Secrets is the second studio album by American singer Toni Braxton, released on June 18, 1996, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 1997 Grammy Awards. Secrets has been certified eight-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Worldwide, the album has sold over 15 million copies. In support of the album, Braxton embarked on the Secrets Tour, playing dates in North America and Europe from August 1996 to October 1997.
The album's first song "Come On Over Here" is a "finger-poppingly upbeat", sultry groove track produced by Tony Rich. It was described as "a neo-Motown composition".[3] The second track and lead single, the airily funky "You're Makin' Me High", was produced by Babyface and Bryce Wilson.[3] It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.[4] The third track "There's No Me Without You" is a romantic song.[5] The fourth track and second single "Un-Break My Heart" is a ballad written by Diane Warren.[6] She played the finished song to Arista Records president Clive Davis, who thought it would be perfect for Braxton. With background vocals by Shanice Wilson and production by David Foster, the song spent 11 weeks at number one on pop radio stations and 14 weeks at number one on adult contemporary radio in late 1996.[6] It also won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1997.[4] It is a song of blistering heartbreak, as Braxton sings to her former lover, begging him to return to her and undo all the pain he has caused.[7] The fifth track "Talking in His Sleep" is about adultery.[5]
The album's lead single, "You're Makin' Me High", earned Braxton her first number-one single on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Its B-side, "Let It Flow", was an airplay success and was featured on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale. The second single, "Un-Break My Heart", became a commercial success worldwide, peaking at number one on the Hot 100 for 11 consecutive weeks, number one on the Hot Dance Club Play, and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while topping the charts in several other countries. The third single from the album, "I Don't Want To", reached the top 20 of the Hot 100 and the top 10 of the R&B chart. Its B-side, "I Love Me Some Him", was a major airplay success domestically. The fourth official single, "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", which features Kenny G on the saxophone, became another top-40 entry in the United Kingdom, while failing to enter the charts in the US.
Secrets received generally positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic wrote that Braxton's "vocal talent is what unites Secrets and makes it into a first-rate contemporary R&B collection. Braxton is a singer who can cross over into the smooth confines of adult contemporary radio without losing or betraying the soul that lies at the foundation of her music, and her talent burns at its brightest on Secrets."[2]Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly praised the "core Braxton/Babyface collaborations" on the album as "diverse, witty, and exquisitely modulated", noting Braxton's "technical range" and "ability to deliver Secrets' sermons of sensuality—little gospels of good and bad loving—with unusual eloquence."[3]Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice, stated, "The apprentice diva of the debut was modest, composed, virtually anonymous. I'll take the right It Girl anytime—especially one who insists on getting her props."[15]David Fricke from Rolling Stone commented, "As designer champagne 'n' anguish R&B goes, Secrets goes down nice and easy."[5]
The album debuted at number 54 on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending June 29, 1996,[23] before peaking at number 10 in its 30th week on the chart, on January 25, 1997.[24] On April 1, 1997, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified Secrets double platinum for shipments of over 600,000 copies.[25] In continental Europe, the album topped the charts in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, while reaching the top five in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Sweden, and the top 10 in Ireland.[26][27][28] In Oceania, the album reached number 11 in both Australia and New Zealand;[26] it has been certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).[29][30] By May 2010, Secrets had sold 15 million copies worldwide.[31]
^As of April 2011, Secrets had sold 5,364,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[19] with an additional 927,000 sold at BMG Music Club.[20] Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[94]
Referencesedit
^"R. Kelly: The New King of R&B". Ebony Man. May 1996. ISSN 0884-4879.
^ abc"Toni Braxton – Secrets CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
^ abcFricke, David (December 26, 1996). "Toni Braxton: Secrets". Rolling Stone. No. 750–751. p. 190. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
^ abHogan, Ed. "Un-Break My Heart – Toni Braxton". AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
^Gardner, Elysa (June 16, 1996). "Toni Braxton, 'Secrets', LaFace/Arista". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
^Springer, Jacqueline (August 1996). "Toni Braxton: Secrets (LaFace/Arista)" (PDF). Muzik. No. 15. p. 117. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
^ abMaza, Erik (April 11, 2011). "Toni Braxton's decade-long record sales slump". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
^ abDavid, Barry (February 18, 2003). "Shania, Backstreet, Britney, Eminem and Janet Top All Time Sellers". Music Industry News Network. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Toni Braxton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^"Toni Braxton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^"RPM Year End Top 100 Albums". RPM. Vol. 64, no. 18. December 16, 1996. p. 29. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Year End Sales Charts – European Top 100 Albums 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 51/52. December 21, 1996. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
^"Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1996" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Årslista Album (inkl samlingar), 1996" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
^"End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1996". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^"Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^"Jahreshitparade Alben 1997". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved July 21, 2022.
^"Jaaroverzichten 1997 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Rapports annuels 1997 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Albums: Top 100 of 1997". Jam!. Archived from the original on March 20, 2001. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Year in Focus – European Top 100 Albums 1997" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. 7. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
^"Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1997" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Årslista Album (inkl samlingar), 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
^"Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1997". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved March 31, 2021.
^"End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1997". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^"Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^The first list is the list of best-selling domestic albums of 2000 in Finland and the second is that of the best-selling foreign albums:
"Myydyimmät kotimaiset albumit vuonna 2000" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
"Myydyimmät ulkomaiset albumit vuonna 2000" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^Mayfield, Geoff (December 25, 1999). "Top Pop Albums of the '90s". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. p. YE-20. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
^"Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums by Women". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
^"Austrian album certifications – Toni Braxton – Secrets" (in German). IFPI Austria. April 10, 1997. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
^"Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1997". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
^"Sucesso instantâneo" [Instant success]. Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). No. 299. February 1, 1998. p. 24 – via National Library of Brazil. In Brazil, Secrets [...] has sold over 400,000 copies.
^"IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1997 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. September 16, 1997. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002(PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 943. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
^"Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. February 10, 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Secrets')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^Caulfield, Keith (January 25, 2008). "Ask Billboard: One More for 'One More Time'?". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2021.