Background
The album's first single, He Wasn't Man Enough, was written and produced by Rodney Jerkins. It's faster than Braxton's usual fare, featuring Jerkins' taut beats and harp. In the song, she warns a female friend not to marry a man the singer knows all too well. The title track "The Heat" was co-written by Keri Lewis and was described as "an infectious mid-tempo groove." "Spanish Guitar" was written by Diane Warren and it's a "latin-ballad". It was described as an "Un-Break My Heart" clone. The fourth track "Just Be a Man About It" is a telephone breakup song, with Toni once again questioning the status of a partner’s manhood and Dr. Dre playing the wayward lover breaking the news to her. "Gimme Some" features Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and it's an R&B/summer "jerky funker" track. "I'm Still Breathing" is another song written by Diane Warren and it was criticized for being an "overly dramatic" ballad.
The seventh track "Fairy Tale" was co-written and produced by Babyface and it's an "acoustic piece". The eighth track "The Art of Love" features no discernible lyrics and lets her play Barry White, "luxuriating orgasmically over undulating rhythms" and "delivers only sighs, moans and pillow talk." The speedy rhythms of "Speaking in Tongues" reflect the character's neurotic thinking. The song is a sensual affair with warm harmonies. The tenth track "Maybe" has rapid-fire lyrics, informed by hip-hop vocal rhythms and was considered a "lacklustre", while the eleventh track "You've Been Wrong" was considered "plodding". The twelfth and final track "Never Just For a Ring" finds Braxton questioning her lovers lack of fidelity the song features the embittered choral hook “Why?, when?, where?, how?, who?, what?, made you go off and do this crazy thing.
Read more about this topic: The Heat (Toni Braxton album)
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