Toni Braxton - The Heat [2LP]

Toni Braxton turned up the temperature on The Heat, her 2000 album that traded some of the slow-dance polish of Secrets for sharper, more street-smart R&B, now on double vinyl.

It followed the enormous success of Secrets after a long contract dispute with her label, and Braxton came back with something to prove. Working closely with Keri Lewis, who co-wrote much of the record, she brought in a heavyweight team including Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, David Foster and songwriter Diane Warren, mixing club-ready rhythms with the velvet ballads she was famous for.

Opener "He Wasn't Man Enough" is the knockout, a skittering Darkchild production with a defiant vocal that earned Braxton a Grammy. "Spanish Guitar" is pure drama, a Diane Warren ballad produced by David Foster and laced with sensual guitar lines, while "Just Be a Man About It" plays out a messy breakup with Dr. Dre adding his voice. "Gimme Some" brings in Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes for a playful, flirtatious bounce.

That smoky contralto is the real star throughout, gliding from sultry to scorned without ever losing control.

For fans of turn-of-the-millennium R&B, this is Braxton at her most confident, and a double LP lets those deep, warm low notes really breathe.