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How Janet got her groove back
Glenn Gamboa
DROPS

September 26, 2006

Janet Jackson opens her new "20 Y.O." (Virgin) album with a declaration of sorts, saying: "I want to keep it light. I don't want to be serious. I want to have fun."
But her real message is unspoken and carried through the album: "I'm still here. I win."

The ridiculous firestorm surrounding the accidental baring of her breast during a Super Bowl halftime number with Justin Timberlake in 2004 would have creatively paralyzed a lesser artist. For months, she was metaphorically stoned in pop culture's public square, not because it was deserved, but because it was convenient - an easy way to distract the country from the stumbling war in Iraq. (Isn't it odd that it took only weeks to hold congressional hearings on Nipplegate, but years to hold hearings on the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?)

Of course, all of that, as Jackson says a lot these days, is "the past." Her present is a happy one, judging from the sweetness and light that fill "20 Y.O.," a title that refers to the 20th anniversary of Jackson's first rebirth, when she released her breakthrough album "Control" (A&M). On "20 Y.O." she skips all that drama of breaking free and asserting herself. She also keeps most of the tie-me-up, tie-me-down sexual raunch of her recent albums in the closet. This album is all about dancing and returning to her R&B roots. No envelope-pushing, no genre-busting. Just irresistible grooves, catchy hooks and lots of Janet.

The current single, "So Excited," is a good indicator of what to expect from the current incarnation of Jackson. It's streetwise, lighthearted and easily digestible, though her longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as well as boyfriend-producer Jermaine Dupri, keep the beats (in this case, using the catchiest part of Herbie Hancock's "Rockit") interesting, a mix of electro-funk and Dirty South bounce. Songs such as "Get It Out Me" and the sun-kissed feel of "Enjoy" let Jackson give her breathy-voiced followers like Ciara and Rihanna something to work on for their new albums. The best of the midtempo bunch is "Daybreak," which welds the harmonic playfulness from her "Escapade" days with the hand-clapping simplicity of one of those snap-music groups like Cherish.

Jackson throws in some nice quiet-storm ballads as well, including the lilting "With U" and "Take Care," which both well suit her cooing vocals. Unlike "Damita Jo" and "All For You" (both Virgin), "20 Y.O." doesn't have any filler. In fact, it comes closer to the every-song-could-be-a-single vibe than Beyoncé's "B'Day" (Sony Urban) or Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive), even if it doesn't have the one massive breakout hit that each of those albums has.

Even though "20 Y.O." doesn't sound like the days of "Control," it has the same powerful feel of having six singles come from that album or a record-setting seven Top5 singles from "Rhythm Nation: 1814." There are snippets of Jackson's hits sprinkled throughout the album, though none of them last very long. Jackson may not want to dwell in that past, either. After all, "20 Y.O." shows that her future could be even better. ("20 Y.O.," in stores today; grade: A-)