{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox album | name = Ultimate Toni Braxton | type = Greatest Hits | artist = [[Toni Braxton]] | cover = Ultimatetonibraxtoncover.jpg | border = yes | alt = | released = November 4, 2003 | recorded = 1992–2003 | venue = | studio = | genre = | length = 75:23 | label = [[Arista Records|Arista]] | producer = | prev_title = [[More Than a Woman (album)|More Than a Woman]] | prev_year = 2002 | next_title = [[Platinum & Gold Collection (Toni Braxton album)|Platinum & Gold Collection]] | next_year = 2004 | misc = {{Extra album cover | header = Alternative cover | type = remix | cover = ultimate toni.jpg | border = | alt = | caption = Alternative cover }} }}

'''Ultimate Toni Braxton''', released in 2003, is the first greatest hits collection by [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] singer [[Toni Braxton]]. It features many of her greatest hits, and includes all the singles from her debut ''[[Toni Braxton (album)|Toni Braxton]]'' and all but one of the singles from her second album ''[[Secrets (Toni Braxton album)|Secrets]]''. Her albums ''[[The Heat (Toni Braxton album)|The Heat]]'' and ''[[More Than a Woman (album)|More Than a Woman]]'' are fairly underrepresented, as only two and one songs are included from each album, respectively. The songs on ''Ultimate'' are not the actual album versions but radio edits, and the version of "Seven Whole Days" is live.

The album also includes two new songs, "Whatchu Need" (produced by [[Rodney Jerkins]]) and "The Little Things" (produced by [[R. Kelly]]). Toni's first single "Give U My Heart" (a duet with [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds|Babyface]]) that was included on the "Boomerang" soundtrack, and a remix of "Un-Break My Heart". There is also a Box Set edition of the album which contains six additional remixes. According to ''Billboard'', the album has sold 400,000 copies as of May 2013. It was certified Gold in the UK, in July 2013.<ref name="bpi">{{cite news|title=Toni Braxton certifications in UK|url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx|access-date=August 4, 2013|archive-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710164143/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Background and content == After releasing four studio albums, the last, ''[[More Than a Woman (album)|More Than a Woman]]'' (2002), was a chart disappointment, being her first studio album to not reach the Top 10<ref name=billboardchartbeat>{{cite web|title=CHART BEAT BONUS|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/73310/chart-beat-bonus|work=[[Billboard Magazine]]|access-date=November 25, 2013}}</ref> and to not produce any hit singles.<ref name=billboardtoniback>{{cite web|title=Toni Braxton Is Back With 'More'|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/73848/toni-braxton-is-back-with-more|work=[[Billboard Magazine]]|access-date=November 25, 2013}}</ref> Later, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child, which led her label to not release any more singles and the promotion of the album was interrupted.<ref name=ew>{{cite news|last=Susman|first=Gary|title=My 'Bonnie'|url=https://ew.com/article/2002/10/09/toni-braxton-beefs-jay-z-over-shared-tupac-sample/|access-date=November 25, 2013|newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=October 9, 2002|archive-date=November 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151110170749/http://www.ew.com/article/2002/10/09/toni-braxton-beefs-jay-z-over-shared-tupac-sample|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ultimately, her label decided to release a [[greatest hits album|greatest hits compilation]] in 2003. The compilation titled ''Ultimate Toni Braxton'' was released on November 4, 2003, by [[Arista Records]].<ref name=amazon.com>{{cite web|title=Amazon.com: Ultimate Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton|url=https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Toni-Braxton/dp/B001416P3A|work=[[Amazon.com]]|access-date=December 1, 2013}}</ref>

=== Songs === The track list is composed of Braxton's 18 songs, with 15 being her biggest hits, since her debut single with [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds|Babyface]], "[[Give U My Heart]]", from 1992, until her biggest hit to date, "[[Un-Break My Heart]]", from 1996. The album also features other hits of her career, such as "[[Love Shoulda Brought You Home]]", "[[Another Sad Love Song]]", "[[Breathe Again]]", "[[You're Makin' Me High]]", "[[He Wasn't Man Enough]]" and many more. The album also features two new tracks, "Whatchu Need", produced by [[Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins]], and "The Little Things", produced by [[R. Kelly]]. It also features a live version of "[[Seven Whole Days]]" and a remix of "Un-Break My Heart" on the regular edition.<ref name=billboardultimate>{{cite web|title=Arista Collects Braxton's 'Ultimate' Hits|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/68726/arista-collects-braxtons-ultimate-hits|work=[[Billboard Magazine]]|access-date=December 1, 2013}}</ref> The "limited edition" of the album contains 2 discs, with the second disc featuring six remixes of her hits.<ref name=amazon.com2>{{cite web|title=Amazon.com: Ultimate Toni Braxton: Limited Edition|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Toni-Braxton-Limited-Edition/dp/B0000SVWZE|work=[[Amazon.com]]|access-date=December 1, 2013}}</ref>

== Critical reception == {{Music ratings |rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=allmusic>{{cite news|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Ultimate Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton &#124; Allmusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/ultimate-toni-braxton-mw0000525239|access-date=December 1, 2013|newspaper=[[AllMusic]]|date=November 4, 2003}}</ref> |rev2 = [[MTV Asia]] |rev2score = 5/10<ref name="mtvasia">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtvasia.com/Review/CD/C20031217001057.html|title= Ultimate Toni Braxton , Toni Braxton|accessdate=February 7, 2026|website=[[MTV Asia]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204031827/http://www.mtvasia.com/Review/CD/C20031217001057.html|archivedate=February 4, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> |rev3 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' |rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="newrollingstone">{{cite book| last = Brackett | first = Nathan |author2=Christian Hoard | title = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 2004 | location = New York City, New York | page = [https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n116 103] | isbn = 0-7432-0169-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac| url-access = registration | quote = rolling stone toni braxton album guide. }}</ref> }} [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] from [[AllMusic]] gave the compilation four and a half out of five stars, writing that, "her 18-track hits collection works well even through her shifts in style – she is a confident enough performer to sell both the slow romantic ballads and material that swings harder. That's not to say that there aren't some slow spots here – the previously unreleased cuts are no great shakes, and sometimes the abundance of slow numbers makes things sound too samey – but she was one of the top urban soul singers of the '90s, and this is the album that illustrates why."<ref name=allmusic/> ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'', rating the album four out of five stars, noted that "''Ultimate'' renders most of her studio albums redundant, and the steady increase in sass as her career progressis fun to track."<ref name="newrollingstone"/>

== Commercial performance == ''Ultimate Toni Braxton'' charted modestly on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart, only reaching number 119.<ref name=billboard/> However, it fared better on the US [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums]] chart, peaking at number 43.<ref name=billboard2/> Even with the modest peak, the album managed to sell over 400,000 copies in the [[United States]], as of 2013.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} In the [[UK]], the album charted higher, peaking at number 23.<ref name=uk/> In July 2013, ''Ultimate Toni Braxton'' was certified Gold by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI), for selling over 100,000 copies.<ref name="bpi"/>

== Track listing == {{Track listing | headline = ''Ultimate Toni Braxton'' track listing<ref name=allmusic/> | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 75:23

| title1 = [[Give U My Heart]] | note1 = duet with [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds|Babyface]] | writer1 = {{hlist|[[Kenneth Edmonds]]|[[L.A. Reid|Antonio Reid]]|[[Daryl Simmons]]|Bo Watson}} | extra1 = {{hlist|Babyface|[[L.A. Reid]]|Simmons{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length1 = 4:00

| title2 = [[Love Shoulda Brought You Home]] | writer2 = {{hlist|Edmonds|Reid|Simmons|Watson}} | extra2 = {{hlist|Babyface|Reid|Simmons}} | length2 = 4:51

| title3 = [[Another Sad Love Song]] | writer3 = {{hlist|Edmonds|Simmons}} | extra3 = {{hlist|Babyface|Reid|Simmons}} | length3 = 3:49

| title4 = [[Breathe Again]] | writer4 = Edmonds | extra4 = {{hlist|Babyface|Reid|Simmons}} | length4 = 4:15

| title5 = [[Seven Whole Days]] | note5 = live | writer5 = {{hlist|Edmonds|Reid}} | extra5 = | length5 = 4:40

| title6 = [[You Mean the World to Me (Toni Braxton song)|You Mean the World to Me]] | writer6 = {{hlist|Edmonds|Reid|Simmons}} | extra6 = {{hlist|Babyface|Reid|Simmons}} | length6 = 3:59

| title7 = [[I Belong to You/How Many Ways|How Many Ways]] | writer7 = {{hlist|Toni Braxton|[[Vincent Herbert]]}} | extra7 = Herbert | length7 = 4:26

| title8 = [[You're Makin' Me High]] | writer8 = {{hlist|Braxton|Edmonds|[[Bryce Wilson]]}} | extra8 = {{hlist|Babyface|Wilson}} | length8 = 4:06

| title9 = [[Let It Flow (song)|Let It Flow]] | writer9 = Edmonds | extra9 = Babyface | length9 = 4:09

| title10 = [[Un-Break My Heart]] | writer10 = [[Diane Warren]] | extra10 = [[David Foster]] | length10 = 4:28

| title11 = [[I Love Me Some Him]] | writer11 = {{hlist|[[Kenneth Karlin]]|[[Carsten Schack]]|[[Andrea Martin (musician)|Andrea Martin]]|Gloria Stewart}} | extra11 = [[Soulshock & Karlin]] | length11 = 4:36

| title12 = [[I Don't Want To]] | writer12 = [[R. Kelly]] | extra12 = Kelly | length12 = 4:17

| title13 = [[He Wasn't Man Enough]] | writer13 = {{hlist|[[LaShawn Daniels]]|[[Fred Jerkins III]]|[[Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins]]|[[Harvey Mason Jr.]]}} | extra13 = Darkchild | length13 = 3:59

| title14 = [[Just Be a Man About It]] | writer14 = {{hlist|Braxton|[[Johntá Austin]]|[[Teddy Bishop (record producer)|Teddy Bishop]]|[[Bryan-Michael Cox]]}} | extra14 = {{hlist|Bishop|Braxton{{ref|a|[a]}}|Cox{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length14 = 4:16

| title15 = [[Hit the Freeway]] | note15 = featuring [[Loon (rapper)|Loon]] | writer15 = {{hlist|[[Pharrell Williams]]|[[Chauncey Hawkins]]}} | extra15 = [[The Neptunes]] | length15 = 3:47

| title16 = Whatchu Need | writer16 = {{hlist|Braxton|Daniels|R. Jerkins|F. Jerkins|[[Kenisha Pratt]]}} | extra16 = Darkchild | length16 = 3:38

| title17 = The Little Things | writer17 = Kelly | extra17 = Kelly | length17 = 4:31

| title18 = Un-Break My Heart | note18 = Soul-Hex Anthem radio edit | writer18 = Warren | extra18 = {{hlist|Foster|[[Hex Hector]]{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length18 = 3:35 }} {{Track listing | extra_column = Producer(s) | headline = Limited edition<ref name=itunes>{{cite web|title=iTunes – Music – Ultimate by Toni Braxton|url=https://music.apple.com/br/album/ultimate/313807408|work=[[iTunes]]|access-date=December 1, 2013}}</ref> | total_length =

| title19 = Un-Break My Heart | note19 = Frankie Knuckles Franktidrama club mix | writer19 = Warren | extra19 = {{hlist|Foster|[[Frankie Knuckles]]{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length19 = 8:36

| title20 = You're Makin' Me High | writer20 = {{hlist|Braxton|Edmonds|Wilson}} | note20 = Salaam Remi's Norfside mix | extra20 = {{hlist|Babyface|Wilson|[[Salaam Remi]]{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length20 = 4:18

| title21 = How Many Ways | note21 = R. Kelly mix | writer21 = {{hlist|Braxton|Herbert|Kelly}} | extra21 = {{hlist|Herbert|Kelly{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length21 = 5:46

| title22 = I Don't Want To | note22 = Frankie Knuckles Franktified mix | writer22 = Kelly | extra22 = {{hlist|Kelly|Knuckles{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length22 = 10:57

| title23 = Hit the Freeway | note23 = Goldtrix mix | writer23 = {{hlist|Williams|Hawkins}} | extra23 = {{hlist|The Neptunes|[[Goldtrix]]{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length23 = 7:17

| title24 = He Wasn't Man Enough | note24 = Forces of Nature mix | writer24 = {{hlist|Daniels|R. Jerkins|F. Jerkins|Mason}} | extra24 = {{hlist|Darkchild|Forces of Natur{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length24 = 5:50 }} '''Notes''' *<sup>{{note|a|[a]}}</sup> signifies co-producer(s) *<sup>{{note|b|[b]}}</sup> signifies additional producer(s)

== Charts == {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;" |+ Chart performance for ''Ultimate Toni Braxton'' |- ! scope="col" | Chart (2003) ! scope="col" | Peak<br/>position |- ! scope="row"|Japanese Albums ([[Oricon Albums Chart|Oricon]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/285910/ranking/cd_album/ |script-title=ja:トニー・ブラクストンのアルバム売り上げランキング |trans-title=Toni Braxton album sales ranking |language=ja |publisher=[[Oricon]] |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026002532/http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/285910/ranking/cd_album/ |archive-date=October 26, 2014}}</ref> | 172 |- {{album chart|Scotland|53|date=20031109|rowheader=true|access-date=April 3, 2023}} |- {{album chart|Switzerland|86|artist=Toni Braxton|album=Ultimate Toni Braxton|rowheader=true|access-date=June 5, 2020|refname=swiss}} |- {{album chart|UK2|23|artist=Toni Braxton|album=Ultimate Toni Braxton|date=2003-11-09|rowheader=true|access-date=June 5, 2020|refname=uk}} |- {{album chart|UKR&B|14|date=20031109|rowheader=true|access-date=October 9, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|119|artist=Toni Braxton|rowheader=true|access-date=June 5, 2020|refname=billboard}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|43|artist=Toni Braxton|rowheader=true|access-date=June 5, 2020|refname=billboard2}} |}

==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Ultimate Toni Braxton''}} {{Certification Table Entry |region=United Kingdom|artist=Toni Braxton|title=Ultimate|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2013|certmonth=7|id=7853-3031-2|access-date=December 3, 2024}} {{Certification Table Bottom | noshipments=true}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

{{Toni Braxton}} {{Authority control}}

[[Category:2003 greatest hits albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by Bryan-Michael Cox]] [[Category:Toni Braxton compilation albums]]