It's POLL For You -- ILM artist poll #103 -- JANET JACKSON (voting open until July 24, 2020)

I remember five summers ago almost weeping when "No Sleeep" was so damn good.

Same.

Was just thinking that if "Feels So Right" had shown up in, say, the back half of Erykah Badu's "Cain't Use My Phone" EP I'd still be spinning it weekly to this day.

omg TIL Janet released a promo-only single for Pepsi in 1999 that I don't believe has been available anywhere else since?? I wouldn't say it's one of her all time best tracks but I def don't hate it and it came with a Masters At Work remix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrASTW9DCm8

The post-All For You records aren't doing a whole lot for me these first time through them, but for what its worth, "So Much Betta" (from Discipline) is the only thing I've heard so far that I think is flat-out awful.

*THIS first time through them

oh that's how i feel about "this body" on 20 y.o.. terrible

i like "so much betta"

I used to hate “Rock With U” but I played it the other day and was like “wait this slams, what is happening”

yep

the bridge in "the great forever" is unreal

I wish "Free Xone" had more xones. Xones to infinity.

how do i get everyone to vote for "night"

top ten for me, I promise

One rule
No rules

Okay, after a couple of listens of “Janet Jackson” and “Dream Street” my takeaway is that the s/t is pretty unexceptional and generic but “Dream Street” is like... pretty great?? Which surprised me, bcz my impression was that they were both equally mediocre and filler-y.

i still think dream street is a little patchy but again, the jesse johnson and marlon jackson tracks, whew

also i have tried very hard but there's no way i'm ever going to like "two to the power of love"

it does not make the mistake the debut makes of wandering off into wispy ballad land

Oh yeah it’s definitely patchy and imperfect and nowhere near the tier of Control thru Velvet Rope BUT it is a bigger improvement over the s/t than I thought, like in terms of sonic palette I can see a progression from Dream Street to Control, it’s not like a total schism like Underworld’s first 2 albums or something.

also I love love LOVE “Pretty Boy”’s booming “ONE👏TWO👏ONE TWO THREE FOUR” followed by, like, a pleasant but fairly sedate synthesizer solo that is nowhere near as grand as one would expect from such a count-off

listening to damita jo for the first time and "strawberry bounce"!!!

It is a secret weapon

Strawberry Bounce will likely be in the 20-25 range for me

Strawberry Bounce is probably going to just miss out on my list but there will be a handful of Damita Jo songs in there.

Would it be fair to say that the general consensus is that 20YO is the nadir of her post-Control career?

yes and i agree with the consensus

Yeah, that's quite comfortably her weakest album.

damita jo is her most consistent album. there are no duds! and, like, at least ten perfect songs

"all nite (don't stop)", "warmth" and "slolove" will all be in my top 10 probs

i would argue Velvet Rope as her MOST consistent album.

but some of this may be a "your favorite season of SNL" argument
except Janet is, you know, talented

I want to love All For You SO BAD but after like 4 listens, it is just not sticking. It’s too mellow, too straightforward, Velvet Rope was SO innovative futuristic boundary-pushing and in comparison All For You sounds a lot more traditional. It’s not BAD, I just don’t find it very compelling. I’m secretly hoping someone can provide a good argument to convince me otherwise.

20 yo is definitely not a great album, but "take care" is insane. one of my very faves

ah ah
take care of me
ah ah
fulfil my needs

Fuck Unbreakable is so good. The duel between the laser zaps and piano at the end of Night!

unbreakable is really just as great as her run from control to velvet rope. i think the only things i don't like about it are that the j cole version of "no sleeep" was on the album and that 60s psych sample on the last track.

otm

janet during "spending time with you": "god i just love listening to that"
me: "me too janet!!!!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuDrC_b-CNo

spending more time with 20 yo hasn't endeared me to the album as a whole very much, but i certainly love this song

i feel like after a dodgy first few songs it's pretty consistently good though. "take care" is the best song ever and i'm def voting for "do it 2 me" as well

with you it's whatever your pleasure is to give me pleasure that's why i call on youuuu <3

and "daybreak" is sick too!

"take care" and "do it 2 me" are the other incredibly amazing songs on there

giving up today, this isn’t going to get any easier

am i missing out on any incredible outtakes that i haven’t heard

only 40 top tracks... the injustice....

Not quite “incredible” but Janet covering Joni’s “The Beat of Black Wings” and announcing in the intro that it is her favourite song is definitely a mood.

given the heartbreaking cuts i've already made, i guess it's unlikely anything new would break into my top 40 anyway

I need to do some last minute revision and give Unbreakable another listen, but I'm getting close. I have a 40 song list that could work.

Not sure I'm going to be able to join in with the side polls apart from albums. Maybe the interludes at a push?

i could only do albums and music videos

i mean i wanted to participate in the interlude poll but it’s basically “speaker phone” and then everything else

LET'S GO

MINNEAPOLIS

I've really become obsessed with Runaway over the last week. Definitely needs to be higher on my ballot than it currently is.