JANFAN4L said:

I agree even though I still think both this album and "Damita Jo" are poor efforts in comparison to her previous work, if not entirely musically then at least thematically. I also happen to be find of "Love Scene (Ooh Baby)".
[Edited 7/16/05 13:36pm]

Cheek said:

"RN1814" is in desperate need of some kind of remastering/re-editing/remixing/whatever, IMO. I mean, it's excellent, but sounds so overproduced.

Cheek said:

Is it just me or did those 80s tracks sound remastered for DOAD?

CANT WAIT!

All for you and Damita Jo were both weak efforts in comparison to her previous work (Control-TVR) IMO. I want Janet, Jam and Lewis to go back to what they do best while also experimenting. Hopefully, Janet's nipplegate fiasco and Michael's troubles will produce some HOT music next year.

squiddyren said:

Control is getting a remaster in Japan this year. There are 2 issues:

1. LIMITED EDITION in LP-size cardboard sleeve. July 21.

2. Standard Edition September 21.

CinisterCee said:

DOAD was a remaster.

SassyBritches said:

Ya know I love ya Sass, but I couldn't disagree with you more.

sosgemini said:

squiddyren said:

I know you didn't ask me, but I'd like to get a say in it, since I love Janet so much. I'm not too big a fan of A4Y either - in fact, I'm amazed that the title track was #1 for 7 weeks, because I DO. NOT. LIKE. THAT. SONG. I think A4Y was a solid album, but bland - I have to struggle to remember the tracks, and I went to the A4Y tour! (Wonderful tour, BTW.) Damita Jo, on the other hand, was a wonderful album with a few terrible tracks. To this day, I've never listened to "Warmth" and I don't want to. But "Strawberry Bounce", "Moist" and "Sexhibition" were fantastic.

As for that link listed upthread, I can't take anyone seriously who gave Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" album 2.5 stars. PLEASE.

Who the hell likes 'Moist'?

Damita Jo is a solid album to me. Well not totally, there are about 3 tracks I've left off my iPod, but only 3 in total from A4U that I bothered putting on there. A4U only has 'STCML', 'Trust A Try' and 'You Ain't Right' really. Everything else is completely dire.

Oh, and 'Doesn't Rally Matter' is IMO easily Janet's worst ever completely solo single. Her actual worst would be 'Feel It Boy'.

Ellie said:

I like "Moist", but hate "Warmth". If you like one, you hate the other, it seems.

From AFY, I also like (besides the ones you mentioned):

Come On Get Up
When We Oooo
China Love
Son Of A Gun (the original, not the Missy remix)
Feels So Right
Better Days
[Edited 7/16/05 17:12pm]

VoicesCarry said:

How would you rate her last couple albums, Voices?

NadiaAdare said:

I like "Sexhibition"'s groove as well.

GangstaFam said:

AFY gets a ***/*****
DJ gets a ***1/2/*****

There are some great tracks on DJ:

Sexhibition (ok, stupid lyrics, but that song is funk, my friend)
Strawberry Bounce (like the bridge & the French cabaret feel)
Island Life (a nice Cathy Dennis pop song)
All Nite (Don't Stop)
R&B Junkie
I Want You
Like You Don't Love Me
Thinkin' Bout My Ex
SloLove (I like Euro house, and this is a nice mellow groove)
Just A Little While (this was completely different for her, so I give her points even though some don't feel it worked out)
[Edited 7/16/05 17:25pm]

I'd say that Come On Get Up, When We Oooo and Son Of A Gun were passable/ Not great songs but listenable.

... I used to like 'Thinkin' Bout My Ex' until I realised she was yapping on about bubble baths!!

Like You Don't Love Me is the most underrated song on Damita Jo. I think it's great. Island Life the most overrated - I really can't listen to it at all, it's like an S Club Juniors B-Side reject. All the rest are just lovely (of course apart from Moist & Warmth :p )
[Edited 7/16/05 17:38pm]

Ellie said:

Yeah, she and Jimmy & Terry need to work on the lyrics. DAMN!

On a plus side, most of it sounds good, which I appreciate since I can't even say that much about most modern crap.

Oh, one fantastic thing about Damita Jo was that none of the songs really out-stay their welcome. They're all short and snappy, occasionally leaving you wanting more.

Sexhibition is ace!

Oh dear, I MAY have to re-think my appreciation for 'Like You Don't Love Me

[Verse 1:]
I saw your manhood rising
Cause you were fantasizing
I guess that model in the lingerie got you excited
That night crawled into bed
Wearing that same teddy bear
You only said I love you
Kissed me then rolled over and slept

[Hook:]
Damn is that all I get from you
'Bout to give me an attitude
You need to make love to me
Like you don't love me then

Don't have to be gentle tonight
Just an animal tonight
You need to make love to me
Like you don't love me

[Hook 2:]
Just do me, baby
Come on an drive me crazy
Act like I'm not your lady
Do me like you wanna do them other girls

Do me, baby
Come on an drive me crazy
Act like I'm not your lady
Do me like you wanna do them other girls

[Verse 2:]
Why you go tellin' your boys
How you been breaking me off
Must be somebody else who's back you broke
Cause I didn't get none

You're up at 3 in the morn
Watchin' that triple x porn
But you're so tired when you make love to me
What did you learn?

Do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do me, baby
Do me, baby
That's right, come on
Do it like this baby

[Repeat Hook 2]

OK, i may get roasted for this but here goes.....
I think working with Jimmy Jam & Terry at this stage keeps her inside the box. dont get me wrong, i loved everything from control to velvet rope, but along the way, from janet to the all for you album, it has letterally been a semi sequal to the previous alhum....she really need to get out of that box ...everything seems to sound so ninties to me. her sound needs to be "re-defined" i used to be waiting on pins and needles for the next janet disc, now i just wonder how much will jam & lewis keep her spinnin int he mud. ...just my opinion.....

Ellie said:

Oh, I LOVE "Moist", stupid title notwithstanding. When she's subtle (or as subtle as she can be), her sex kitten persona seems authentic. But when she's crass with shit like "Would You Mind" or "Warmth", that's when I think she sounds like a big fake.

Janet's going to have trouble, period. Mariah and Toni are oldheads with HITS out right now, but those ladies can SIIIING. Janet can hold a tune (I think she tends to use her voice as an instrument), but she can't really belt out a song like "We Belong Together" (which I HAAAAATE). And I'm not too sure she has another "Again" in her. She's too old (sorry, she is!) to be a dance star, even if she can still outdance every singer out there. And she has to GROW UP. Janet, we know you love sex. Okay, DAMN. Move on!

love2thenines said:

Here's Plan B:

TonyVanDam said:

honestly, not a bad idea at all.....

NadiaAdare said:

Toni Braxton is flopping. 'Please' is no hit.

And Mariah can't even belt out 'We Belong Together' without shitting bricks.

If Janet can still move, I don't see why she wouldn't be able to be a dance star.

Sure she can still move, but she'll be 40 by the time of the next release. That style is being done by girls half her age now. It's all good and well to say "you go girl, still chugging on at 40", but shouldn't there be a turning point of maturity?

Usually with female artists in particulalr, by then a significant event in their lives will have affected them to make a cahnge. Madonna had a baby, Kylie could possibly make a change after cancer (not sure about this yet), Mariah's still got a few years to get to that stage but she's been through her flop-stage and bounce back now. Janet sought a bit of a renaissance after her divorce, but she just turned back to songs about the dating game like the 20 year old next-generation of Janets were singing about too.

Ellie said:

And not half as well. So as long as she still enjoys what she does, I see no problem with her continuing in that vein. Madonna is 47 now and still makes killer performances, so I'm not worried.

The Velvet Rope was Janet's "Ray Of Light" or "Impossible Princess". Madonna and Kylie have both returned to the dance pop that made them huge stars (well, Madonna is with her new album, reportedly).
[Edited 7/16/05 18:57pm]

It doesn't matter though, because when your music style is that which is aimed at the MTV audiences, fuck the quality, MTV is going to pick the 20 year old over the 40 year old every time.

Ellie said:

I don't think so. Established stars like Janet and Madonna have no trouble getting played well into their 30's and 40's. Without the SB scandal and the political content of American Life getting in the way, I'm sure videos from both would have received a lot of play. Madonna and Janet both had tons of play for their previous albums (AFY & Music).
[Edited 7/16/05 19:04pm]

Well let's just say Madonna's music aims at a more mature market anyway (going to 2 Madonna concerts, the audience is like 80% white males aged about 30) - even though these days I prefer Janet. And Janet was 35 for All For You. I know it's only 5 years but in MTV terms 35 and 40 is a big difference. You had the whole MTV Icon thing going on then too.

If J'Lo hasn't completely disappeared after this current flop project, I'd be interested to see how she markets herself at 40, beause Madonna, Janet, Kylie & Mariah got their fame much younger, it's easy to forget that Jennifer Lopez [thought of as more current] is around the same age.

Ellie said:

We'll just have to wait and see what Janet has planned for us, I guess.

And I think J.Lo's music career will quickly go down the shitter after that huge stinker of an album that barely went gold and the fact that she can't tour.