Toni Braxton
Spanish Guitar (Arista)
Now that livin' la vida loca has become de rigueur for any American
'artist' desirous of record sales in the multimillions (we await Christina
Aguilera's Spanish album with interest. No, really), evidently even R&B
royalty are finding it impossible to resist the murky allure of maracas and dodgy
dancing. Aware, perhaps, that she might appear disingenuous trying to pass
herself off as a valid participant in the Latin explosion, Ms Braxton has
instead opted for this: a mawkish ballad about being a groupie for a saucy
flamenco fella, with a little bit of authentic Spanish guitar thrown in for
flavour. All of which sounds harmless enough, in a
music-for-dinner-with-your-parents sort of way, until you apprehend the lyrics:
"I wish that I was in your arms like that Spanish
guitar/And you would play me through the night until the dawn...". Jesus.
If you ever find yourself singing along to that, you've really got something to
worry about.
April Long
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