Janet Jackson may not be as cute as she was on Good Times, but her songs still sound as adorable as they ever did. That’s thanks a lot to producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis who continue to provide the diva with a seemingly endless supply of grooves. It’s that music, composed with a small assortment of co-producers, including beau Jermaine Dupri, and Janet Jackson’s underrated knack for melodic vocals that make the songs, recorded and mixed with radio/club-friendly flare, instantly catchy.
I hate the title, especially the stupid abbreviation for Years Old, but I guess the point is that it’s been twenty years since she recruited Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to take Control of her first hit album. How does it go? Funny How Time Flies When You’re Having Fun? Well, the fun continues here with an album of all-new songs; the first few of which seem to pay homage to the Control era with their 1980s-styled party synths. Get It Out Me, a sex song disguised as a dance anthem, goes especially retro.
This is a set front-loaded with fast-paced dance numbers that drifts down to midtempo in the middle and ends with two candle burners. Take Care has Janet in bed, masturbating to the thought of her “sweetie pie” coming home. He apparently works a late-night shift. Love 2 Love, a sweet and sultry highlight, has her enjoying sex with him at last. That’s no way to end an album with such a broad concept, but, for what it’s worth, there is an Outro in which she thanks “God” for the past two decades.
my rating : 4 of 5
2006