Snowflakes is the fourth studio album by American singer Toni Braxton, released on October 23, 2001, by Arista Records.[1] Her first Christmas album, it is a follow-up to her 2000 studio album The Heat. Snowflakes consists of 11 tracks, featuring five R&B-led original songs co-penned with her former husband Keri Lewis and longtime collaborator Babyface, as well as several remixes and cover versions of Christmas standards and carols, one of which is a collaboration with Jamaican musician Shaggy. Throughout the creation process, Braxton also collaborated with L.A. Reid, Poke & Tone, Daryl Simmons and her younger sister Tamar Braxton.
The album received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom compared its nature to Braxton's other work but found the stylized production and original material too contemporary to conjure images of Christmas. Upon its release, Snowflakes debuted at number 119 on the US Billboard 200, and at number 57 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. While it remains her lowest-charting album as of 2018, it eventually earned a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Singles such as "Snowflakes of Love" and "Christmas in Jamaica" became a minor success on the adult contemporary charts.
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found Snowflakes to be "something that's very similar to a proper Toni Braxton record, only with an appropriately hushed tone and the sultriness replacing the overt sexiness. Some of the originals are pretty good [...] and the rest that don't make much of an impact are nevertheless pleasant and add to the mood. And that pretty much summarizes the record – it's not remarkable, but it's nice, providing a nice, romantic soundtrack for an evening of cuddling in front of the tree and a roaring fire."[2]Rolling Stone critic K.G. Roth called Snowflakes a "Christmas album that is sometimes cozy, often seductive and always strictly R&B. New songs [...] ooze with the same languid, lush vocals and mellow, hip-swiveling beats that pervade Braxton's other work. Even the standards [...] get glazed with Braxton's sensuality. Her smooth alto lingers on each note and nearly reinvents the classic. A little bit naughty and a whole lot of nice, Snowflakes encourages listeners put the mistletoe to good use this year."[5]
In a less impressed review for Entertainment Weekly, Chris Willmann wrote: "Ever since Elvis sang 'Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me),' singers have assumed that Saint Nick has nothing better to do than find their ex-lovers and give 'em a ride back to their bereft apartments on Christmas Eve. Toni Braxton picks up the thread on [...] Snowflakes. Braxton needs to work harder at getting her man back herself: She sounds uncharacteristically wan here, frequently drowned out by powerful string arrangements.[3] Alexa Camp from Slant Magazine felt that "like Carey wouldn't be able to pull off another pristine Christmas album at this skanky stage in her career, Braxton's Snowflakes would have worked better pre-'You're Makin' Me High'." Highly critical with "the excruciatingly banal" lead single "Christmas in Jamaica", she noted that "there's nary a festive note in original songs like 'Santa Please' and 'Holiday Celebrate' [...] More classic-sounding tunes [...] lift the collection's spirit, but (call me old-fashioned) faithful renditions of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' and 'The Christmas Song' are the only moments that conjure images of Christmas."[6]
^ abWillman, Chris (November 30, 2001). "Reviews of MTV TRL Christmas, 8 Days of Christmas, Christmas Memories, That's What I Call Christmas!, Snowflakes, Holidayland, A Very Special Christmas 5, Swingin' Christmas, and Christmas Extraordinaire". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
^Roth, K.G. (December 11, 2001). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
^Maza, Erik (April 11, 2011). . The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
^ ab"Offiziellecharts.de – Toni Braxton – Snowflakes" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
^"Toni Braxton Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
^"Toni Braxton Featuring Shaggy – Christmas in Jamaica (CD) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
^. Billboard. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
October 27, 2023
snowflakes, album, snowflakes, fourth, studio, album, american, singer, toni, braxton, released, october, 2001, arista, records, first, christmas, album, follow, 2000, studio, album, heat, snowflakes, consists, tracks, featuring, five, original, songs, penned,. Snowflakes is the fourth studio album by American singer Toni Braxton released on October 23 2001 by Arista Records 1 Her first Christmas album it is a follow up to her 2000 studio album The Heat Snowflakes consists of 11 tracks featuring five R amp B led original songs co penned with her former husband Keri Lewis and longtime collaborator Babyface as well as several remixes and cover versions of Christmas standards and carols one of which is a collaboration with Jamaican musician Shaggy Throughout the creation process Braxton also collaborated with L A Reid Poke amp Tone Daryl Simmons and her younger sister Tamar Braxton SnowflakesStudio album by Toni BraxtonReleasedOctober 23 2001 2001 10 23 Recorded2000 01StudioKL Productions Atlanta a Big Yard New York City b Studio A Dearborn Heights Michigan c Abbey Road London c Silent Sound Atlanta d Capitol Hollywood e Signet Los Angeles f The Tracken Place Beverly Hills California g The Record Plant Hollywood h Doppler Atlanta i GenreChristmas R amp BLength43 33LabelAristaProducerBabyface Toni Braxton Keri Lewis L A Reid Donnie Scantz Daryl SimmonsToni Braxton chronologyThe Heat 2000 Snowflakes 2001 More Than a Woman 2002 Singles from Snowflakes Snowflakes of Love Released November 10 2001 Christmas in Jamaica Released December 8 2001The album received mixed reviews from critics many of whom compared its nature to Braxton s other work but found the stylized production and original material too contemporary to conjure images of Christmas Upon its release Snowflakes debuted at number 119 on the US Billboard 200 and at number 57 on Billboard s Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums chart While it remains her lowest charting album as of 2018 it eventually earned a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA Singles such as Snowflakes of Love and Christmas in Jamaica became a minor success on the adult contemporary charts Contents 1 Critical reception 2 Commercial performance 3 Track listing 3 1 Notes 3 2 Sample credits 4 Charts 5 Certifications 6 Release history 7 Notes 8 ReferencesCritical reception edit nbsp Jamaican musician Shaggy appears on the album s second single Christmas in Jamaica Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 2 Entertainment WeeklyC 3 Rolling StoneFavorable 4 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 5 Slant Magazine nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 6 AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found Snowflakes to be something that s very similar to a proper Toni Braxton record only with an appropriately hushed tone and the sultriness replacing the overt sexiness Some of the originals are pretty good and the rest that don t make much of an impact are nevertheless pleasant and add to the mood And that pretty much summarizes the record it s not remarkable but it s nice providing a nice romantic soundtrack for an evening of cuddling in front of the tree and a roaring fire 2 Rolling Stone critic K G Roth called Snowflakes a Christmas album that is sometimes cozy often seductive and always strictly R amp B New songs ooze with the same languid lush vocals and mellow hip swiveling beats that pervade Braxton s other work Even the standards get glazed with Braxton s sensuality Her smooth alto lingers on each note and nearly reinvents the classic A little bit naughty and a whole lot of nice Snowflakes encourages listeners put the mistletoe to good use this year 5 In a less impressed review for Entertainment Weekly Chris Willmann wrote Ever since Elvis sang Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me singers have assumed that Saint Nick has nothing better to do than find their ex lovers and give em a ride back to their bereft apartments on Christmas Eve Toni Braxton picks up the thread on Snowflakes Braxton needs to work harder at getting her man back herself She sounds uncharacteristically wan here frequently drowned out by powerful string arrangements 3 Alexa Camp from Slant Magazine felt that like Carey wouldn t be able to pull off another pristine Christmas album at this skanky stage in her career Braxton s Snowflakes would have worked better pre You re Makin Me High Highly critical with the excruciatingly banal lead single Christmas in Jamaica she noted that there s nary a festive note in original songs like Santa Please and Holiday Celebrate More classic sounding tunes lift the collection s spirit but call me old fashioned faithful renditions of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and The Christmas Song are the only moments that conjure images of Christmas 6 Commercial performance editIn the United States Snowflakes peaked at number 119 on the Billboard 200 in its fifth week on chart 7 It also reached number 57 on the Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums chart and number five on the Top Holiday Albums chart 8 9 The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA on November 28 2001 10 and sold 243 000 according to Nielsen soundscan 11 Elsewhere Snowflakes debuted and peaked at number 92 on the German Albums Chart making it the only country outside the United States to chart 12 Two singles were released from the album Snowflakes of Love which samples the instrumental of Earl Klugh s Now We re One written by Isaac Hayes for the soundtrack to the 1974 film Truck Turner served as the album s lead single The song peaked at number 25 on Billboard s Adult Contemporary chart on January 5 2002 13 The remix version of Christmas in Jamaica featuring Jamaican musician Shaggy was released as the second and final single in 2001 14 The song reached number three on the Billboard Bubbling Under R amp B Hip Hop Singles chart while failing to chart elsewhere 15 Track listing editNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 Holiday Celebrate Toni BraxtonKeri LewisTamar BraxtonLewisToni Braxton3 592 Christmas in Jamaica featuring Shaggy Toni BraxtonDonnie ScantzLewisOrville BurrellCraig LoveDave KellyLewisToni BraxtonScantzShaggy a Love b 4 233 Snowflakes of Love Toni BraxtonLewisIsaac HayesLewisToni Braxton4 254 Christmas Time Is Here Vince GuaraldiLee MendelsonDaryl SimmonsToni Braxton a 4 115 Santa Please Toni BraxtonLewisLewisToni Braxton4 336 Pretty Please Interlude 1 017 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ralph BlaneHugh MartinLewisToni Braxton4 358 This Time Next Year BabyfaceDavid FosterToni BraxtonSimmonsBabyfaceToni Braxton a 4 239 The Christmas Song Mel TormeRobert WellsL A ReidMcArthur a 3 2310 Snowflakes of Love Brent Fischer Instrumental Toni BraxtonLewisHayesLewisToni Braxton4 3711 Christmas in Jamaica Remix featuring Shaggy Toni BraxtonScantzLewisBurrellLoveKellyLewisToni BraxtonScantzShaggy a Poke amp Tone b c 3 39 Notes edit a signifies a co producer b signifies an additional producer c signifies a remixerSample credits edit Snowflakes of Love contains elements and samples from Now We re One by Earl Klugh Charts editChart performance for Snowflakes Chart 2001 2003 PeakpositionGerman Albums Offizielle Top 100 12 92US Billboard 200 7 119US Top Holiday Albums Billboard 8 5US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 9 57Certifications editCertifications for Snowflakes Region Certification Certified units salesUnited States RIAA 10 Gold 500 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Release history editRelease dates and formats for Snowflakes Region Date Format Label Ref United States October 21 2001 CDcassette Arista 1 Notes edit Tracks 1 2 and 5 vocals on tracks 3 and 7 Shaggy s vocals on track 2 a b Track 3 Tracks 4 and 8 Track 4 Strings on tracks 5 and 7 orchestra on track 10 Track 8 Track 8 strings on track 8 Track 9References edit a b Toni Braxton Snowflakes Cassette Amazon United States Retrieved January 25 2017 a b Erlewine Stephen Thomas Snowflakes Toni Braxton AllMusic Retrieved July 4 2020 a b Willman Chris November 30 2001 Reviews of MTV TRL Christmas 8 Days of Christmas Christmas Memories That s What I Call Christmas Snowflakes Holidayland A Very Special Christmas 5 Swingin Christmas and Christmas Extraordinaire Entertainment Weekly Retrieved October 17 2011 Roth K G December 11 2001 Toni Braxton Snowflakes Music Review Rolling Stone Archived from the original on July 24 2008 Retrieved October 17 2011 a b Harris Keith 2004 Toni Braxton In Brackett Nathan Hoard Christian eds The New Rolling Stone Album Guide 4th ed New York Simon amp Schuster p 103 ISBN 0 7432 0169 8 a b Cinquemani Sal October 21 2001 Toni Braxton Snowflakes Slant Magazine Retrieved April 8 2013 a b Toni Braxton Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved January 1 2019 a b Toni Braxton Chart History Holiday Albums Billboard Retrieved July 4 2020 a b Toni Braxton Chart History Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard Retrieved January 1 2019 a b American album certifications Toni Braxton Snowflakes Recording Industry Association of America November 28 2001 Retrieved February 6 2015 Maza Erik April 11 2011 Toni Braxton s decade long record sales slump The Baltimore Sun Archived from the original on November 11 2016 Retrieved May 11 2021 a b Offiziellecharts de Toni Braxton Snowflakes in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved July 4 2020 Toni Braxton Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Retrieved July 4 2020 Toni Braxton Featuring Shaggy Christmas in Jamaica CD at Discogs Discogs Retrieved January 26 2017 Toni Braxton Chart History Bubbling Under R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard Archived from the original on August 15 2019 Retrieved July 4 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Snowflakes album amp oldid 1173806144, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
