Toni Braxton - Long As I Live

[dUb]

A modern classic.

 

[dUb]

For someone with a career that seemed to be in terminal decline for the best part of two decades to deliver something as good as this... We love a late career RE-PEAK

 

[funky]

She is the queen of late career peaks. “Rollercoaster”, “Yesterday”, every few years she churns out modern classics, and really solid albums to boot. Love her.

 

[straightorbroken]

She's the most consistent bitch in the game!

 

[straightorbroken]

(yeah)

 

[Joseph]

10/10

One of my all time top Toni tracks

 

[funky]

When are we getting part 2 of the Babyface duet album!

She really is the queen of late career smashes

 

[Loufoque]

I didn't know it but I listened and it's indeed another smash (without success) for T-Brax

I've been trapped languidly listening to Toni's slow bass on this hot ass afternoon and it's times like this you realise we have been denied a real career revival / give her her flowers moment for the fourth member of the Vocal Trinity.

 

[funky]

She really was the whole package. She shouldn’t have waited 4 years to follow up Secrets but maybe she was happy with her lot at that point … the first 2 albums were absolutely massive

 

[Whatevar]

She was bankrupt

 

[VoR]

I had no idea she'd had any kind of chart hit post-2000. This is very good!

 

[Devil]

It’s brilliant. Only discovered it a year or two back but it hits the spot. Well happy in her Spotify top ten so I’m guessing it was relatively big/made an impact?

 

[Devil]

She was bankrupt

Was it twice?! Or was that poor sad old Martine?

 

[POP!]

Was it twice?! Or was that poor sad old Martine?

I think she was bankrupt after that tour she did supporting Secrets. I don't think the four years in between hurt her. The Heat was a hit for her, but I think the landscape changed so significantly and the lack of promotion for that follow up (and weak single) frustrated it. All the 80s and 90s divas were flopping by '03.

 

[Joseph]

Looked it up and it doesn’t seem she’s has a Billboard Hot 100 charting song since Hit The Freeway but she’s had a few #1s on the Us Adult R&B chart including this and 2 songs from her last album (Do It and Gotta Move On). At least that’s something

I quite like “Dance” from the last album but it didn’t do much. I figured the Dave Aude mixes would have gotten it on the dance charts but I don’t see any mention of that.

 

[Joseph]

Oh and apparently Long As I Live was nominated for 2 Grammy awards

 

[Christian]

Incredible! Her late career smashes (artistic not commercial) are truly out of this world.

The epically gay remixes of Yesterday, Do It and Dance are ridiculously good.

 

[Christian]

Very Main Room at Fire circa 2010

 

[Devil]

 

[Devil]

Still Grade A

 

[VoR]

I’ve randomly been having a bit of a Toni Braxton phase of late. This song is SO GOOD!

A classic example of somebody too far past their commercial peak and not enough of a global icon to ever have had a proper shot at a comeback, nevertheless coming back with something remarkably hitworthy and up there with their best work.

I do note it has 130m youtube views and 43m Spotify streams, so it does appear to have found its audience.

 

[funky]

Oh Toni is the perfect example of someone who took no notice of a chart strategy in her later years and instead focused on giving us bops. Her late catalogue is fabulous. Whereas with most divas you can pinpoint their concentrated streak of quality directly to their successful period, Toni's is way more widespread; her second half is littered with songs as good as her early stuff. Yes her 90s era is still the best, obviously, but it's wonderful when artists keep on giving us great music long after the hits dry up.