Moonbeam said:

I can understand people's complaints with "All For You" though, especially coming after her run from "Control" onward.

But "janet." is just awesome!

I haven't gotten the new album yet cuz I blew my wad on the new Tori box.

CinisterCee said:

jayaredee said:

yeah,that's a very enthusiastic review,isn't it? "new classics"??

Moonbeam said:

No, it is not. It is hip to diss mediocre records.

CinisterCee said:

I am really starting to agree with you on this.

I'm not a music expert like some of you all on this and other forums--and I mean that with all sincerity. I don't follow popular music ,trends, or the music industry as closely as many of you here. I just like what I like and that's it. When I comment about an artist, it's usually social commentary about the way the general public reacts or contradictions I observe more on a social level--and the impact of an artists actions or art socially.

So keeping that in mind, I don't think I can compare 20 Y. O. to Janet's others cd's because I don't know as much about music. I think in a way, 20 Y. O. represents a new direction for Janet, so comparisons wouldn't be fair. After listening a bit more, I think 20 Y. O. is quite different from what Janet has done in the past. As I previously stated, this cd really reminds me of a fusion between techno-urban which I don't think even exists. It's an interesting mix, with sort of this synthesized sound with a huge urban vibe. I read a mixed review stating Janet should do something like Madonna. Well, to me Janet already has in a way with this cd. This cd reminds me a little of the "Music" cd or at least that song, as someone here already previously mentioned, but with a urban spin rather than pop--with urban being much more appealing to me personally. With all due respect to Madge, I don't think she could get away with a cd like 20 Y.O.-- and really have that urban flair. But Janet has managed to do just that--remaining true to her more urban influenced roots without completely abandoning the pop sound.

So 20 Y.O. might not the dance cd I envisioned, but I think it's even better creatively than I thought it would be. No, it's not a cd full of heavy lyrics or themes, but then again it's interesting and I think unique in it's musical composition--well it's unique to me--maybe not to the rest of you all. I really enjoy 20 Y. O., not but not for the reasons some you might enjoy. It's a cd that is probably going to grow on me more and more as I listen to it because it's something I haven't really heard before. It's the beginning of something new for Janet while still remaining true to what she was in the past.
[Edited 9/27/06 5:30am]

GangstaFam said:

A box that is not released on my country yet!

It hate PORTUGAL!!!!

MikeMatronik said:

I love Portugal, but I've never been there.

Will you order it or wait til it comes out?

I can say Im not that impressed with the album yet and Im up to "With U"... I literally ran to the music store last nite b 4 it closed to buy this album and Im sitting here waiting for that one or teo or three or four songs that make me wanna play them over and over and I havent heard it yet....Janet....come one girl....

HamsterHuey said:

Yes it is- at least around here.

Honestly, I'm not saying this just to diss Janet but I thought it was dreadful.

Where are the tunes? The melodies?

I'm not the biggest Janet fan, admittedly, but I have a few of her albums and - unlike most - I quite like Damita Jo. This, though...

Maybe I need to re-listen.

not feelin it What's wrong with me? I like three tracks

onenitealone said:

No, you don't. You can't force yourself to like a piece of crap.

jthad1129 said:

Nothing's wrong with you. You have taste and can sort gold from garbage. I like two songs on it. Enjoy most of all. Unfortunately I don't enjoy the rest of what is, at best, a lazy, predictable trawl through today's hip "urban" sounds with the aim of making something that will appeal to the 16-18 demographic. In short it's a "new" album you've heard a million times before. And Janet's voice - which was never going to earn her a place in the pantheon of great vocalists anyway - is reduced to an almost absent bleat or the usual breathy whisper. It's a real shame though, because she's made some terrific albums in the past. This one's a stinker. I blame The Troll.

Shapeshifter said:

I'd literally just finished listening to it the other night when one of my mates - who's a *massive* fan - texted me and said "What do you think of Janet?". I said "Dreadful", he said "Are you pissed?".

Maybe I should have been.

I'll give it another chance but it just seems so... underdeveloped.

Apparently, it's getting a lot of good reviews--more than DJ received that's for sure.


From Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/en...columnists
How Janet got her groove back
September 26, 2006


Janet Jackson opens her new "20 Y.O." (Virgin) album with a declaration of sorts, saying: "I want to keep it light. I don't want to be serious. I want to have fun."

But her real message is unspoken and carried through the album: "I'm still here. I win."

The ridiculous firestorm surrounding the accidental baring of her breast during a Super Bowl halftime number with Justin Timberlake in 2004 would have creatively paralyzed a lesser artist. For months, she was metaphorically stoned in pop culture's public square, not because it was deserved, but because it was convenient - an easy way to distract the country from the stumbling war in Iraq. (Isn't it odd that it took only weeks to hold congressional hearings on Nipplegate, but years to hold hearings on the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?)

Of course, all of that, as Jackson says a lot these days, is "the past." Her present is a happy one, judging from the sweetness and light that fill "20 Y.O.," a title that refers to the 20th anniversary of Jackson's first rebirth, when she released her breakthrough album "Control" (A&M).

On "20 Y.O." she skips all that drama of breaking free and asserting herself. She also keeps most of the tie-me-up, tie-me-down sexual raunch of her recent albums in the closet. This album is all about dancing and returning to her R&B roots. No envelope-pushing, no genre-busting. Just irresistible grooves, catchy hooks and lots of Janet.

The current single, "So Excited," is a good indicator of what to expect from the current incarnation of Jackson. It's streetwise, lighthearted and easily digestible, though her longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as well as boyfriend-producer Jermaine Dupri, keep the beats (in this case, using the catchiest part of Herbie Hancock's "Rockit") interesting, a mix of electro-funk and Dirty South bounce.

Songs such as "Get It Out Me" and the sun-kissed feel of "Enjoy" let Jackson give her breathy-voiced followers like Ciara and Rihanna something to work on for their new albums. The best of the midtempo bunch is "Daybreak," which welds the harmonic playfulness from her "Escapade" days with the hand-clapping simplicity of one of those snap-music groups like Cherish.

Jackson throws in some nice quiet-storm ballads as well, including the lilting "With U" and "Take Care," which both well suit her cooing vocals.

Unlike "Damita Jo" and "All For You" (both Virgin), "20 Y.O." doesn't have any filler. In fact, it comes closer to the every-song-could-be-a-single vibe than Beyoncé's "B'Day" (Sony Urban) or Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive), even if it doesn't have the one massive breakout hit that each of those albums has.

Even though "20 Y.O." doesn't sound like the days of "Control," it has the same powerful feel of having six singles come from that album or a record-setting seven Top5 singles from "Rhythm Nation: 1814." There are snippets of Jackson's hits sprinkled throughout the album, though none of them last very long.

Jackson may not want to dwell in that past, either. After all, "20 Y.O." shows that her future could be even better. ("20 Y.O.," in stores today; grade: A-)


Has anyone read a negative review? I've read one that was mixed. Has Rolling Stone, Spin reviewed this cd yet?
[Edited 9/27/06 9:45am]

I don't read music reviews. I just browse them to see who has a new album out but I don't trust them. The reviewers don't know my ear or musical taste so I find them useless. There use to be one or two that I trusted but eventually I just stopped reading them as a basis for a purchase or not.

Unlike "Damita Jo" and "All For You" (both Virgin), "20 Y.O." doesn't have any filler. In fact, it comes closer to the every-song-could-be-a-single vibe than Beyoncé's "B'Day" (Sony Urban) or Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive), even if it doesn't have the one massive breakout hit that each of those albums has.

JackieBlue said:

I know.

I'm not so sure what a "filler" is soo... But I thought the comment was interesting, too, because Cinister said the same thing.

Yeah, I'm not so much in to reviews about in regard to whether or not I buy a cd. But sometimes a reviewer can better express why I enjoy a certain cd or don't. Even a positive review of a cd might state exactly certain music doesn't appeal to me. In other words, what the reviewer prefers and the reasoning behind it is something that I might not.
[Edited 9/27/06 10:09am]

Isel said:

Fillers are tracks that are included in an album to make it 'full' or complete. Usually there's no plan of releasing it as a single hence why they're usually not as strong as those intended for singles.

JackieBlue said:

Thanks.. That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure. How does one distinguish filler tracks from others? The reason why I'm asking is that I wonder with other artists including but not limited to Janet, if I have actually happen to enjoy some of the filler tracks? Filler doesn't necessarily mean bad, right? They could end-up being stronger than anticipated, right?
[Edited 9/27/06 10:24am]

Shapeshifter said:

damn, why so bitter? lol
personally i love it, yes jd had too much input and i did expect more of the classic jam & lewis vibe, but there are some solid tracks... especially with U, enjoy & get it out me

funkin4kix said:

Well JD is definately the problem of the album. Everyone likes to say Jimmy and Terry, so why is the most enjoyable track "Enjoy"? "Daybreak" is getting a lot of praise too. I think I said this before. This album won't be her best but will be a best seller (not sure about with this envoirnment) but I think her next one will probably be without a doubt one of her best and have great writing and even hotter beats. No JD, that's for sure!