Grammys 2015: Toni Braxton and Babyface win R&B album honors

Toni Braxton & Babyface’s joint album “Love, Marriage & Divorce” took the prize for R&B album at the 57^th Grammy Awards on Sunday.

Fans had long awaited the reunion between Braxton and the prolific producer who was responsible for many of her early ‘90s hits that defined her career. Babyface helped make her a leading force in the genre because her first two albums sold more than 16 million copies combined.

After going down separate career paths, they returned to the studio together but not as artist and producer. “Love, Marriage & Divorce” was a collaborative effort showcasing the pair’s unflinching views on adult love and its peril (both have gone through public divorces that inspired the record).

FULL COVERAGE: Grammy Awards 2015

The album, which debuted at No. 1 on the R&B chart, helped reinvigorate Braxton, 46, who decided she was done with music after several coolly received efforts.

“I wasn’t using my voice — I was using the voice others told me to use,” she told Times writer Mikael Wood last year. “It was a dark period. But [Babyface] was the person who snapped me out of it. He said, ‘Toni, you’re forgetting you’re an artist. Stop being a business manager and tell people your story.’ ”

“Love, Marriage & Divorce” faced Norwegian R&B singer Jarle Bernhoft, jazz pianist Robert Glasper, soul-pop crooner Aloe Blacc and Sharon Jones’ comeback after a health scare. Last year the award went to Alicia Keys’ “Girl On Fire.”

The Grammys are determined by about 13,000 voting members. The eligibility period for nominated recordings was Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014. The 57th awards are being held at the Staples Center and telecast on CBS-TV. They are broadcast live except for viewers on the West Coast.

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