eMusic Review 0
By the time 19-year-old Janet Jackson stepped into the studio to record Control, her CV already included two sui generic solo albums, multiple episodes of Diff'rent Strokes and Good Times, and hours of stage time alongside her immaculately packaged, irreparably damaged older siblings. But even with all that exposure, she lacked a discernable musical identity: To most of the public, Janet was just another Jackson, ranked somewhere between Tito and LaToya in terms of credibility. Thankfully, she decided to break ranks with her family, flee to Minneapolis, and hook up with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The resulting album is a deep-grooved, high-tech mission statement that sold millions. After Control, Janet Jackson would no longer be dismissed as Michael's little sister; she was known simply as "Janet." (Or as "Ms. Jackson," depending on your level of nastiness).
The album's opening title track begins with a robotically flat voiceover from Jackson: "This is a story about control — my control," she says. "I hope you enjoy this as much as I do." What follows is a synchronized blitz of skittering cowbells and economical horn lines, all of them canned; it sounds as though Jackson, Jam and Lewis are running through a… read more »
