|
Even without her Super Bowl 2004 "wardrobe malfunction" (a.k.a. Boobygate), Janet Jackson has proven to be one of pop music's most titillating performers -- from her coming-of-age breakout, Control, to 2001's oversexed All for You. And her eighth studio album, Damita Jo -- Jackson's middle name -- follows in the same libido-driven tradition. As the hip-hop-propelled title track surmises, Ms. Jackson is "sexy, quiet, shy, but down for a good time," and all those moods are reflected here. The disc captures Janet in love (the melodic "Spending Time with You"), in lust (the self-explanatory "Moist"), and enjoying leisure time at the club (the frenetic, Britney Spears–reminiscent "All Nite (Don't Stop)." Although many of the 37-year-old singer's graying fans might be longing for more substantive revelations from the diva than a sneak peak at her ample bosom, diehard fans won't be disappointed as Jackson moans, purrs, and sings barely above a seductive whisper on the album's 22 polished tracks. What the album lacks in hearty lyrical content, her signature production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis compensate for with a few age-appropriate tunes, including "R&B Junkie," which picks up where All for You's eponymous, Luther Vandross–sampled single left off by borrowing the beat of another old-school R&B jam, this time Evelyn Champagne King's disco classic "I'm in Love." To spice things up, hot producer-rapper Kanye West adds a welcome dose of new-school flavor with the Jay-Z–assisted "Strawberry Bounce" and the breezy "My Baby," Jackson's valentine to her fiancé, pint-sized producer Jermaine Dupri. With Damita Jo, Janet gives fans a glimpse into her everyday life, but her challenge for the next album is to reveal more and show less.
CONDITON: New
TRACK LISTING
1. Looking for Love
2. Damita Jo
3. Sexhibition
4. Strawberry Bounce
5. My Baby
6. The Islands
7. Spending Time With You
8. Magic Hour
9. Island Life
10. All Nite (Don't Stop)
11. R&B Junkie
12. I Want You
13. Like You Don't Love Me
14. Thinkin' Bout My Ex
15. Warmth
16. Moist
17. It All Comes Down to Love
18. Truly
19. The One
20. SloLove
21. Country
22. Just a Little While
|