•
Rating:
Ok. I am not a fan of Janet Damita Jo Jackson nor do I know her vast musical repertoire by heart. I believe that in the acclaimed, "cursed" Jackson family, the non-plus ultra is the author of "Billie Jean" and other splendid melodies, who has been deceased for almost more than a year.
Why talk about this artist, loved and hated, now unfortunately far from the great successes pre-Super Bowl XXXVIII of 2004 where one of her ample breasts was exposed by her friend Justin Timberlake, an act that cost her the flop of 3 studio albums, her singles, and her image? Janet Jackson represented until a few years ago the top of the top of the global pop/r'n'b music, her works were particularly appreciated by both the public and critics. Now Janet represents something that no longer exists, she is the embodiment of a Superstar who, due to a "false" step (that being the Super Bowl show, as already highlighted), can no longer rise with great dignity and splendor, roaring and powerful. Contemporary society, especially in the United States, shows bigoted attitudes, a tiny mistake can turn into a five-star negative media phenomenon which has the absolute power to compromise an individual's reputation forever. A similar case to Jackson (although much more severe) where the creative and artistic abilities of an entertainment figure are nullified by socially sanctionable and deviant conduct is Chris Brown, a very young artist whose popularity drastically collapsed due to his "dispute" with Rihanna.
But let's move forward. The album "janet." from 1993 represents the peak of Jackson's popularity, where she delves into and takes to the extreme the analysis of themes like sex, sexuality, racism, a profound analysis of herself, of her own intimacy. An analysis that is already pushed in the promotional photo for the album cover where Janet, with curly hair, smiling and free from any thoughts, lets two unknown hands feel the bounty of her assets. The themes of this work will be further explored in the subsequent album "The Velvet Rope", but that is another story.
Musically speaking, this record is dominated by that "New Jack Swing" style extended with a bit of healthy R'n'B, pop, soul, funk, and '90s Dance. For this reason, many of the 27 (!) tracks (naturally excluding the various Intros, Outros, Interludes, a constant in Jackson's works) can be associated with their counterparts in the "Dangerous" and "HIStory" albums of her brother Michael. Despite this, there are the so-called "stand-out" tracks, meaning innovations, something different from the majority. The first of these stand-out tracks is "That's The Way Love Goes," the first single, a very valid, intense track, useful for a nice spicy evening given the "sex" atmosphere (please forgive this quote), where Miss Jackson avoids unnecessary vocal explanations to almost pant the track's lyrics. A brilliant example of innovation in a very pop and commercial context is "Throb", a particularly danceable track that ignites with a series of melodies, distorted sounds, and trumpets that brazenly allude to sex. The innovation I mentioned earlier is the almost lack of lyrics and Janet’s very voice, limited to singing a kind of chorus and mostly panting a few other phrases; what really matters in this track are distorted voices that barely say anything and a series of explosive and extreme sex orgasms. Very lyrical, accompanied by few instruments, piano, and violins in particular, without percussion, almost classical, like a "soundtrack" is the particular ballad "Again". In "What I'll Do" you encounter an atypical funk/rock when compared to the rest of the album.
The "New Jack Swing" sounds definitely recede towards the end of the album, moving towards a more mature and modern r'n'b seasoned with soul/funk in the tracks "Where Are You Now", "Any Time Any Place", "The Body That Loves You". Very funky is "Whoops Now", the hidden track of the concluding track "Sweet Dreams".
The uptempo "If" is very danceable, very suitable for mid-'90s clubs, yet still convincing to the ear now, a typical song that anyone who listens to it without knowing the artist’s name can easily attribute it to Janet Jackson. Convincing are also "This Time" and "You Want This", also uptempo oriented towards the typical New Jack Swing. With current hindsight, I notice great similarities between songs like "Funky Big Band" and tracks that are going to compose "HIStory" by her brother Michael, notably "Tabloid Junkie" and "2 Bad".
A fairly heterogeneous album, I intend to recommend "janet." to aficionados of '90s sounds, of the old r'n'b, to fans of the old Janet Jackson, to the nostalgic of her old image, but also to all her detractors who disregard what I consider her talent without having minimally considered her works prior to that stupid Super Bowl sketch.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
10 Throb (04:35)
Come for me
I can feel your body
Pressed against my body
Wrap yourself around me
Love to see you throbbin'
Throb
Throb
Throb…
I can feel your body
Pressed against my body
When you start to poundin'
Love to see you throbbin'
Throb
Throb
Throb…
Boom boom boom
Until noon, noon, noon
13 Funky Big Band (05:23)
People gather 'round
At the lennox lounge
To hear the funky sounds
The beat hits so hard
There's no cover charge
You have to feel the groove
One thing is you've
Chorus:
Got to be real
If you want to hear the
Funky big band
He who knows it feels it
Got to be real
If you want to hear the
Funky big band
We who know it feel it
Harlem is the place
Where you'll find the face
Of those who feel the groove
It's not taught to thee
But it's born to we
Aw and I feel the groove
One thing is you've
Repeat Chorus
15 New Agenda (04:00)
It ain't nothin' but an us thing
And it's time for us to step it up and respect
That level of sisterhood that's been holdin' up our neighborhood
And if it wasn't for our mothers there would be no brothers
And if it wasn't for our sisters there would be no misters
So it ain't nothing but an us thing
She's strong and that's a fact
Not it's time for us to take up the slack
Step it up, step it up time to go to work
History hidden from me
To hide my identity
So I'd never feel
I am somebody
You've gouged my eyes
I see more clearly
You've tried to rub me of my humanity
My spirit you tried to break
My soul you tried to take
There's no need to be afraid
"Cause I won't do unto you now
Chorus:
Amen
All that we've been through
Our time has come to rejoice
A new agenda's due
Amen
It's time to know the truth
Our time has come to rejoice
A new agenda's due
Because of my gender
I've heard "no" too many times
Because of my race
I've heard "no" to many times
But with every "no" I grow in strength
That is why
African American women
I stand tall with pride
You want to know what it takes
To rid yourself of me now
There's nothing you can do
Accept me for who I am now
Repeat Chorus
Time to step it up, step it up
Better check yourself
I got vexed to protect what we got
Left her alone
Lookin' for your own
Here it is I know what I'm sayin'
But the Klan ain't playin' at the range
Gotta step it up us to a discuss a must
It ain't nothin' but an us thing
Rewind back to the time
Where the color of our mother
Had 'em call it a crime
Brother what in the world?
And the world says where in the black man
Support the women and the children
Time to step it up, step it up, it's play off time
And the rhyme go to check, so check yourself
Repeat Chorus
28 Whoops Now (05:00)
Friday morning
And all my work is done
I've packed my bags
I'm on the run
I got a feeling that
I'm gonna have some
Fun in the sun
With my friends
And he's got me going
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Sorry I can't go
Sorry I can't go now
Friday noon
And my boss is on the phone
He's telling me
That I can't leave home
An extra hand at work
Is what he called for
He said we need you here
Tell my friends I'm going
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
I don't know why
My job has called me in
It makes no difference
If you love work or not
If you dream your holiday
Hand on a door knob
Out with your friends and
Fun in the sun now
That's when the phone rings
Friday evening and I'm all alone at home
And all my friends are having fun
Another week and I'll leave the machine on
Next time he calls
He'll hear my voice
Saying nice and clear
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
I'm out having fun in the sun
With my friends
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
Whoops now
Sorry I can't go
I'm out having fun in the sun
With my friends
With my friends
With my friends
With my friends
With my friends
Loading comments slowly
