "Those albums – that's like that one-night stand that you don't want to talk about," she said. "You don't want anyone to know about those records that didn't do well. I had a few of those. Definitely a few." ==Track listing==

Notes • signifies a vocal producer • signifies a co-producer • signifies an additional producer Sample credits • "What's Good" contains a sample of "In All My Wildest Dreams" by Joe Sample. ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Libra. Musicians • Toni Braxton – vocals ; background vocals • Tamar Braxton – background vocals • Makeba Riddick – background vocals • Kim Johnson – background vocals • Keri Lynn Hilson – background vocals • Siete – guitar • Kendrick Dean – strings • Johntá Austin – background vocals • Bryan-Michael Cox – all instruments • Rich Harrison – all instruments • Soulshock & Karlin – arrangement, all instruments • Eric Dawkins – background vocals • Tavia Ivy – background vocals • Latrelle Simmons – background vocals • Babyface – background vocals • Greg Phillinganes – piano • Cory Rooney – arrangement, programming, piano • Dan Shea – programming, piano, guitar • Keri Lewis – programming, additional keyboards • Nuno Bettencourt – guitar Technical • Scott Storch – production • Keri Lewis – vocal production ; co-production ; production ; mixing ; executive production • Kameron Houff – recording • Dave Russell – mixing ; recording, editing • Sara Lyn Killion – mixing assistance • Chris Gehringer – mastering • Bryan-Michael Cox – production • Kendrick "WyldCard" Dean – additional production • Sam Thomas – recording ; mixing • Mike Guidotti – recording assistance • Morgan Garcia – recording assistance ; recording • Rick DeVarona – mixing assistance • Terrence Cash – recording assistance • Tony Terrebonne – mixing assistance • Rich Harrison – production • Paul Foley – recording ; engineering • Soulshock & Karlin – production • Manny Marroquin – mixing • Soulshock – mixing • The Underdogs – production • Babyface – production • Dabling "Hobby Boy" Harward – recording, editing • Antonio Dixon – production • Kelly – recording, editing • Thom "TK" Kidd – recording, editing • Rob Skipworth – recording assistance, editing assistance • Kevin Mahoney – recording assistance, editing assistance • Cory Rooney – production • Dan Shea – production • Eric Dawkins – vocal production • Toni Braxton – executive production • Jomo Hankerson – executive production • Vincent Herbert – executive production • Barry Hankerson – executive production • Gene Grimaldi – mastering Artwork • Heather Hankerson – creative direction • Swade – art design • Jonathan Mannion – photography • Daniela Federici – photography • John Ricard – photography • Michael Muller – photography ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==