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MUSIC REVIEW: Toni Braxton’s Sex & Cigarettes

Imagine this: It’s the nineties – early nineties, 1991 to be exact. You’re in a club and it’s slowly nearing the end of the night. Most people have gone home already, and those that are left are slow dancing in the middle of the desolate floor.

Babyface was just playing, imprinting on you the urge to get up and dance. You’ve been waiting all night to show off your best moves, and now as good a time as any to break onto the floor and raise hell. You signal the DJ to spin you a track by TLC or something – anything good, mustering up the courage to step out into the spotlight of the disco ball. You’re all ready, but then – ugh. Celine Dione.

That’s the feeling of Toni Braxton’s Sex and Cigarettes. A Tangled mess of ballads and mediocrity. With the rare welcoming of a synth or two to the party, there’s the teasing of a few well-rounded dance tracks, but they instead leave you hanging on long drawn out ballads.

Tracks like Deadwood clumsily blend together scratches of country guitar and the soulful R&B Braxton is known for, to no avail; it just sounds desperate to be modern.

The album is dated, but even the attempts at modernising it become generic and derivative. New elements like the iconic vocal one shot sample synth from Major Lazer’s Lean on make an appearance (all be it short), but it’s like a drunk DJ has fumbled his way onto the stage at a country concert – it doesn’t fit.

I suppose the only forgiving element in this album of drivel is that not all of the songs sound alike. Although, I did have trouble distinguishing between some (Looking at you Coping, Missin’, Sex and Cigarettes).

Amazingly My heart sounds worlds away from FOH, with Spanish guitars and haunting swirls from backing vocals (which by the way are gorgeous).

Thankfully Braxton teamed up with singer-songwriter Colbie Calliat to create the half decent poetic piece of My heart. Overall there’s an attempt at variation, but nothing beyond swapping a few instruments here and there which, from a seasoned musician such as Braxton, is a little disappointing.

After mulling over the album for a few days, the only song that really stood out was FOH. The track is the breath of fresh air Sex and Cigarettes desperately needs. Not quite overtly pop, but not too dull, the piano ballad reeks of pain. She’s waiting at the door in a dimly lit hallway, desperate for her phone to reveal the reply she’s longing for. Pain and fury entwined in the piano – tainted chords burning loneliness and anger into your ears with every second of sustain. A dark twinge of reverse on the instrument’s tears introduce a sadness to the album that was barely present before. Ignoring the drab lyricism, It’s almost heartbreaking. The track is the only one in the album that shows promise, but even then I wouldn’t commit to buying it. The perfect minimalism of the piano is a sound worthy of repeat however, but perhaps in a different song.

Rental agent pleads guilty to fire hazard homes

City property agent fined more than £3,000 for allowing two of his properties to become fire hazards.

Ahmed Khalil, sole director of Khalil Properties Ltd, 124 Lewes Road, Brighton, has pleaded guilty to two charges of putting his tenants at risk of harm in the event of a fire.

The properties, at Moulsecoomb Way and Buller Road, were found to have inadequate fire safety measures which could have endangered the lives of the occupants.

In one property, there was a lack of adequate fire detection and fire doors, non-fire resistant glazing, no fire blanket and an electrical fuse board that was not properly enclosed. There were also inadequate electrical sockets and a lack of loft insulation.

At the second property work to extend the fire alarm system had not been carried out.

Cllr Tracey Hill
Cllr Tracey Hill

Councillor Tracey Hill, lead member for private rented sector housing, said: “We do not take prosecutions lightly and we are very pleased with this outcome. 
 
“Mr Khalil and his company manage a large number of properties in the city and it is great news for his tenants that they can now expect better service and safer places in which to live.”

Mr Khalil, who manages 300 properties in the city, was fined £2,400 plus ordered to pay costs totalling £900 and a £120 victim surcharge.

Third release Pride Festival tickets on sale now!

With more than 14 different entertainment areas, the Pride Festival on Preston Park on Saturday, August 4 has something for everyone.

For many people the bright lights of the Festival Main Stage glittering with world-class acts, performers and campaigners will be the highlight of their day. This year’s headliner Britney Spears with her Piece Of Me world tour will be truly epic.

Joining Britney who recently received the GLAAD 2018 Vanguard LGBT Award will be Ella Eyre, Pixie Lott, MNEK, Mabel, Louise and many more artists.

For others, the amazing dance tents will be their destination of choice, this year featuring the finest of club land brands including the Brüt Men’s Tent, the Urban World dance tent, the Pride Dance Big Top and the Diva Girl’s World – where the jubilant grooves will keep you dancing all day long with Pride.

The infamous Legends Cabaret Big Top returns for a day of outrageously bona entertainment featuring the cream of the UK’s cabaret scene hosted by the fantabulosa Lola Lasagne.

The Brighton Pride Community Village and Marketplace once again will provide the LGBT+ stylish shopper with everything to satisfy their retail needs, whilst local charities, community groups and organisations will highlight the amazing work they do, ensuring the connection is made as they inform, reach out and support.

The Family Diversity Area returns for another year of rainbow family fun, while the much-loved Sheila McWattie Women’s Performance Tent is set to shine once again with the WellBeing area providing a respite for those looking to escape the noise and bustle of the park.

2018 sees Pride once more working in partnership with The Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum (LGBT CSF) to facilitate access to Preston Park for those with mobility issues including BSL interpreters, Access Tent and accessible portable toilets with all Park stewards briefed on the LGBT CSF procedure for assisting disabled, elderly, deaf and hearing-impaired visitors.

Brighton & Hove Pride Festival 2018 – will be the perfect mix of music, dance, comedy, live performance, community, shopping, rainbow families and campaigning. The perfect reflection of our amazing citywide LGBT+ communities.

To purchase third release tickets for the Brighton & Hove Pride Festival on Saturday, August 4, click here:

Tickets continue to be available at the Sussex Beacon Charity Shop in St James Street.

REVIEW: Quartet @Theatre Royal

What do retired opera stars do in the twilight of their years? They move in together to a retirement home and bitch, reminisce and dream of what might have been.

So we find a trio of almost-great singers planning their contribution to Joe Green ‘s birthday celebrations – Joe to you and me better known as Guiseppe Verdi.

But in Ronald Harwood’s play Quartet, their inner peace and serenity are  soon shattered by a new arrival – an “opera Great” in the form of Jean Horton. Problem is she was much married and one of her ex husbands is in the aforementioned trio of residents.

Paul Nicholas plays the sprightly but sex-obsessed Wilfred with malevolent delight and he has some wonderful but unrepeatable one-liners. Jeff Rawle as the new arrival’s ex is fastidious, highly intelligent and as it turns out the only one of the 4 paying his own way at the home – the others being there on charity.

Wendi Peters is a weight-obsessed scatty star on the verge of dementia and she plays Cecily like a cross between Mrs Bucket and Margaret Rutherford with hilarious comic timing.

Sue Holderness as Jean is at once arrogant and proud and she like all the others has a terrible secret to reveal. Why did she retire at the height of her career in her 30s – almost 40 years ago ?

In amongst their heart-rending foibles and fascinating past, Harwood also explores the nature of art and performance – much as he did in his play The Dresser and he’s clearly fascinated by the paraphernalia of costume, and make-up.

The four characters have a unifying motto – nsp – no self pity – but the dialogue betrays this and it is only when they are finally unified to recreate their famous performance of the quartet from Rigoletto that we see the optimism which is possible even in old age.

In the closing half-hour of the play each character in turn bares their soul and confesses – and we love them for it. The climax of the evening is truly stunning.

Harwood even gets laughter out of the symptoms of dementia – constant repetition, which cleverly we see is the basis of many opera lyrics – as one character says: “we repeat ourselves all the time; all the time we repeat ourselves.”

Though they were all “somebody” once, the concert reaffirms their existence  and their determination to make the most of the limited rest of their lives. It’s a great hymn – or rather aria – to life itself.

Quartet runs at the Theatre Royal, Brighton until Saturday, March 30.

Review by Brian Butler

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