Everyone knows that artists can't be expected to live in the past, but I still agree with what a lot of these other reviewers are saying. Toni Braxton needs to start working with Babyface again; or if not that, at least make some songs that sound more like the songs from her first two albums. A lot of the songs on More Than A Woman are too experimental.

Case in point: "A Better Man" is hard to enjoy primarily because of the production. What's up with those sound effects? It sounds like someone's playing Tetris in the background. Also, the lyrics in this song are nothing new: the song follows the same played-out kick-your-man-to-the-curb pattern. That wouldn't be so annoying if the lyrics were more creative, or if much of the album wasn't like that. Other tracks like that are "Let Me Show You The Way (Out)" and the obligatory Neptunes track, "Hit The Freeway".

The good songs are "Always", "Rock Me, Roll Me", and possibly "Selfish", whose subject matter is similar to the *NSYNC song of the same name. Speaking of selfish, we all know about the shots Toni took at Jay-Z because of "Me & My Boyfriend". For those who DON'T know, Toni said Jay stole her idea and used it for his "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Did she forget that Mariah Carey did that first with her "How Much" from her Rainbow album? Now, who stole whose idea? (All three of those songs are wack, by the way.)

Elsewhere on the album you'll find Toni trying too hard to reach out to the younger audience, like on "Give It Back" featuring Big Tymers (don't ask ME). The chorus has everyone saying "Give my uh-uh back", whatever that means. Then there's the out-of-place hard rock sounds of "Lies, Lies, Lies" complete with profanity. Some R&B artists actually can work well with rock songs, but this is proof that Toni isn't one of them.

Why do contemporary artists feel they have to cater to the younger audience anyway? If the original formula is working, why mess with it? Toni's vocals actually haven't sounded this good since Secrets, but also her material hasn't sounded good at all since Secrets. Very disappointing.

It�s painful for me to say this but CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS?

I am absolutely saddened and disappointed to see one of my favorite R&B singers with strong voice tumble like so many others, from the heights of her debut and �Secrets� albums, and tumble down to the pits of commercialism with the incredible disappointing. This is the mundane, lyrically empty, lackluster trendy hip-hop fluff that makes me turn away from the radio. Her previous album �The Heat� signaled her descent into utter blandness and now her newest offering �More Than A Woman� is where she hits rock bottom. Songs like �Give It Back� featuring the uninteresting rap group Big Tymers, and �Hit The Freeway� are mundane mid-tempo R&B dittos that have no lasting merits. �A Better Man� is almost unlistenable with it�s electronic sound effects; It almost sounds like a pinball machine or video game in the background. In fact, overall, I hardly remember any of the tracks on this album even after repeated listenings, and this is coming from a former fan who could recall almost every chord progression, note, beat, and cymbal from her first two albums as they are among my favorite R&B albums of all time and I grew up with classics like �You Mean The World To Me�, �Breath Again�, �You�re Making Me High�, and �I Love Me, Some Him�. Sadly, there�s none of that on this newest offering. There isn�t any signs of the punching melodies, the dynamics, nor even the melodies of the first two albums. This is just forgettable lackluster R&B hip-hop junk is all that there is. What�s especially appalled is that she went to the lowest common denominator by working with the musical criminal known as Irv Gotti! WHY!! WHY!! WHY TONI????!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???!! Sorry if I sound too harsh but Irv Gotti has no talent except for wrecking classics and destroying the quality of talented singers!! I can definitely understand changing her sound into something new cause I hate that �If It Ain�t Broke, Don�t Fix It� line but in this change in sound, it comes off as a complete disaster. Well, in this case, it wasn�t fixed, it was shattered into pieces. I have no idea where this album will stand in the coming years but this album will not be going into the history books, I can be sure of that, nor will it be a classic like Braxton�s debut or �Secrets� are.

I hope that this is just a artistic stagnation in Braxton�s musical stage as she has a great alto voice but the expressions that her husky voice and vocal performances show fail to shine through at all because of low quality of the songs. Hopefully, she�ll rebound from the abyss of this and come back with a strong and powerful album on her next album.
This CD is a complete disappointment. Trust me, I really, REALLY, tried to like this album but I gave up and took it out of my CD player, probably for good. Now excuse me, while I break out in tears and reach for 1993�s �Toni Braxton� CD.

......unfortunately this cd is just that---AVERAGE. As a 'here from the beginning, there til' the end' genuine and true fan of Toni Braxton, I was more than disappointed with the quality of the songs and the overall feel of this album. This is nothing more than a few sampled beats, some rap appearances, meaningless lyrics, and some mumbled words put together. These are typical songs one has heard before on Ashanti's (of all artist to try an emulate) debut--"Me and My Boyfriend"-- , or soft trynna be ballads from Brandy's last album-- "Always" or "Selfish". Also the beat to the Rodney Jerkins produced track "Do You Remember When" is too similar to Michael Jackson's "Butterflies" and "You Rock My World". No songs from this album, in my opinion, will be considered a classic in years to come. None of them are comparable to "Breathe Again" or "Just Be A Man About". I realized that she was trying to present something new and up to date, but what happened to giving us that which were are use to and expect from her--strong selections that allow her full vocal ability to shine through. None of which are present here. After "The Heat" which was supposed to be the "band-aid" album, according to Toni, I was expecting something much better than this. I wasn't even going to write a review because I was truly not impressed or moved by the album, but I felt so let down that I had to express how I felt. Truthfully, this is an album that only a diehard fan (in denial) or someone who doesn't own any of her previous cd's can appreciate. Sadly, the title of the album is very much a contradiction to what the content of the album is about.

Unfortunately Ms. Braxton has reached an all time low. Catering to people with absolutely no taste in music whatsoever. This CD is completely uninspired. Full of tasteless, uninspired lyrics and music. Her beautiful voice is wasted on this CD.

She works with artists (should they even be given that title?) like Cash Money, Loon, Irv Gotti? Even her own husband and sister! These people are not renowned producers and song writers in the industry. How in the hell do you go from working with grammy award winning song writer/producers such as Babyface and Diane Warren to working with Murder Inc.???? Irv Gotti is not even worthy of her presence!!

Ms. Braxton should be ashamed of herself. As of this writing her CD is at #86 at the Billboard charts!!!! And only after 9 weeks. Good for her .... She puts out garbage like this and she should get exactly what she deserves.

All it takes is a few minutes of the opening track "Let Me Show You The Way (Out)" to figure out that "More Than a Woman" isn't going to be your ordinary Toni Braxton CD. On her fourth release in a decade, the r&b fixture forsakes Diane Warren-penned tunes in favor of jams produced by collaborators like the Neptunes and Irv Gotti. It's a career move that brings her closer to Mary J. Blige than Celine Dion, and while cynics will complain that "More Than a Woman" may sound too trendy for the 34-year-old singer, it features some of her spiciest work. You're looking for a sequel to "Un-Break My Heart" or "Breathe Again?" It ain't gonna happen. "Give it Back," "Hit the Freeway," and "Me and My Boyfriend" have Braxton in fine form, and her collaborators arm her with street-smart beats that don't bury her robust voice. Not that she's totally forgotten her roots, mind you. She reunites with longtime producer Babyface for the decent, if slightly unspectacular, ballad "And I Love You." "More Than a Woman" is more than another album from Toni Braxton. It's a statement that she's willing to try something a little different. For that, she certainly deserves credit.