There's no denying that Toni Braxton is cute. In fact, Braxton herself never failed to illustrate just how cute she could be throughout her 65-minute set Wednesday night. As the opening act for Kenny G's nationwide tour, Braxton has been given an enviably golden opportunity to show off her first rate pipes to enthusiastic crowds.

Indeed, the Radio City Music Hall audience was attentive, responding to Braxton's sexy naughty-girl looks (all captured on the two video screens flanking the stage) and raunchy between-song patter. But no one seemed to notice that the Atlanta songstress was not singing but merely going through the motions. Her aim, it seemed, was to show off a svelte body and impeccable makeup without taxing her voice.

Braxton skimped on renditions of the hits from her debut album: on "Breathe Again," she finally let loose with some gospel-inspired wailing that made her cutting corners all the more painfully obvious. "You're Making Me High," the song with which she ended her set, suffered from skimpy vocal treatment as well (it could be she was distracted by the four muscled dancers and the male audience member she invited onstage to vamp along with her).

She whispered her way through "Un-Break My Heart," her most recent inescapable hit ballad, and broke my heart in the process. The song faultlessly shows off her lower register, but Braxton backed away from utilizing her three-octave range to its fullest. The singer hasn't been having trouble with her voice, as far as anyone knew, so this move seemed more cowardly than prudent.

Her backing band, a versatile R&B group called Mint Condition, was solid and elastic in its playing, but the members seemed to save their energy from their two-song showcase, scheduled during one of Braxton's two costume changes. The four male backup singers were equally competent but lackluster. (Braxton did point out that she was the only woman onstage, much to her own delight.)

Kenny G, the night's headliner, accompanied Braxton on the touching "How Could an Angel Break My Heart," from her second album, "Secrets," and only then did she truly give in to singing a song. She matched Kenny G's heartfelt delivery and showed her gratitude to the alto-sax man, who added his trademark trills to what would otherwise h