Soon after the release of her first album on LaFace Records in 1993, it was clear that Toni Braxton occupied a particularly iconic place in that young label's musical vision. From the exaggerated elegance of her video imaging, to the lush, pop-flavored orchestrations of her torchy ballads, Braxton was obviously being primed to do for songwriter/producers L.A. Reid and Babyface what Dionne Warwick once did for the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Back in the 1960s, songs such as "Don't Make Me Over" and "Walk On By" established Warwick as the eloquent voice of wounded feminine pride (an adult version of popular girl group plaints like "Maybe" or "It's My Party"), and her distinctive sound enhanced Bacharach and David's melodies, making them even more unique and compelling. Similarly, Braxton is that most marvelous of pop accidents — the perfect combination of muse and vocal franchise — and nowhere is this more apparent than on her third LaFace CD, The Heat (RealAudio excerpt of title track).

Whether Babyface or Diane Warren or Braxton herself writes the lyrics, this queen of carefully considered heartbreak almost always sings about disillusion. Her current hit, "He Wasn't Man Enough" (RealAudio excerpt) is a funky, danceable number, yet manages to convey the same woebegone sentiments as "Another Sad Love Song" and "Un-break My Heart" from her eponymous debut.

The production values on this new album are perhaps her best yet, with each producer (whether it's Rodney Jenkins, Keri Lewis, David Foster, or Babyface) giving the vocalist rich, subtly textured backing tracks that neither crowd nor obscure her warm contralto. While other young R&B divas fill their hits with lots of clanking, clicking percussion, Braxton is more likely to syncopate songs with deftly plucked acoustic guitar riffs to further distinguish her sound from most post-hip-hop soul. A little bossa nova beat runs throughout the title track, which, like the chirpily melodic "Fairy Tale" (RealAudio excerpt), only emphasizes the Warwick comparison.

The aforementioned Warren comes to Braxton's party yet again with the sexy "Spanish Guitar" and the defiant "I'm Still Breathing," the latter functioning almost like a sardonic answer record to Braxton's first Babyface hit, "Breathe Again." All the thematic concerns here are pretty predictable, with Braxton cycling through desire, apprehension, disaster and regret with the reliability of a Greek tragedy. Then again, that's what we've come to expect from Toni Braxton — and our lady of constant romantic sorrow doesn't disappoint.