Being MTV's first "Icon" is no small feat. Over the years Janet Jackson has certainly given her audience plenty to watch and hear, from her good-girl next door image in "Different Strokes" to her hip-hop choreography-worthy songs, to her somewhat kinky ballads. And who can forget that wonderful cover for her 1993 release: "Janet." How many guys were dying to be those mystery hands, or the guy she so blatantly molested in her "If" video?
Working with long-time partners in rhyme, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet's latest opus, "All for You" is no surprise within the Janet Jackson genre of music.
To be honest, I was not thrilled about her first single off the new album "All for You." Nothing impressive, just another bouncy pop song to sing to while you're on a drive. I'm done with the TRL 12-year-old smiley-face songs. And I wasn't about to stand for a singer and songwriter that I've grown up with to buy into the marketed rubbish that has been playing on the radio for some time.
But it grew on me. Especially because as I really listened to the lyrics I realized it wasn't just a happy-go-lucky song, but a proclamation that "I enjoy being single to the fullest."
Being recently divorced from her nine-year marriage, Janet definitely celebrates and expresses her new found freedom. So I gave the album a chance.
I'm not saying that there are not any of those peppy, radio-play dance songs, even one that reminds me of the '80s (which should have stayed in that decade); "All for You" has a few tracks for the kids.
But I'm not hating. Those songs have always worked for Miss Janet. "Come on get up" and "You ain't right" make good on her past work such as "You want this" and "Go Deep." And I found myself bopping my head quite happily to "Someone to call my lover." You have to expect those powerfully choreographed singles.
In addition, she makes true as a balladeer. In the past, Janet presented her audience with her sex-fiend persona with such booty-licious songs like "Anytime, Anyplace."
Not only is this no exception, but "All for You" exceeds any erotic, carnally-obsessed undertones she let pervade earlier albums "Velvet Rope" and "Janet."
With lyrics like, "I just want to / touch you / tease you / lick you / please you / hold you / make love to you," in "Would you mind" (which I doubt very many would), Janet definitely surpasses an "explicit lyrics" warning, topping the song off with a surprising climactic ending.
Following that up with "Love Scene (Ooh Baby)" and "When we Oooo" will definitely sure-fire your night. Listening to Janet, expect the kinky.
But enough about the same-old, same-old. There are a couple of pieces that step out of her previously easily-categorized musical canon which make "All for You" an icon worthy album.
"Trust a Try" begins with an opera-inspired introduction, phasing into a strong lead guitar and a hard rock beat. Opera and rock? Odd thought, but being an rock-lover at heart, I was pleasantly awed at how well Miss Jackson mixes R&B with guitar that, thankfully, sounds nothing like "Black Cat."
Collaborating with another singer-songwriter diva, Carly Simon, Janet produces a poetical "Son of a gun (I betcha think this song is about you)." The spoken-word poem, mixed with the sung verses reminds me of the coffee house scene in "So I Married An Axe Murderer," but with lyrics slightly more sophisticated than "She stole my heart and my cat." Thus, expect the innovative.
While some of the tracks on "All for You" are upbeat, there are certainly "clouds in [her] coffee" for Janet, targeting her estranged husband Rene Elizondo with "Son of a Gun" and "Truth."
Showing her vulnerability like she did in "Velvet Rope," the recently single Janet shows her excitement on embarking in new territory while showing us that her breakup is similar to those we hear about from friends. But she is in no way as convincing as the revengeful, allegedly male-hating group Destiny's Child have shown themselves to be.
What Janet can do without is her all-too-frequent interludes. It seems to be tradition on her albums to hear her thoughts or silly conversations within the studio ever since her 1989 release of "Rhythm Nation 1814."
Instead of a normal 12-14 track album, "All for You" is extended to a 20 track album.
This takes away from the music, and I sure don't want to hear her sound like Fran Drescher from "The Nanny" or her theory on their work schedule between songs. Her music speaks for itself and doesn't need to be trivialized by the inconsequential dialogue in the process.
This practice seems to be becoming a trend with new artists including Sunshine Anderson, who also includes small interludes between tracks.
Please ladies, leave those conversations in the studio.
Bottom line -- in "All for You" expect the more experienced Janet Jackson of today with some of the Janet we've known through the years. This album shows us how Janet has grown into herself. Expect an icon.
"All for You" was released on April 24th, and is available in stores now.
In addition, every song can be previewed at Janet's official website, www.Janet-Jackson.com.
