Tamar Braxton is prepping for the release of her upcoming album "Love and War," as well as her upcoming tour opening for John Legend. She began by giving a brief showcase from the album at the Emerson Theater in Los Angeles on Monday night.
The R&B songstress and "Braxton Family Values" star opened with an uptempo version of her summer single "The One." She was joined onstage by four male dancers who provided dance moves and eye candy for the ladies in the audience. Braxton danced along, and reviewer Mike Wass said "it's hard to believe the 36-year-old had a baby two months ago."
She followed up with a ballad that Wass described as being similar to the title track from her album ("Love and War"), but that he didn't find out the title for the unreleased track because she didn't give one. In fact, she didn't actually acknowledge the crowd for the entirety of the show. Wass said that her voice was incredible, but the singer needs to work on her fan-friendliness. He says the vocalist looked forward for the entire set, never looking over at fans in the left or right side of the theater. At the end of her four songs, she left without addressing anyone.
Rewinding to the middle of the set and her music however, Braxton played the title track as her third song and ended with the single "Hot Sugar." Wass may not have been hot on Braxton's stage presence but he said her voice was divine, and fans of R&B leaning toward soul would be thrilled with the album. The concluding track led the crowd to sing along as well. Parts of Braxton's family were present in the audience, but not her celebrity sisters Toni and Trina.
