damita jo: taking the extra out of extraordinary?

Damita Jo, just released, has been one of the most anticipated albums this year. From a majority of the reviews seen thus far, this album is considered to be a miss, rather than a hit. What happened this time? Succinctly put, the album is not a groundbreaking effort. Coming from a new or up-and-coming artist, the album has the ability to spin effortlessly, to give the grooves needed to please, and without a doubt would be labeled a solid album. The problem here? The expected excitment, the undulation the people have been used to in every release is not present here.

Declarations of the passion and the newness that is Damita Jo along with Strawberry Bounce set the album off to a strong start, but rarely give any newfound passion that we've been accustomed to. Undoubtedbly, with Dallas Austin introducing us with the first release Just A Little While, fans were unaccustomed to the Prince infusion, resulting in quickly releasing the solid, albeit non-groundbreaking track I Want You.

With Jam and Lewis present, as with every release, the Janet Jackson sound is still there. Island Life and Truly are standard Flytetyme tracks expected off of every album. The infusion of old-school beats is a boost that some of these tracks provide. With Spending Time With You, with a slight interpolation of the Gap Band, and R&B Junkie breaking off Evelyn Champagne King, the 80's enhancements uplift the album for the old-school legion.

The addition of other production teams give this album variety also. With BAG & Arnthor helming All Night (Don't Stop) and Slo Love, there's additional funk that effortlessly guides people to the floor. Having Kanye West pulsing us into I Want You and My Baby, along with Babyface giving us his signature cut Thinking About My Ex, the current fan base are granted songs designed for this day and age.

Janet has previously given us many things to be thankful of...and with Jam and Lewis guiding the ship, the results have been stellar. With groundbreaking songs from All For You like the minimalist funk of the initial track All for You, the emotion of Son of A Gun, and the rock-infused Trust a Try, the album, while not a blockbuster when compared to her previous efforts, was a release that signalled growth inside of the woman that is Damita Jo. The rub here? This album is a continuation of comfort and familiarity, rather than satisfying the above-the-radar expectations that is her norm. There are tracks not present on the United States release of Damita Jo as well. With Could This Be Love and Put Your Hands On missing, the album lacks more of what her fan base has been accustomed to. It's expected that videos, her performances, and interviews will boost this album as they have in the past. Now, more than ever, however, it's absolutely essential.

As albums go, this is not a bad album release from artists with a smaller fan base, and for that it, it gets a rating of 7/10. In the realm that is Janet, this release can be considered a minor setback, however, placing it at a 6/10 when compared to her other releases. There's so much that has been received in the past that has made the future so bright, I've had to wear my shades. This time, however, I didn't need to wear them. We can only hope that the next release will shine a bit brighter.

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