Search - Janet Jackson :: Control

Ronella J. from FONTANA, CA
Reviewed on 11/8/2011...

great music by janet

My love Janet!!!!

Antonio Clark | Austin,Tx | 07/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From day one of being a young man, I have always been in love with this woman. She is exceptionally together,especially when her second venture came out..."Control". I have everything she's ever done..and Im not going to stop! For those who doesn't know anything about "Control", I dare you to find out. I love you Miss Jackson"

This Is A Story About Control

Andre S. Grindle | Brewer Maine | 07/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The legacy of this classic is often misunderstood by a lot of people. To understand the concepts both musically and lyrically of this album is because Janet's first two albums,from her debut Janet Jackson to her somewhat more powerful second release Dream Street were directed completely by other sources,including his dad. The title of this album is often questioned because Janet actually has very little participation creatively in this project. The "control" she speaks of is being free to choose the people who helped her to stardom and a greater musical place. And her own personal choices could'nt have been better. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were two of the first people to take the then hugely successful Minneapolis sound out of it's home region with the SOS Band,Alexander O'Neal,etc.Also it was pretty clear Janet was very involved in the creative process too.Her new confident persona clearly drove the music to where Jam/Lewis took it and gave the lyrics and music a consistancy and coherence that her first two releases sometimes had trouble maintaining. One thing that really makes this a standout 80's classic is the music. There's more then a lot of catchy tunes here. Janet,Jam & Lewis all put together a whole new type of dance-funk here. What that meant were beats that came from the bottom up,quiet to loud rather than the other way around.These were often puncuated by very punchy uses of synth bass and melodic exchanges. The approch is not only very Minneapolis and commercial but also arty and distinctive. The music is as tough as the lyrics are.From the powerful title song to "The Pleasure Principle" Janet explores various types of assertive behavior,from professional to romantic. And the music keeps your feet moving AND your waist move in and out while she's doing it. Much the same as with her brother Mike's huge breakthrough Thriller even the non hit material on this album sound like hits."You Can Be Mine" and "He Doesn't Even Know I'm Alive" are great examples,exploring heavier pop elements than some of the more....musical material.Another similar case is "(Funny How Time Flies) When Your Having Fun",a ballad tacked onto the end of the album with such a strong,errie minor chorded feel that it's become a popular cover choice for a number of instrumentalists,especially in the jazz world. But the Jam/Lewis production on the song,as on the rest of the album makes it a sure fire standout. This albums goes far beyond the well known "Nasty","When I Think Of You","What Have You Done For Me Lately" and "Let's Wait Awile" and everyone who hears this will be more than happily surprized how well everything,even if it wasn't all over the radio and dancefloor will make a very strong impression."