20 Y.O. makes Damita Jo sound like Rhythm Nation 1814

So Excited - 4
Show Me - 3
Get It Out Me - 3
Do It 2 Me - 2
This Body - 3
With U - 3
Call On Me - 3
Daybreak - 2
Enjoy - 4 (this would have been higher had the lyric "refuse to be stuck in the past" not been an album whose title, itself, shows how stuck in the past she is)
Take Care - 3
Love 2 Love - 2
[Edited 9/28/06 18:28pm]

candyperfume said:

NO arguement there....I don't think I would rate RN much higher than DJ.

Too bad U guys are not privy to the bonus track, titled, Roll Withcu - that shit is tight.

goat2004 said:

[snip-sos]

i haven't even bought this yet. wow. i'm not even interested in hearing it yet. and she used to be one of my very favorite artists.

Tessa said:

Hopefully your non-existent expecations will let you enjoy some of it! Have you heard any of the songs?

Moonbeam said:

i saw the So Excited video the other day. s'alright, but nothing to write home (or to the internet ) about.

Tessa said:

Yeah. I like the song better without the video.

Moonbeam said:

I may or may not be entering a Madonna cycle. That could be why I've barely even thought about the Janet album. Madonna's scratching that particular itch for me at the moment.

I'm sorry but this is a horrid pic. I don't know if it's been seen before.....

ROLLWITCHA is 10... thats a janet jackson classic

I listened to this cd again yesterday, I really think for me it's only going to be a moderate success. This won't be one I'll listen to over and over again as much as I wanted to give it a shot. There are just other artist that I'm more interested in --that I would easily want to listen to again without so much of an effort.

My favorite tracks are the ballads. There isn't a song that I hate necessarily, but there isn't one I love either. For a dance cd, 20 Y.O. sure has a lot of ballads--which isn't actually a bad direction either.

To tell you the truth, as I mentioned to Jackie yesterday, I do not particularly care for Janet's vocals on this cd. I agree with a number of you who have said her voice sounds thin..even weaker than usual. In fact, I also agree that I can envision some of the songs being sung much better by other artists. I do think Janet could benefit from vocal training if she is going to continue to sing in a higher register. Her voice is pleasant, but to me it's really thin-sounding--like she is really singing from the throat--not forced so much but very thin. There is something in the quality of this particular cd that bugs me more than any other Janet vocals from past projects. And it's not that I want Janet to be a Beyonce or Christina either. I want Janet to be the best Janet, and I just don't hear that on this cd at all.

I really wish Janet would move more into jazz or something that would really compliment her voice. I know many people here don't think she can sing at all, but for me it's more that her voice is not being showcased---or used to its fullest potential. I could see her doing a nice Brazilian jazz.. or something that's sort of low-key..gentle vibe. I just don't think her voice works with the heaviness of 20 Y.O.'s production for the most part (not with all of the songs though.)

I dunno. This cd will probably be a hit, but it's not particularly my favorite--not that it's bad. My favorite cd is still and will probably always be The Velvet Rope unless Janet decides to move in a completely different direction to something not as mainstream.

And I'm going to say this and probably be slammed, but as much as I really love the back-up dancers... LOVE THEM... I think it might be time for Janet to change it up a bit as far as how she uses them. I'm not familiar with Madonna really, but in what I've seen recently, she doesn't use the dancers like she has done in the past. After watching Janet's performance on Oprah again, I really think that whole presentation is a bit stale. In fact, I think the dancers are even over-powering her to a certain degree. There were just too many on that show. There is something that looks like an anarchonism now. I can't really explain it. I don't think Janet should "ditch" the dancers but use them in more of a creative way.

P.S. I just saw the today's show performance. It was OK. But NBC showed clips of Nasty, then I sort of compared the current choreography, particular S.EX to that. As much as I think his concepts are good, I think he relies too much on club dancing as far as the specific elements. He makes the movement appear more visually sophisticated than it really is, but the truth is that his choreography is nothing more than enhanced club dancing compared to something like the original Nasty--which was laced with more difficult dance elements at least from her dancers if not Janet herself. That might be the trend now in current choreography, so it might not be his fault. So for some, being more "club" oriented might not be considered a weakness but more a strength.
But I think though that's why some people might prefer Tina's or other choreographer's work over Gil's. It might just have to do with the trend in that particular genre of dance.
[Edited 9/29/06 8:26am]

from the Washington Blade...

Janet Jackson says her gay fans have another treat yet to come.She promises a song called "Clap Your Hands" will be a big hit with the gay crowd.The song isn't on the version of '20 Y.O' released this week,but is coming on a future re-release of the album,along with a possible duet with Mariah Carey,which Jackson says is still in the works.

Asked if she would ever consider a duet with longtime chart rival and fellow-gay favorite Madonna,Jackson says she hasn't thought about it."No one's ever asked me that",she says,adding that she and Madonna have never actually met."Isn't that surprising?"

SoulAlive said:

She probably made some really cool dance tracks but didn't put them on the album because JD didn't want them to interrupt the urban feel.


As for Janet and Madonna, it's well known Janet doesn't like Madonna.

jayaredee said:

J.D. is starting to annoy me again. I understand his intentions are good, and he has her best interest at heart, but why doesn't he just buy a million cd's and make 20 Y. O. the best-selling cd of all-time already, rather than continue to encourage fans to buy multiple copies??? Or maybe he can ask his friends to buy tons of cd's?? That just annoys the hell out me. I'm not going to buy multiple copies of a cd in order to "make" Janet #1. Hell to the nah on that.

Sorry. I just needed to vent.
[Edited 9/29/06 5:57am]

Isel said:

It's okay. I'm sure he thinks he knows the way to make Janet popular with the youth again.
But i think Janet really wanted to go in the dance direction with her music. I hope the Clap Your Hands track does eventually see the day of light like she says it will.

jayaredee said:

Even if Janet liked her,JD would never let her do a song with her."She's not urban enough",he would tell her

I'm completely over gimmicks to buy multiple copies. Platinum releases with new songs, different covers, some with DVDs, special packaging. I hated when Michael did it for Invincible and everyone else down the line. What I don't have I won't have but it really is insulting to the consumer who is usually having a tough time as it is buying CDs to try and sell them the same product in different packaging. If Clap Your (damn) Hands wasn't on the first edition like it should have been instead of Call On Me or those pointless interludes, then too bad. They wouldn't get my money again.

JackieBlue said:

It's not only that: he is sort of encouraging and fans are encouraging each other to just buy multiple copies, period. I'm not into that at all. I know this is not all that serious, but I do have some integrity, and if a cd is is going to make, it's gonna have to make it by appealing to more than just a limited group of fans. I'm not going to contribute to "padding" the sales even though I'm not so sure it makes all that much of an impact anyway. It's just the principle of the thing that annoys me. I just bought one, and that's it. Now if I knew someone who wanted the cd for a present, I might buy another. But I'm not going to buy 5 cds just so Janet can reach #1. I was sarcastic about buying 10 copies on another thread, but the reality of it is that I just don't agree with that.

Let J.D. purchase multiple copies if he's so worried about it. He's a millionaire. Geez.

It's just annoying. Like I said, I think J.D. has Janet's best interest at heart, but then again he can't "force" a hit. Well then again, maybe he can.

This recent message was posted on Janet's official site:

YO YO YO!!!!! WHATS UP YALL DEF JAM IS TRYIN TO DO EVERYTHING IN THERE POWER TO MAKE SURE JANET DOES'NT GET #1
WE NEED YALL MORE THAN EVER TO GO CRAZY WITH YOUR EBLAST,BLOGS,WORD OF MOUTH AND MOST OF ALL CD PURCHASE
I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPIN JANET HAVE A GREAT FIRST DAY
BUT NOW ITS TIME TO SHOW ALL THE HATERS AND THE INDUSTRY HATERS THAT SHES STRONGER THAN 1 DAY
THAS WHAT MOST OF THE HATERS ARE SAYIN THATS WHY THEY HAVE THOSE BULLSHIT PROJECTION
I BELIEVE THEM TO BE WRONG AND WITH YOUR HELP OVER THE WEEKEND WE CAN REALY SHOW THEM
WHEN I ASKED FOR YOUR HELP WITH COM YALL PUT HER AT # 1 AND SHE WENT BACK THIS WEEK SO IF WE GET THE # 1 ALBUM SHE'LL HAVE THE #1 R&B SINGLE, ALBUM,AND THE TOP 200
YOU NO HOW MAD THAS GONNA MAKE PEOPLE LOL

LETS GO PEOPLE WE CAN DO IT!!!!!
http://janetjackson.emifo...pic=370227

I think that we Prince fans should rally around him like this for his next cd. Or maybe we still can with 3121?? I'm just kidding.

I know JD means well, and maybe I'm just out of touch, but dayum.. I thought this message was a bit much.
[Edited 9/29/06 7:10am]

you can hear the whole album at AOL/XM here:
http://music.aol.com/song...faultTab=2

listening to it now--it's good, not great. reminds me of beyonce's cd a little bit--nothing i would listen to more than twice a month.
i was hoping for something a little more mature--i guess i'm just measuring a lot of albums against Fantasia "Free Yourself"

jayaredee said:

I hate the fact that they are already talking about a reissue. That is intersting that they never meet and yet it seems like Janet had really nasty stuff to say about Madonna (or was it vice versa?).

VinnyM27 said:

I smell a Sabrina Versus Samantha Fox rivalry!

candyperfume said:

I think you were a tad too harsh on Enjoy. I'd give it 7, simply because it's the most interesting thing on a dull as ditchwater album.

I'm beginning to suspect Janet piled on the pounds because she needed a hook to sell this new JD product she's fronting; hence the "was fat, now a sexbomb in 60 days - here's the pics" storyline.
[Edited 9/29/06 11:19am]

Isel said:

yo yo yo? What's he talking about DefJam is trying to block her from getting to number one? What's that about?

I sooo wish I had saved that Q Magazine with Janet talking greasy about Madonna. It might be in the back of closet somewhere. I need to look for that.

VinnyM27 said:

It's only been Janet from what i can tell. Apparently it's in defense of Michael after Madonna tried to exploit him.

I don't know how openly making fun of Erotica's sales in Vibe magazine '93 is meant to protect MJ however.

JackieBlue said:

When was that from?? I do remember the Vibe article in 1994. She said "If you don't have nothing nice to say..." etc. I don't think she's ever openly dissed her.

I think the air is clear between them. Remember last year (I think) when Janet won some humanitarian award from GLAAD and they had a video of Madonna saying "You go girl"?

Didn't know about the video from Madonna.

I wanna say the Q article is from like 1994. She's openinly comparing Madonna's concerts to Michael's and how MJ's was better. I sooo wish I could remember details but I haven't read that article in eons so I don't want to start making up stuff but I recall the consensus being that Madonna didn't do much. This really stood out to me because when I finally saw Madonna I thought her show was killer.

She was dissing Madonna by boosting Michael. To my knowledge Madonna never responded.

JackieBlue said:

God what a bitch Janet is about M! Why was she hating on her so much when Janet was at her commercial peak and M was at her commercial lowest (besides AL). Weird.

I remember the "Take A Bow" interview with Kurt Loder in 94. He asked M about why Janet was talking about her in Vibe.

Madonna: She dissed me...I don't know why...I've never met the woman...Maybe she'll tell me one day.

Kurt: That's bizarre.

Madonna: (As bitchily as possible) It's rather transparent, wouldn't you say?[i]


Go get your Q mag! I loves me some JJ and M rivalry, the two best pop divas of all time! If only Erykah and Jill could be bitchy toward one another...

Ellie said:

You never like her, so why even bother?