Anybody besides me who's hardly been able to stand Janet Jackson's music starting with All For You?

Control and Rhythm Nation 1814 are what I'd consider two of the greatest albums of the '80s, and janet. and The Velvet Rope were very good as well even if, in my personal opinion, they didn't quite stack up to their predecessors (I'll give them this, though-- they at least showcased an ability to remain fresher and more diverse than her brother).. but All For You and Damita Jo...

Both albums struck me as almost completely mindless and throwaway, and sex has become her principal muse. If she enjoys sex and wants to express herself through her music then hats off to her, but the content on these latest two albums strike me as rather premature and pathetic. She's pushing 40 now; I'm sure she has much more on her mind than her next orgasm.

But as with Michael (if he's acquitted, of course), I'm giving Ms. Jackson another chance. If she gets her mind out of her crotch and strays (even if only slightly) from heinous interludes then the future might look promising.

Let's face it: The interludes are probably not going to go. That's ok, because I always burn a copy of her CD's (excluding RN) with the interludes deleted. If the music is good, I'll forgive her the indulgence of interludes.

I actually like All For You. It grew on me. There are some great tracks on there. The title track, Come On Get Up, Trust A Try, Feels So Right, Better Days, You Ain't Right, When We Oooo, Not so much Damita Jo, though. She needs to stop trying to recapture the lightning in a bottle that was Any Time, Any Place - no more shitty slow-jams with the thunderstorm sounds.

The PROBLEM is simple to FIX: don't make your albums 25 tracks long! Less is more when it comes to contemporary R&B records. Honestly, what if Damita Jo had just included:

-Strawberry Bounce
-Spending Time With You
-Island Life
-R&B Junkie
-I Want You
-All Nite (Don't Stop)
-Like You Don't Love Me
-Thinkin' Bout My Ex
-SloLove
-Just A Little While

Would have been a hell of a lot better, no?

We'll see. I still think The Velvet Rope is her best, and she probably won't top it.
[Edited 3/7/05 15:37pm]

squiddyren said:

It's more like her producers are "stuck in a rut". Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis haven't done anything "fresh" since "Janet" and "The Velvet Rope". They haven't even been producing any other artist as of late. When was the last time they produced a artist besides Janet.
[Edited 3/7/05 15:35pm]
[Edited 3/7/05 15:36pm]

I think that whispery voice shit got her by when she was young, but as she gets older she's gotta make her music more relevant to someone who actually cares. Kids don't so quit w/ the silly shit. Older folks might but come w/ some substance... I dunno, she's been off track lately. She's got about one more chance to blow it IMO. She's still sexy & looks good but she's gotta come w/ more than that, shit is fading. I feel like she's trying to please other people w/ the shit she's doing lately - kill that empty grin & please your damn self girl! That or get behind the scenes already. I'm tired of Janet being whack

VoicesCarry said:

do not justify the crap thats called "interludes"...

sosgemini said:

It doesn't justify it, but it makes them tolerable.

I must admit, most of the time I think of All For You as a total mess, except for "China Love".

Damita Jo was hot to me.

I think Michael's troubles have had a negative impact on both Janet artistically and her fanbase. the singing about sex thing is Janet saying "look at me! I'm the normal one!"

CinisterCee said:

"Come On Get Up" is awesome

Marrk said:

She started singing about sex long before his troubles began. Whole world doesn't revolve around Michael, you know.

VoicesCarry said:

This is true. Janet's albums should be half their length.

VoicesCarry said:

no, i do think there is a certain truth to this...i think her brother's issues and her own tittie-gate have put her on the defense...the perfect enviroment to start believing your own bullshit and those of your yes-men.

i dont see janet being surrounded by realistic people that would knock some since in to her..if that were the case she wouldnt have dared to have attempted to do the tittie stunt (be it full nipple or a cloth reveiled).

sosgemini said:

Ok, then.

I can't see why you'd think this.

She and Jimmy & Terry planned the janet. album concept long in advance (why do you think RN ends with "Someday Is Tonight"?). The Velvet Rope has maybe 3 sex songs on it, but I do agree that AFY and DJ were lesser efforts. I hope she comes back strong. If Janet were on the defensive about her brother's issues, she'd speak out about them.

VoicesCarry said:

im just saying that being in an enviroment where you arent dealing with reality is a recipe for subpar music.....the deeper she goes in the more she will start to believe her own bullshit...sure the sex was there..but it seems like she is going deeper and deeper into it in an effort to compensate for something...

what that is? only janet knows.....

All For You was about 60% good. Damita Jo should've been an ep consisting of "All Nite", "R & B Junkie", and "Put Your Hands On"...maybe 1 or 2 other tracks.

She's falling into the Mariah syndrome. Everything is the same, from song topics, to album covers. Quit trying to be a 13 year old girl in love, and grow the fuck up already. If you're going to sing about your sexual escapades (no pun intended), or how sensual you are, don't fucking give me the 'Hello Kitty' version. I'd be much more interested in your sexuality as a WOMAN!

MARIAH: always calling people lambs.
JANET: Always calling (her same dancers from every tour) the Kids.
MARIAH: Please only take my album covers of one side of my face.
JANET: Hmmmm let's do a semi naked shot in white sheets again.
MARIAH: I felt trapped...I needed to be free. (about her marriage)
JANET: I felt trapped...I needed to be free. (about her sexuality)
MARIAH: Album titles: Butterfly, Rainbow, Fantasy, Music Box, etc...
JANET: ok..her album titles are ok I guess..

At the end of the day...no matter what Janet does musically, she will forever be known for her ugly right breast.





Janet and Mariah playing in mother's jewelery box for album inspiration edit.
[Edited 3/7/05 17:12pm]

i think damita jo is way above all for you. i liked all for you when it came out and still enjoy it if i'm in the mood but i for the most part its rarely listened to. all for you, in my opinion, is too hit or miss. it starts out strong but i think it fades away with only moments of heat thereafter. for me, the problem with all for you is that there is no "mood" to the record. the dance tracks are good dance songs but there are so many slow songs - the kind of slow songs that i can't really groove too - that i often skip past half the record now when i do actually play it. the dance tracks on damita jo are hot. H-O-T! all nite is one of her best songs right along with rnb junkie. slolove, sexhibition, strawberry bounce, and just a little while are great, fun tracks. as far as i'm concerned, the only weak songs on the record are thinkin' bout my ex and truly, truly being the only one i just can't get into. the majority of the slower tracks on the record are really smooth grooves that don't bore me or cause me to lose interest; island life, spending time with you, i want you, moist - i love those songs!

i know i'm in the minority when it comes to this record and i'm always surprised by that. i have had a lot of friends hear this record and get interested enough in it to go out and buy it - some of these friends don't even own any previous janet cds. i can't help but toss the poor sales of this cd up to little promotion (in comparision to past janet promo campaigns), no video play, and no radio play due to the ridiculous after effects of the super bowl show. really, had all nite been the first single, followed by rb junkie or slolove, it would have been a much more successful record, even with the whole super bowl thing. whatever, i guess. at the end of the day i think janet made a pop record she can be proud of.

squiddyren said:

My God, you've read my mind. Everything you posted is pretty much how I feel about Janet and her imput in the last few years. I brought Damita Jo a year ago and I still haven't finished it. From what I heard, it was better than All For You, easily her worst IMO but I wasn't and still ain't interested in hearing the rest of it. I'll give her another chance because she'll always be my girl and Rhythm Nation 1814 will always be one of my all time favorite albums. I believe she'll come out of this rut one day.

Chico319 said:

As long as you still love Kylie

VoicesCarry said:

this had now become a KYLIE thread.
Because she wouldn't have it
any other way!

Chico319 said:

Better Kylie pics than a Janet bitch thread.
[Edited 3/7/05 18:25pm]

seanski said:

Exactly.Jam and Lewis ran out of ideas over a decade ago.It's time for Janet to move on.

squiddyren said:

I've been saying this for the longest time.Janet seems to be stuck in "sex kitten" mode,and she's been there since 1993.'Rhythm Nation' is a stunning collection of songs that touch on various topics,but the albums that came after are primarily focused on her next orgasm (lol).I knew 'Damita Jo' was doomed when,just before it came out,one of the producers,Dallas Austin,told a reporter that it would "explore Janet's sexuality",as if that's something new and bold for Janet.Sex-themed R&B albums are a dime a dozen these days.

DavidEye said:

Move on? Exactly who should produce her music?

VoicesCarry said:

I don't really get into "Come On Get Up", or "Slolove" for that matter.
It seems to make more sense to fans of her 90s techno/club/euro/whatever you wanna call it remixes.

Janet's problem is much the same as Michael's.

They stick to a once successful formula's and rarely evolve.

She has the sex songs on every album (Warmth, Love Scene, Rope Burn). She has the trashy, Euro house track (Come On Get Up, Slo Love, Together Again). She has the fluffy first single (All For You, Just A Little While)...

Just because it worked for her ten years ago, it doesn't mean it's going to work for her in 2005.

MJ's the same, with his save-the-earth anthems, femme-fatale up-tempos and constant re-makes of Thriller.

Both of their last albums were made on automatic-pilot.

You can only get away with doing the same thing for so long before it starts to become boring.
[Edited 3/8/05 2:10am]

I was in the Circuit City music section a few weeks ago and they were playing the Damita Jo album. It sounded good. I think it sounds better when you're busy doing something while listening. I'm not a slow song person and I think Damita Jo is too mellow, but I still love her

Krytonite said:

Not sure,but I think another sex-themed R&B album produced by Jam and Lewis would surely fail,dontcha think?

I liked Janet´s music up to "janet" album. Since than, she´s hardly done any good music. Actually there are some nice songs on the Damita Joe album. I like Spending time with you and I want you (i think it´s called)

DavidEye said:

Your right. Janet making another sex-themed R&B album will fail since every pop singer is doing the same thing.

Here's a review that I agree about the album.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"Relax, it's just sex," Janet Jackson murmurs at the conclusion of "Sexhibition," the third song on her eighth album, Damita Jo. Those words were recorded long before Jackson wound up America with her breast-baring exploits at the halftime show at the 2004 Super Bowl, but they nevertheless play like an casual response to the hysteria that engulfed the nation following her infamous "wardrobe malfunction." But, really, they're there to head off any criticism that could be leveled at Damita Jo, yet another album that finds Janet exploring her sexuality, a voyage she's been on for about 11 years (Magellan and his crew circled the globe in a third that time, but hey, who's counting?). While sex indisputably fuels much great pop music, it isn't an inherently fascinating topic for pop music — as with anything, it all depends on the artist. Prince, of course, found an endless amount of ways to write intriguingly about sex, since it fired his imagination, a quality that has been missing on Janet's albums since 1993's janet.. With its preponderance of slow-tempo, sensual grooves, sexual imagery, occasional up-tempo jams, and endless spoken interludes, it provided the blueprint for every record she made since, from the heavy eroticism of 1997's The Velvet Rope to the bedroom sighs of 2001's All for You. The latter suggested that she was abandoning the explicitness of The Velvet Rope, but Damita Jo proves that she was merely flirting with modesty, since it's as explicit as pop music gets. Actually, it's the aural equivalent of hardcore pornography — it leaves nothing to the imagination and it's endlessly repetitive. Like a porn star, Janet adopts an alter ego built on her middle name ("There's another side that you will never know: Damita Jo"), provides detailed oral-sex manuals with "Warmth" and "Moist," nicknames her clitoris, and tosses around allusions to a variety of taboo sex acts; in this context, all the interview snippets scattered throughout the record — "I love curling up with a good book and relaxing by the ocean with my baby," "When you look at me, do you want me?" — recall nothing less than a Playboy or Penthouse centerfold confessing her turn-ons. Such doggedly literal lyrics lack any sensuality, and weigh Damita Jo down. If the music had its own sensuality or spark, it'd be easier to forgive or overlook Jackson's whispered vulgarities, but the album's slow grooves blend together, lacking rhythmic or melodic hooks. Jackson disappears into the productions, once again largely the responsibility of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, becoming part of the arrangement instead of standing in front of it. And while there are a couple of cuts that do cut through the slow-groove loops — on the slower side, "I Want You" has a verse that's memorable, while "Just a Little While" is a good dance tune — they pale next to the hits from All for You; that they stand out on Damita Jo says more about the album than the songs themselves. Ironically, for an album with so much sex on its mind, it's not a good make-out record because its grooves are cold and Janet's ceaseless dirty talk spoils whatever mood the music had struggled to create. Once, Ms. Jackson's sexual obsession was indeed sexy and erotic, but by this point, it's not just tired, it's embarrassing.

Krytonite said:

Wow,I totally agree with that review!