In a quick quote about Janet's upcoming album, L.A. Reid told Yahoo! News that she is likely to work with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis in the future:


"Janet's (new) music is exciting," Reid says. "My guess is that Janet, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis will do something together because they have such magic. But we've experimented with things for no other reason than to find some freshness and give her some different challenges musically."
[Edited 12/31/07 9:41am]

In other words, "we'll see how this project does...then Janet can work with whoever she wants to".

After listening to Chaka Khan new album, Patti Labelle's new Christmas cd and the Isley's new Christmas CD, Janet might want 2 let them take a break. The songs they did on the projects sound good, but are not "fresh".

daPrettyman said:

Funny, because I like all three of those albums. I haven't liked Jam & Lewis in some time but those were good ones for me.

daPrettyman said:

I think Jam and Lewis work well with Old School artists like Chaka and Patti....longtime R&B artists who don't necessarily need to appeal to younger listeners.However,Janet is a pop/dance artist.She has to keep her sound fresh and new.There's nothing else that Jam and Lewis could do for her and she is wise to move on to other producers.For the type of audience that she is trying to reach,the Jam and Lewis sound is stale and played out.

.
[Edited 12/31/07 11:30am]

SoulAlive said:

Janet probably didn't have much 2 do with who she worked with on this project. I'll bet this is LA Reid calling ALL of the shots on this.

daPrettyman said:

Oh,I agree.Janet doesn't seem to have much "control" over her albums anymore.Depending on your view,that could be a good or a bad thing

RipHer2Shreds said:

I'm not saying I don't like these projects, but there are no new or fresh ideas on them.

SoulAlive said:

I have to agree with that. When Jam and Lewis first started writing and producing songs for other acts, their music was fresh and exciting. Now they just seem to use all kinds of samples, and they seem to be stuck in a rut or something.

daPrettyman said:

I gotcha.

psychodelicide said:

Exactly.In the early 80s,the Jam and Lewis sound was so fresh and inspired.I still smile whenever I hear Cherrelle's "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On".But something happened in the 90s.Like most longtime producers,they simply ran out of ideas.Janet probably should have moved on after 'The Velvet Rope'.

SoulAlive said:

Jam and Lewis' early stuff was GREAT! Their newer stuff, not so much.

psychodelicide said:

I'll put most of the blame on Jimmy Jam because he even admit to not having an interest in learning to programming a synth in order to create new sounds. Throughout his career, he always used either the preset sounds of the synths as they were OR tune them slightly and rely on the studio effects within the mixing console.

TonyVanDam said:

Dang, why would a songwriter/producer not have an interest in learning to program a synth to create new sounds? Seems to me that in order to keep your music fresh and interesting, a songwriter/producer would be jumping at the opportunity to learn something new.

psychodelicide said:

that's why I enjoy Chaka's latest CD so much.Jam and Lewis remembered that they are Musicians and they behaved as such.For the most part,they used real instruments and very little,if any,samples.

SoulAlive said:

That does make a big difference. Don't know about you, but I HATE samples. Jam and Lewis seem to use more and more of them in recent years, and I really wish they would go back to the way they USED to write songs.

psychodelicide said:

They did use the technique of sampling, mostly with Janet in recent years. But with everyone else, it wasn't the case.

TonyVanDam said:

Yes, they did use a lot of sampling on Janet's songs, which is where I've heard it. I don't seem to remember them using on sampling on any other artist, now that I think about it.

SoulAlive said:

Jam and Lewis style will come back when every1 wanna make a SOS Band or Alexander O Neal type of jam...dont worry its gonna come..the 80's are back..bu the LATE 80's are still to come

psychodelicide said:

I, personally, don't hate samples. The only time I don't care for them is when a musician/artist/producer doesn't use any creativity in using the sample.

What Jimmy and Terry did for Janet for sampling, they created new songs around a sample (All For You, All Night Don't Stop, So Excited, etc). That doesn't bother me.

Kay-G is another one who is great at that technique. Next's "Too Close" and Zhane's first album were great examples of this.

psychodelicide said:

The only one I can think of they sampled was "Shine" for Luther Vandross. It used "My Forbidden Lover" from Chic as a sample.

daPrettyman said:

To each their own.

daPrettyman said:

Never knew that "My Forbidden Lover" was sampled in the Luther Vandross song "Shine". You learn something new every day.

though I loved the all for you era/album, I would have preferred some of the rockwilder tracks from the album to be released in addition to the J&L tracks with samples, even though they work well with them. I love their older stuff before janet as well, from SOS Band especially. I still get chills when I'm blasting Take Your Time, Tell Me If You Still Care, as well as songs like Tender Love and Human, which I'm sure they used for inspiration when working on the Rhythm Nation album.

I can't understand why people are hard on jam & lewis. I mean what do
you expect from these guys. These cats don't have to work another day in
their lives. Their legacy already stands. They just enjoy what they do. I mean
if you have been in the music business all your life, it is just in your blood much like the temps, the o'jays, the isleys, etc. So what their sound doesn't fit or appeal to these new artists like these clown ass producers that's supposed to be hot now. These guys single handedly revolutionized the music industry in the 80's including putting janet jackson on the map. If it wasn't for jam & lewis, janet wouldn't even be half the music icon she is now. Jam & Lewis sound today and even their 80's sound holds up a hell of a lot better than the bullshit that's out today. Don't piss me off about jam & lewis, i'll get vainandy on yall's ass not to mention the NWO.

^^^ Oooh, we're so scared! Whether you agree or disagree with what's being posted here, this IS a website, and everybody is entitled to their own opinion. We're not always going to agree on everything.
[Edited 12/31/07 18:39pm]

psychodelicide said:

Oh damn dude. Are you kidding me? You mean everyone is entitled to there own
opinion on this website. I thought only vainandy and the NWO was entitled to their own opinion on this website. Hey lighten up. I was only expressing my opinion about jam and lewis. I never said anyone had to agree with my opinion and i was having fun with it at the same time. It's all good. Time to bring in the new year right. It's party time.

phunkdaddy said:

I am not angry, believe me, you would know if I was. You seemed a bit angry when you posted: "Don't piss me off about jam & lewis, i'll get vainandy on yall's ass not to mention the NWO." It seemed like you were threatening people who had an opposing opinion than you, that's why I responded the way I did, but believe me, I was, in no way, angry. Just expressing my opinion, as you were expressing yours. And for the record, I'm not a dude, I'm a lady.

Anybody got some bubbly for me to ring in the New Year?
[Edited 12/31/07 18:58pm]

I personally thought "enjoy" and "take care" were fresh. Janet should still work with J&L but not for an entire project

psychodelicide said:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5nIj7Rq0uco
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SCaq5CPNDSE
[Edited 1/1/08 12:19pm]

daPrettyman said:

Thanks for the links. Going to check them out now.

Edited to say I just got through watching both videos. "My Forbidden Lover" is definitely sampled in "Shine". A great song from a great man. I still miss Luther. He was in a class all by himself and is definitely irreplaceable.
[Edited 1/1/08 12:45pm]