It’s a Family Affair

Tamar Braxton

Recently the entertainment world has been buzzing with news from singer/reality show star Tamar Braxton. She is an integral character on one of televisions’ most successful reality shows, Braxton Family Values, a show that follows the lives of the sister musical group The Braxtons. Also, Tamar stars in a spin-off of the show called, Tamar and Vince, which chronicles the life and times of Tamar and her husband Vince Herbert. Both shows will continue on air for another season. Congratulations are in order for Tamar and Vince as last week they announced Tamar’s pregnancy with the couple’s first child. In addition to all this news is the fact that Tamar’s single, Love and War, is receiving a lot of radio air play and positive feedback. Oh yes, she is also looking at releasing her new album soon after signing with LA Reid and Epic Records. Any one of the aforementioned events would be overwhelming, but I think Tamar will handle everything just fine.

Even though I am not a big fan of reality television I did view a little of Tamar and Vince just to get an idea about her personality. I know many folks have definite opinions (positive and negative) based on her appearances on her shows but I needed more substantiation. And several interviews and guest spots have given me a picture of a more balanced Tamar. She was a very cordial and upbeat co-host on Anderson Live which may provide more career options for her in the future. Overall I think she is outgoing and fun to work with. Nevertheless, making music is the ultimate goal and it looks like Tamar is determined to create a great album.

As mentioned before the single Love and War is a fantastic song and Tamar’s vocal performance on the record is excellent. However, with everything she does she will undoubtedly always be compared with her sister Toni Braxton. The question is how fair the comparisons are. We must remember that Toni was much younger when her solo career started under the brilliant production of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Tamar is working with much different producers and looking for what will be a distinct sound. Tamar is not only older (age 35) but also more aware of the way the music industry works. The Braxton’s are hardly the first family to venture into the music business together. Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s it was common to enjoy the music of families like The Jackson’s, DeBarge, The Jets, Sister Sledge, Staple Singers and many, many more. Sometimes when group members release solo efforts, they tend to seek their own musical path, understanding that they will face comparisons to the music of siblings by the media as well as fans. Tamar has stated many times that she has sung for years with her sisters, including backup for Toni. Now, she feels that it is her time to move to the forefront.

There exists another family dynamic for Tamar Braxton. Her husband Vince Herbert is a songwriter, producer, record executive and founder of Streamline Records. Herbert has taken on the task of managing the career of his wife Tamar. For those married people reading this post, you may have reservations about working with your spouse. Understandably many feel working with a marriage mate brings about different problems in the relationship. In addition these problems will play out in front of the cameras in their reality show.  I must say that I really like Vince. His demeanor and the way he conducts business are similar to my own approach. I say that based upon some of what I see in the reality show, but mostly from statements of others in the music industry.  The long-term test for Vince will be if he can successfully juggle managing Tamar with being husband and now father. Just about everything in Tamar’s future will revolve around her family. Hopefully, the family will support her musical endeavor well and help her to develop into the star she wants to become.