0602537580996. Pre-Owned: Good condition. CD. On Love Marriage & Divorce Toni Braxton and Babyface creative partners going back to the early 90s rekindle their musical relationship. Both endured broken marriages and presumably it s those experiences that inform the material here -- a succinct collection of 11 songs eight of which are duets. The emphasis is on divorce indicated from the very beginning on Roller Coaster where Babyface enters with Today I got so mad at you it s like I couldn t control myself. The set finishes with the bittersweet The D Word seemingly a Sade homage in which Babyface confesses You still own my heart forever and ever and ever. Moments that deviate from issues of romantic strife are few. The duo don t seem nearly as connected to them. Sweat a slinking groove is like the Love During War to Robin Thicke s Love After War while Heart Attack near the album s end is a retro-disco move that seems more like a throw-in than a crucial part of the album. The sequence of songs plays out like scenes on shuffle. Either that or the relationship is extremely up and down; the singers sometimes sound as if they are addressing ex-lovers from other relationships. Reunited is a blissful ballad but it s followed by the embittered I d Rather Be Broke where Braxton asserts Just because your money s strong don t mean you can do the things that you do. Babyface is civil and clear-headed on I Hope That You re Okay claiming he can t go through the motions anymore but Braxton follows with a solo spotlight I Wish that seems drawn from a different situation: I hope she creeps on you with somebody who is 22/I swear to God I m gonna be laughing at you every day. As a narrative the album can be hard to follow but it s not as if breakups have a simple arc with a steady unwavering decline. While most of these songs are ballads Babyface rarely pulls out his acoustic guitar -- a saving grace for those who tired of hearing it throughout the 90s. This is a solid addition to both artists discographies. The romantically content won t want to go anywhere near it. ~ Andy Kellman Rovi