Crash & Burn is the debut studio album by American singer Traci Braxton. Released on October 7, 2014 by eOne and Soul World, it is Braxton's first album as a solo artist. She had previously released music with her sisters as part of the group The Braxtons. Cliff Jones and David Lindsey were executive producers for the album. Crash & Burn is a R&B album, which Braxton described as containing influences from adult contemporary. Critics described the songs focused on love. Braxton clarified that the lyrics deal with her attempts to start a solo music career.
Crash & Burn received a mixed response from critics. Its production was sometimes cited as a highlight, though some commentators criticized the amount of Auto-Tune. The album peaked at number 108 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, and sold 4,000 copies in its first week. It also made appearances on other Billboard charts. Two singles - "Last Call" and "Perfect Time" - were released. The lead single was promoted through a music video, and received a negative response from critics. The recording and promotion of Crash & Burn was included in episodes of Braxton Family Values.
Video Crash & Burn (album)
Background and recording
While appearing in the reality television series Braxton Family Values, Traci Braxton received a solo record deal with eOne; she was previously signed to Atlantic in the 1990s as part of the group The Braxtons, along with her sisters. Braxton pursued a solo career after receiving encouragement from her manager to take music more seriously. She recorded Crash & Burn at Soul World Entertainment in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and StarMakers Studios in Beltsville, Maryland. Cliff Jones and David Lindsey are executive producers for the album; Braxton said that they "brought out [her] sound and story", and compared their collaborations to that between Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Janet Jackson. The recording process was shown in a season three episode of Braxton Family Values.
Maps Crash & Burn (album)
Composition and lyrics
Crash & Burn is a R&B album that consists of eleven tracks. Braxton described the sound as "the soulful adult contemporary from back in the '90's, with a little mixture of today's R&B". Andy Kellman of AllMusic referred to the compositions as containing "considerable Auto-Tune usage". When discussing Braxton's vocals, MadameNoire's Veronica Wells cited her vocal range as higher than Toni Braxton yet lower than Tamar Braxton. Braxton said that she wanted her music to sound like a combination of Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott. Music critics had varying interpretations of the album's lyrics. Kellman wrote that the songs revolve around "heartbreak, romance, lust, and perseverance", while others felt that that Braxton references problems within her marriage. The singer said that Crash & Burn is about her attempts to pursue a music career despite facing obstacles.
In the second track "What About Love?", Braxton sings about being unable to fix a romantic relationship by herself. The following song "Stay Sippin'" revolves around the singer deciding whether or not to love or leave her partner. It includes Raheem DeVaughn, who is the only featured artist on the standard edition of the album. During the midtempo ballad "Last Call", Braxton sings about repairing a damaged relationship. On the ninth track "Passion", she flirts with a man, but questions if they have a future as a couple; Charles referred to the song's composition as "upbeat [and] bubbly". Braxton sings about her partner's negative qualities on the tenth track "Reasons", which Charles described as "snappy" and likened to Toni Braxton's 1993 single "Another Sad Love Song". The album's final track "Crash & Burn" focuses on "hav[ing] success in the fullness of time, and with the right intentions". Khayree Ali and Niko are featured on the album's bonus tracks.
Release and promotion
eOne and Soul World released Crash & Burn as an audio CD and digital download on October 7, 2014, which is Toni Braxton's birthday. An edition of the album, with two bonus tracks, was also made available at Best Buy. Braxton had posted the album artwork and the track listing in September 2014, which Khayla of SoulBounce.com described as "fierce and edgy". Following the release of Crash & Burn, Braxton received criticism for being "past her prime for being a recording artist", though she responded by encouraging others to follow their dreams.
Singles
"Last Call" was released on July 15, 2014 as the lead single from Crash & Burn. While Veronica Wells praised the single, two reviewers from SoulBounce.com criticized the track as unmemorable. The single was featured on the fourth season of Braxton Family Values. Braxton performed it at the "Concert for a Cause: A Night to Support Childhood Literacy" at Howard University in September 2014. She did a lap dance with her husband, which Well criticized it as inappropriate for the event. The accompanying music video was released on September 8, 2014 through Braxton's Vevo account. In it, Braxton sees a man jogging in her neighborhood and flirts with him. Her siblings Toni, Tamar, and Trina Braxton help Traci attract the man to the house, where the pair cuddle on the patio and drink Hennessy. D-Money of SoulBounce.com responded negatively to Traci's wardrobe and hair styles. He wrote that it had "a hazy, slightly artificial look to every single frame". "Last Call" peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart.
"Perfect Time" was released as the album's second single. Prior to performing it for radio industry programmers, Braxton had a panic attack.
Reception
Crash & Burn received mixed reviews from music critics. Phinesse Demps of The Baltimore Times responded positively to the album's production, and commended Braxton for creating "a very adult sound". Praising the compositions as "undoubtedly contemporary and sleek", Andy Kellman wrote that the album contains a "decent assortment of adult-oriented R&B songs". Melody Charles referred to Crash & Burn as Braxton's way of building "her own distinct groove", but felt it was not as polished as music released by her sisters Toni and Tamar; Charles was also critical of the amount of Auto-Tune used on the album. On Twitter, Tamar panned the album for its use of Auto-Tune; she wrote: "Do the Grammys have a duet with auto tune category yet?" Traci replied that she was "not bother at all" by her sister's criticism.
On October 25, 2014, "Crash & Burn" debuted at #108 on the Billboard Hot 200 with sales of 4,000 in its first week. The album also debuted at number one on the Billboard Heatseekers Album chart, number eleven on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number eighteen on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Track listing
Writing and production credits for the songs are taken from the booklet of Crash and Burn.
Credits and personnel
The following credits were adapted from AllMusic:
- Management
- eOne
- Soul World
- Recording locations
- Soul World Entertainment (Upper Marlboro, MD)
- StarMakers Studios (Beltsville, MD)
- Credits
Charts
Release history
References
External links
- Crash & Burn at Discogs
Source of article : Wikipedia
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