Given the generally high quality of her output since 1986’s Control, you really have to wonder why Janet Jackson felt the need to resort to such gimmicks as the recent Superbowl “wardrobe malfunction” incident. Call it the Madonna /Britney effect – perhaps the 38-year-old thought she wouldn’t reach the younger R&B audience without some kind of additional, er, exposure.
Nipplegate notwithstanding (or more likely because of it) Jackson is very much in control and back in the picture these days – ‘Just A Little While’ the rock-oriented first single from this her seventh album hit the number one spot within days of its release.
Damit Jo includes almost everything and anything she has absorbed over the last 20 years including old style soul, (‘Warmth’) slinky R&B (‘Sexhibition’) and nasty hip-hop grooves (‘My Baby’) – the latter featuring recent Kelis collaborator and hip-hop wonderboy Kayne West.
The infectious, jazzy rhythms of ‘Truly Yours’ and electronic dancebeats of ‘Slolove’ showcase her versatility and mastery of a bewildering array of styles, as do the obligatory ballads such as ‘I Want You’ and the Stevie Wonder influenced ‘Spending Time With You’ (which sees her re-united with long time collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis)
At 22 tracks (albeit many of them 30 second fillers) this is about a third longer than it needs to be but Damit Jo proves conclusively that Janet can still get down and dirty with her younger soul sisters.