The Heat

1	He Wasn't Man Enough 4:21
2	The Heat 3:30
3	Spanish Guitar 4:49
4	Just Be a Man About It 4:48
5	Gimme Some 4:03
6	I'm Still Breathing 4:15
7	Fairy Tale 4:22
8	The Art of Love 3:47
9	Speaking in Tongues 3:46
10	Maybe 3:08
11	You've Been Wrong 3:45
12	Never Just for a Ring 4:01

Barnes & Noble

When her self-titled debut dropped in 1993, Toni Braxton's deep, breathy, and sinfully sensual vocal style immediately distinguished her from the soulful yet more refined wailings of chart darlings Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. On her seductive follow-up, SECRETS, Braxton continued to woo listeners with her rich vocals and upped the ante with a new, diva-glam image. But with THE HEAT, Braxton has kicked her flavor up a notch. Her barely-there halter top on the album's cover and the sassy lead single "He Wasn't Man Enough" suggest the disc's feverish pitch -- and things only get steamier as you wade through the music. From the provocative, mid-tempo "Gimme Some" -- with its stuttered bass beat -- to the breathtaking, Latin-influenced power ballad "Spanish Guitar," a bolder Braxton proves she is comfortable with her image as a sexually assertive woman. And just when you think the record can't get any hotter, Braxton whispers sweet nothings over the pulsating groove of the largely instrumental "The Art of War" until the song builds to a dizzying aural climax. Whew! If you can stand THE HEAT, Braxton is well worth the sunburn. In other words, THE HEAT is so sultry, it deserves a health warning from the Surgeon General. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

Toni Braxton went through a lot in the years separating her star-making Toni Braxton and her 2000 comeback The Heat. Yes, she became a star, but she also went through a painful bankruptcy that delayed her sequel for years. Fortunately, you wouldn't be able to tell that there was so much behind-the-scenes drama from The Heat -- it's a confident, assured, sexy effort that reaffirms Braxton's status as one of the finest contemporary mainstream soul singers. She may not be as street-smart as Mary J. Blige, nor does she push the boundaries of the genre the way TLC does, but she has a full, rich voice that instantly lends her songs a sense of maturity and sensuality, especially since she never, ever oversings or misjudges her material. And, while that material can occasionally be a little generic, much of The Heat is built on solid ballads and smoldering, mid-tempo dance numbers. Producers as diverse as Babyface, Rodney Jerkins, Daryl Simmons, Teddy Bishop, and David Foster are responsible for various tracks on the album, which is typical for a big-budget, superstar release like this, but rarely are the tracks quite as consistent and cohesive as they are here. The skittering beats of "He Wasn't Man Enough" and "Gimme Some" are every bit as effective as the simmering title track or ballads "I'm Still Breathing" and "Spanish Guitar" -- or "Just Be a Man About It," an instant classic telephone breakup song, with Dr. Dre playing the wayward lover breaking the news to Ms. Braxton. True, The Heat slightly runs out of momentum toward the end, but there aren't many dull spots on the record -- it's all stylish, sultry, seductive, appealing urban contemporary soul that confirms Braxton's prodigious talents. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Vibe

Amid all the media hoopla, it was easy to forget just how rich and eloquent a singer Braxton is. The Heat is a powerful, welcome reminder. Anthony Decurtis