I just copped the special edition with accompanying DVD.
First thoughts - the album is fucking hot. Much, much better than her last few albums. It was a big gamble for her not to work with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for the first time since 1986, but it has paid off for the most part.
I'm going to write a full review in my blog here later on, but my general consensus is that the dance tracks are the best she has done in a while - as much as I love Jam & Lewis, I don't expect them to have their fingers on the button of the current pop/RnB club scene, and this is why Janet's last few albums have been weak. Tracks on this album like "Rock With U", "2Nite" and "So Much Betta" are absolutely current and edgy.
On the flipside of that, I do feel Janet should have done a couple of slow jams with Jam & Lewis behind the boards. Janet's slow jams are legendary, and while the ones on here are good, they don't stand up to classic Janet slow jams such as "Let's Wait Awhile", "Again", "Come Back To Me", or "That's The Way Love Goes".
Album gets 8/10 from me.
P.S - I'm puzzled why Daft Punk aren't credited for "So Much Betta" since it's clearly either a filtered sample, or replayed interpolation of "Daftendirekt".
First thoughts - the album is fucking hot. Much, much better than her last few albums. It was a big gamble for her not to work with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for the first time since 1986, but it has paid off for the most part.
I'm going to write a full review in my blog here later on, but my general consensus is that the dance tracks are the best she has done in a while - as much as I love Jam & Lewis, I don't expect them to have their fingers on the button of the current pop/RnB club scene, and this is why Janet's last few albums have been weak. Tracks on this album like "Rock With U", "2Nite" and "So Much Betta" are absolutely current and edgy.
On the flipside of that, I do feel Janet should have done a couple of slow jams with Jam & Lewis behind the boards. Janet's slow jams are legendary, and while the ones on here are good, they don't stand up to classic Janet slow jams such as "Let's Wait Awhile", "Again", "Come Back To Me", or "That's The Way Love Goes".
Album gets 8/10 from me.
P.S - I'm puzzled why Daft Punk aren't credited for "So Much Betta" since it's clearly either a filtered sample, or replayed interpolation of "Daftendirekt".
