Disc of the week: Janet Jackson, 'All for You'



JANET JACKSON, "All for You" (Virgin)

Radio -- and CD sellers -- are ready for this album, which sounds like another multi-format blockbuster. Walking the line between sweet and nasty, the princess of "rhythm and coos" bridges the gap between Britney bubblegum and hard-edged hip-hop, the dominant styles on mainstream radio recently. Not that Jackson is breaking any new ground on this overlong, 14-song disc. These are mostly sounds and themes we've heard before. Still, at times, "All for You" sounds less polished and thus more energetic than her other CDs.



She avoids the extremism of 1997's bold "The Velvet Rope," where bondage and lesbianism were suggested. Unlike her previous efforts, this one is not a concept album, although it explores the ups and downs of love. Jackson is giddily happy on the breezy title track and the sprightly, dance-happy "Come on Get Up." Then she gets cozy and seductive on "When We Ooo," "China Love" and the dreamily lush "Love Scene." The boudoir segment climaxes with the panting, graphic "Would You Mind" -- a female answer to Prince's classic "Do Me Baby" -- that leaves the singer, um, unsatisfied.



So she raises the issue of trust, first on "Trust to Try," which musically suggests her brother Michael, and then on "Son of a Gun (I Betcha You Think This Song Is About You)," a scathing reworking of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" complete with Simon herself rapping. It's odd, organic and the most ear-opening thing on the album.



Jackson gets over it, reclaims her identity and looks for a new lover and "Better Days," the optimistic, breezy ballad closer to an album that should please fans, radio programmers and retailers.



-- Jon Bream, Star Tribune



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