From The Vault time-travels 20 years back this week with a Grammy winning single from a TGJ favourite: our pick is ‘Another Sad Love Song‘ by Toni Braxton.
The first single from the diva’s 1993 debut self-titled LP, ‘Song’ was helmed by former dynamic duo of LA Reid and Babyface – who played a crucial role in Toni’s earlier career. With those silky smooth vocals, Braxton tells the tale of a girl who is not over her ex yet and is reminded of that every time a love song is played on the radio.
Launching the album’s campaign with this track proved to be a wise decision as not only it was a chart smash – #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #15 in the UK – but it also scored her her first of many Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy awards. (Side note: she won the Best New Artist gong on the very same night)
The video, directed by Ralph Ziman, conveys a similar classy vibe as the track and sees a short-haired Toni singing in the rain on a vintage New York-like street. Kudos to the ‘Un-break My Heart‘ belle for looking as stunning today as in this visual.
Clearly one of the saddest news to hit the headlines this year was Ms. Braxton’s impending retirement from music after “falling out of love with it”. When we think about it we kinda sorta get where she’s coming from. With the industry being a far cry from how it used to be two decades ago, now prioritizing trash over class, it must be rather difficult for the vocal gemstone to fit in and find excitement especially when she already has a full plate on the personal side, as evidenced with WeTV’s Braxton Family Values.
Still, we remain optimistic at the (slim) prospect of future releases from our favorite contralto. And in the event that new material really isn’t on the horizon, at least we will always have her impressive catalogue to cherish.
Be it fast or slow, it doesn’t let go and it’s all because of you and your talent, Toni!
