 |
 |
‘We’re all human and we all fall in love, so why should our sexual preference matter,’ Janet Jackson says of her support for same-sex marriage.
|
|
|
| | |
|
| |
| |
|
|
| | |
HOME > SOVO SCENE > MUSIC
By: KEVIN NAFF
COMMENTS |
| 
WITHOUT JANET Jackson, no one would be one-two stepping to Ciara or celebrating Beyonce’s B’Day. And Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake — who has shamelessly appropriated the Jackson family’s moves for years — would be dancing in theme park musicals instead of bringing sexy back.
After inspiring a league of imitators during 20 years in the music business, Jackson releases her ninth studio album this week, “20 Y.O.,” a wonderfully self-referential return to the top of her game and a nod to the 20th anniversary of her 1986 album “Control.”
In the midst of a whirlwind media tour, Jackson tells Southern Voice that she writes songs about what’s happening in her life. But there is no mention on “20 Y.O.” of the Super Bowl controversy or her brother Michael’s acquittal on child molestation charges.
“I got all of that out of my system,” she says in explaining the decision not to reflect those events. “That’s not what I’m feeling right now. I wrote about [those controversies], but I didn’t choose to put it out there on the album.”
In 2004, for the first time since the 1980s, a Janet Jackson album failed to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The commercially disappointing “Damita Jo” opened at No. 2 and went on to sell about one million copies. Despite the lackluster response, Jackson says she’s not feeling pressure to hit No. 1 with “20 Y.O.”
“It’s more important for the record company than for me,” she says. “I just want to bring happiness to people. Of course you want it to be successful, but I really just want to bring a smile to people’s faces.”
ONE FACTOR SURE TO impact sales of the new album is video exposure. BET and VH1 are playing the first two singles, “Call on Me” and “So Excited,” but MTV appears to be boycotting all things Janet.
MTV, which named Jackson its inaugural “Icon” award winner in 2001, produced the infamous half-time show in which Jackson’s breast was exposed during a duet with Justin Timberlake. But MTV’s anger over the incident apparently doesn’t extend to Timberlake, whose new single is in heavy rotation.
Jackson brushes off the snub.
“The fans get upset and talk about boycotting [MTV],” she says. “It is what it is, but I’m not losing sleep over it. I appreciate the love and support the fans have shown me.”
To reach those fans in the absence of MTV support, Jackson and her promotions team waged an aggressive web promotion campaign that includes a revamped official website, janet-jackson.com, and a new MySpace site that includes an exclusive video diary.
And Jackson clearly recognizes that many of her fans are gay. She clarifies that she has never been in a gay relationship herself, but that she has many gay friends, several of whom are dancers in her upcoming tour.
She says she doesn’t understand why so many people oppose same-sex marriage.
“We’re all human and we all fall in love, so why should our sexual preference matter?” she asks.
THERE ARE NO wild innovations or dramatic departures on “20 Y.O.,” but the album is chock full of surefire hits.
This time out, with help from longtime beau and hit maker Jermaine Dupri and producers and co-writers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jackson delivers a string of well-crafted tunes.
“There’s something to be said for not saying anything,” she says in the introduction to the album. “I want to keep it light. I want to have fun.”
And fun is what she delivers, especially for dance fans. The album opens with a series of five club-banging tracks, starting with the current single, “So Excited.”
Jackson ratchets down the vulgarity this time out. She’s still freaky, but the 40-year-old Janet sounds more mature and confident than in her recent past.
Southern rapper Khia (of “My Neck, My Back” infamy) guests on “So Excited,” which is followed by “Show Me,” “Get It Out Me,” “Do It 2 Me” and “This Body,” featuring a rollicking guitar riff that recalls “Rhythm Nation” hit “Black Cat.”
In fact, the album is full of sly samples from Jackson’s extensive back catalogue. Listen carefully, and you’ll hear snippets from “Rhythm Nation,” “I Get Lonely” and other previous Jackson hits.
After the opening barrage of infectious beats, Jackson slows things to a mid-tempo groove on “With U” and “Call on Me,” a duet with Nelly that hit No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart.
The familiar musical interludes on most Jackson CDs are spare here, with just three short breaks, an intro and outro. The ...
| 
