The Rundown: Toni Braxton & Babyface; Love, Marriage & Divorce
A track-by-track look at the super duo's album.
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The Rundown: Toni Braxton & Babyface, Love, Marriage & Divorce - It's the return of the super duo of Toni Braxton and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Only this time, rather than simply working behind the boards with those angelic love-pop tracks he's known for, Babyface has stepped into the booth to harmonize with Braxton about the demise of a marriage — something they've both experienced since they ended their music partnership less than 20 years ago. Check out this track-by-track review of the LP. (Photo: Motown)
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"Roller Coaster" - To deal with the mercurial ride of their respective romances gone wrong, Babyface and Toni Braxton open up this LP with an appropriately titled ballad called "Roller Coaster." "Sick and tired of going through changes," Toni sensuously croons. "I love you then I hate you and I don't want to." (Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Jeff Gentner/Getty Images for Grey Goose)
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"Sweat" - Call this track the up side of love as Toni helps belt this caressing tune about turning a relationship's tension into fire for the boudoir. (Photo: Turgeon-Steffman / Splash News)
Photo By Photo: Turgeon-Steffman / Splash News
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"Hurt You" - Babyface's keyboard-programmed balladry blends with a hint of country on this cut. Over the slow-trotting, rising and falling synth-work, Toni and her iconic collaborator sing about not meaning to hurt their spouses. (Photos from left: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images, Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for The Steve Harvey Foundation)
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"Where Did We Go Wrong?" - Accompanied by accoustic quitar strumming reminiscent of Babyface's 1994 hit "When Will I See You Again," the duo croons of being at the stage of trying to figure out when their unions went south. "Is it all my fault?" they ponder. (Photo: Ethan Miller/BET/Getty Images for BET)
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"I Hope You're Okay" - "I hope that we are good," Babyface sings to his embattled spouse. "That the feeling's mutual. We can work it out and go our separate ways." Armed with his signiture smoothed-out sound, the music legend hopes his soon-to-be ex is okay in the aftermath. (Photo: Michael Buckner/WireImage)
Photo By Michael Buckner/WireImage
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"I Wish" - Ms. Braxton unleashes a soft-handed irony on "I Wish," lovingly (and melodically) hoping her ex all the grace and ills that could befall him in his next relationship. "And I hope she spends all of your money," she croons. "Hope she makes you pay; but not enough where you can't survive." (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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"Take It Back" - Face and Toni trade verses over a candle-lit melody as they sing of trying to take their love back to where it started. "And the moonlit nights are making love," Toni belts in her husky, sexy voice. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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"Reunited" - Toni and Face try to get back together with their significant other after heading to divorce court. All of this is done over a swaying love track. (Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images
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"I'd Rather Be Broke" - Where Toni once sang of love that helped her breathe again, now she's declaring to her former hubby that she'd rather go to the poor house than be with him. The beat is just as passionate as the lyrics. (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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"Heart Attack" - On the LP's most dance-able cut, the duo re-enact the moment when a man sees his ex-spouse in public for the first time... with someone else. Face is in the role of unsuspecting ex-hubby who witnesses his former lady out — and looking good — with her new dude. "She was with someone else," Face intones, "and I was kind of freaking out." (Photos from left: Donald Bowers/Getty Images for The New York Palace Hotel, Rick Diamond/Getty Images)