Janet Jackson is in a tough place. Her last album, "Damita Jo," wasn't as successful as her previous efforts. "Nipplegate," as it has been coined in the media, could be to blame.
The now infamous 2004 Super Bowl performance, where her "wardrobe malfunction" led to FCC fines and a public apology by Justin Timberlake at the Grammys, is behind her. With the release of "20 Y.O." Janet attempts to recreate the magic that was "Control," the album that asserted her independence from the last name that is now synonymous with scandal.
Twenty years later, Jackson, now 40, has more at stake. She isn't the sweet-faced, innocent girl trying to break away from her controlling father's hold; but rather she is now a grown woman in the pop world that, although she helped mold, is being run by Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce and Jessica Simpson.
Madonna, who is almost ten years her senior, showed she still has her hand firmly in the pot with the successful "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album and tour.
Jackson uses her longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, but this time she relies a great deal on her boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri.
Dupri crafted the magic that was last years top selling album, "The Emancipation of Mimi," Carey's sure-fire comeback.
Disappointingly enough, Dupri doesn't create that same magic here on Jackson's ninth disc.
"20 Y.O." isn't an album that satisfies from start to finish. There are rough patches, and there are fillers.
"Call On Me," the first single, is a duet with rapper Nelly. Jackson is in big trouble if fans decide to purchase the album based off this single.
The video, a tribute to "Aesop's Fables," is colorful to say the least. And without any airplay on MTV, who ironically was the sponsor of the aforementioned "Nipplegate" incident, the single was quickly forgotten.
Jackson hits the mark on her second single, "So Excited," which cleverly samples Herbie Hancock's "Rock It." She never shields her sexual wants with innuendo. She sings, "I'm hot, come on, so get it ready. And I'll open my spot for you."
The album does hint of her previous works. "Enjoy" is a breezy R&B track easily taken from the core of 1997's "Velvet Rope." And "This Body" is a direct nod to the sexually liberating "Janet" album.
The album boasts strong tracks throughout. "Do It 2 Me" shows the edge Jackson introduced on "Nasty Boys," while "Get It Out Me" relies heavily on Dupri's Atlanta hip-hop style, a style that Jackson used on 2004's "Damita Jo."
Jackson's album has tracks for fans of different eras. "Daybreak" incorporates the bubble gum pop of her early days. She does, however, stray away from the dark content that was the basis of "Velvet Rope" and "Rhythm Nation 1814."
Though "20 Y.O." may not be Jackson's "Mimi," she does prove she is still a staple in today's youth-influenced pop music.
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