TONI THE TIGRESS PUTS HEART BACK INTO SOUL

Singer Toni Braxton is out with her sixth album, "Libra," today.

September 27, 2005 -- TONI Braxton is reinventing herself — with a new label, a new manager and a bright new hair color, to boot.
"Red is the new blond," says the R&B soulstress, whose sixth album, "Libra," hits stores today.

"I had to change it up and try something else. I was inspired by women of the '50s . . . and Ann-Margret."

After being diagnosed with heart disease two years ago, and passing out from chest pains on the Broadway set of "Aida," Braxton took some much-needed time off to recover and be with her husband, musician Keri Lewis, and their two sons, Denim, 3, and Diezel, 2.

Now, the 38-year-old "Un-Break My Heart" diva is back, looking sexier and more sultry than ever.

"It's a blessing in disguise," she says. "Because I have heart disease, I have to work out. It keeps my heart happy and makes me feel better. I've worked hard to get here. I do cardio all the time. That keeps me toned and keeps my body looking good. I sing while I'm on the treadmill."

The seven-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist delivers breathy, soulful numbers on "Libra," like "Trippin'," a song Braxton explains as "Bobby and Whitney love."

"Everyone has a little bit of that in them," she says. "Sometimes you really want to be together, sometimes it's screaming and sometimes he's trippin' and I'm trippin'. Everything isn't always roses."

Braxton broke away from her label BMG and her mentors/managers L.A. Reid and Babyface to work on her latest endeavor on Blackground/Universal, with the likes of producers Scott Storch (the Roots, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes) and Vincent Herbert (Destiny's Child, JoJo, Aaliyah).

"It's been a little tough, although I love my new label," she says. "There's a song called 'Shadowless' on my album, and I definitely feel a little shadowless because this is the first time in my career I'm doing it without L.A. Reid and Babyface.

"They gave me that security. They were always there. Sometimes you take things for granted and then you say, 'wow.' "

Without L.A. Reid and Babyface, the road has been bumpy.

"I haven't seen my boys in two weeks, except on the computer," she says. "My youngest son, he doesn't talk, so we're doing all kinds of tests to see whether he is autistic or not. That's really taxing on my mind. I keep thinking that maybe I don't need to do this music thing anymore. And I need to concentrate 100 percent on my kid, but I'm knee-deep in this project, so it's very tough for me as a mom."

Still, "It's [music's] my adrenaline, my Percocet, it gets me going and it gets me high," Braxton says.

And there's no turning back now. The multiplatinum artist has plans to go full speed ahead with her first musical tour in seven years, scheduled to begin in January.

After that, she plans to focus on an acting career (she played a Harlem hair salon owner on the now-canceled sitcom "Kevin Hill"), and hopes to have her own TV show.

Oh My,
she sounds kinda depressed in this article.
Kinda regretful and bitter.
Dunno, maybe I'm wrong.

That's sad to see how things went worng for her.
I mean man, she was one of the brightest stars of the 90's ( I still listen to her debut) and now she can't even get her song on the radio anymore. And that's a shame cuz she's a sweetheart and she can sing too (although I think most her post secrets songs are crap). Anywayz, I hope Toni and her child get better.
[Edited 9/27/05 12:29pm]

Sorry to hear about her son. Autism is a tough medical mystery.

Unfortunately I find the new album pretty bland.

she is all over the place in this article..

i hope she has the personal support to work through a difficult time for her...

and i hope she keeps her cloths on while pushing this album.

sosgemini said:

Yeah I hope so too.
Something tells me that Toni and Mariah favor the same boutiques.

She is all over the place with this article. She doesn't seem to concerned with her child and the potential health problems he may have. She only seems to care about her new album and her new hair color.

She's coming off kind of ditzy and shallow as if nothing else matters but her looks and her music.

I don't know what to make of this article

I have to admit, if I had a toddler with autism I'd probably put off touring or take a break from my career altogether. Maybe find a show I could do close to home.

JackieBlue said:

Yeah, but then she might need money for treatment. I'm not sure how well off is she right now. As far as I remeber she was a bankrupt in 2001, wasn't she?

True, she did was bankrupt. And a tour may be a contractual obligation. That's gotta be tough either way. I wish her well.
[Edited 9/27/05 15:43pm]

. And I need to concentrate 100 percent on my kid, but I'm knee-deep in this project

read: a sister needs some $$$ to pay these bills

I hope everything works out for her.She doesn't seem too happy these days.



...
[Edited 9/28/05 2:09am]

meltwithu said:

i read that and see someone who has her priorities wrong. sowwy.but i do.

sosgemini said:

actually her priorities are ok. if you don't have any $$$, your child needs treatment, wouldn't you do whatever you need to do to make sure you can get the treatment. I'd be working my ass off. AND most importantly, the children are with their FATHER and I'm sure they made an arrangement that works for their family. She's a working mother and maybe the bread winner and I'm very sure she's stressing about how to juggle it all.

I really think if it was her husband that was the famous one, I don't think we'd be saying his priorites are off. We'd just assume the wife is taking care of the children.


Also, the writer is responsible for the flow of the article. Its not a well written article and it looks as if they just popped in random quotes.

Man, some of you guys are judgmental with nothing but a damn monitor in front of your face!

A sista still got to PAY the bill for her own sake and her children's sake(don't say she's rich, most of the shit she got she doesn't own anyway). Even if the conversation is air-headed, it doesn't prevent the fact that she still got to put food on the table.

As far as clothes, for a 38 years old broad? Shit, I'd say its her OWN old pussy & ass @ the end of the day,,,let her worry about it ya'll.

Man oh man, the things some mofos say around here

Harlepolis said:

well what the fuck? its an open forum...dont we have the right to express our views on something? you have been just as judgemenal towards artist yourself...

we all do it.....we all have opinions..just cause mine differs from yours doesnt make me less of a person....

my brother and i were raised by a single mother.....yet whenever we were really sick our mom's ass was right by ourside...holding us telling us everything was gonna be aight...

this woman is out talking about her haircolor..just rubs me the wrong way....based on my own personal life experience.

aint nothing more to it then that *FOR ME*.

dont like it? thats fine w/ me.

sosgemini said:

But that analogy doesn't work, because it sounds like it's Toni who's really sick. I mean, if she's got a history of heart disease, I can't see touring, promotion work and being away from her kids as helpful.

I think it's touching that she's wearing herself out to put bread on the table.

I wouldn't class autism as a sickness, it's more of an affliction and even then, it's all relative.

sosgemini said:

Different folks with different thoughts, dear brotha!

She's still got to hustle her ass outta their for her babies,,,it ain't gonna change whether she's single or married, thats her job.

And lol who's she hurting by taking about her damn haircolor? What, does the bitch have to be gloomy and act as if the world stopped becos she's away from her kids? Nobody can ?uestion a mother's motives regardless of her situation. She's STILL out-there for her babies, right or wrong

You guys take this waaaaay too deep!

sosgemini said:

I think the comments are based on questions asked her and the writer decides how the article will read. So I wouldn't really dog her too hard. And Toni does have a very serious heart condition. I saw her on the Jane Pauley show.

I'd say, the children will be just as blessed to wake up in the arms of their dad as you were with your mother. That's the blessing of having a two parent home.

This is Toni's job guys...like going to the post office, the bank, etc. If your child was sick but the bank said you couldn't take off, would you quit knowing your spouse it there as well. Probably not.


I just think we are reading wayyyyy too much into a poorly written article.

Harlepolis said:

She does need to concentrate 100 percent on "her kid", without any "buts". She has enough money where she doesn't have to push another crap album out on us. I think she comes off as very selfish.

theVelvetRoper said:

You don't know what her assets are. She was bankrupt just 4 years ago, and after they finished seizing all her assets to pay off her debts, she made less money than I did at the time (a garbageman). So she wasn't doin much better than lower-middle class 4 years ago. She still has to work to pay medical treatments for her kid, and herself (heart condition is plenty to work, for not counting prescriptions). If she's working to take care of herself and her kids, then it's none of my business. I gotta take care of my family, she has to take care of hers, famous or not.

Housequake2K2 said:

so then maybe she shouldnt be talking about the shit in articles.....if she didnt want people criticizing her...

Housequake2K2 said:

And your point is? It's still pretty damn selfish to be more concerned with pushing your album than a mentally ill child.

Also, I think it's more of a disgrace to talk about such personal family issues when you have an album that just dropped. Talk about pushing the agenda!
[Edited 9/28/05 15:24pm]

theVelvetRoper said:

How many times does the media ask entertainers about personal family issues? All the time. And the media talks to entertainers such as singers when?....usually when they're ready to release new material. I don't see the big deal. No one was crying foul when the Judds daughter went solo after her mom discovered she was sick. I'm sure there were plenty of interviews with her about her 1st solo album, her family life, etc.

I still think we're lookin too deep into this. Doug Flutie started raising awareness for his kids' illness by promoting Flutie Flakes cereal and no one got into a big outcry over that. If an athlete can continue working to support his kids when they have major sicknesses (someone please help me what his kid ailed from I can't remember...although I want to say cancer), then I don't see why a singer or musician can't work to pay for the medical treatment of her kids as well. I don't really see the difference....other than maybe we expect a woman to stay home with her kids and we expect the man to go out and work and not stay home with his kids. It's still the person's life and their decision. If she feels she has to work to support her family despite the conflict she feels about wanting to be home with her children, then she has to work through and live with that decision. I'd be upset if she were stripping to support her family, but not to make and album and tour (to make some money).
[Edited 9/28/05 15:54pm]
[Edited 9/28/05 16:06pm]

sosgemini said:

I understand what you're saying. My perspective on it is, yeah, maybe she sounds ditzy in that article, but at the end of the day, it doesn't affect what I do with my family. If that's how she's taking care of her family, hey more power to Toni.
Whether she's criticized or not for it, aren't all celebrities in general? We all know how much Prince is affected by what the fans think of his decisions regarding music releases and family life or personal beliefs--and I'm sure not gonna get too bothered by Toni Braxton wanting to work even though her kids may be sick, she just took some time off when she found out she had a heart condition. I think she's just dealing with everything that's coming at her the best way she can; it would be real easy to stay at home and worry about how to help her kids and what's gonna happen next. She's keeping busy, possibly to help herself keep in shape and to keep from being overly anxious about her situation. Her husband is also home with the kids, so she isn't abandoning her family. That's probably what Toni and her husband have worked out.

wow...i guess I'm a selfish person because there has been many times I had to leave my daughter in the care of a family member because I had to work when she was very ill.


I swear you guys act like she's neglecting her child and yet that's suppose to be the benefit of being a couple. You work out what's best for you and your family. I'm sure her husband said to go push the cd.


you guys are a trip in what you're reading into this crappy article.

Rhondab said:

I hope you see I'm trying to defend her. My mom divorced my dad when I was 5, and whenever she had to work, it was grandma's where I (and my 3 sisters) stayed.

Housequake2K2 said:

you do what you have to do....the issue is that I think some think her music career is a hobby and not employment. So with any hobby, you can stop at anytime.

But like I keep saying....I don't think if this was a man who needed to work, we'd hear the same thing.

Wow! Who knew that her comments would cause such an uproar on this site?

DavidEye said:

we're bored.....


any Madonna news??

Rhondab said:

Not really.New CD is still due November 15