Has Janet Jackson ever sounded so much like Michael?
Vocally at least, she’s taken on a deeper timbre that sounds
eerily like his voice, with short breaths and inflections as if genuinely channelling
his spirit. Musically, though, she’s always been in her brother’s shadow, never
quite gaining that marriage of popularity and innovative production. Even with
Michael gone, that remains the same.
In many ways, though, Janet has always been the more
progressive artist and ‘Unbreakable’ proves that she still has the capacity to
surprise us. That said, this album is rooted firmly in the past – thematically
and musically. There’s a faint narrative here of key moments in her life – her successes,
her failures, her private life – and how they
link in with social and political issues. “I had this great epiphany”, she
sings at the end of Shoulda Known Better,
“and Rhythm Nation was the dream, I
guess next time I’ll know better”. It’s followed by the beautifully touching After You Fall, clearly inspired by her
brother’s death.
For the most part, ‘Unbreakable’ is a reflective album and
it’s in these quieter moments that Jackson’s softer side emerges, with a vocal
laden with emotional weight. Her music has always had a tension between her
up-tempo dance tracks and her sexy slow-jams – the latter sound appearing on
the already dated No Sleeep featuring
J.Cole – but the quieter tracks exemplify the maturity at the heart of ‘Unbreakable’.
Far from the naïve, youthful dreamer she used to be, you get the sense that
Jackson is a wise, hardened woman who has overcome adversity to become, on the
penultimate track, Well Travelled. ‘Unbreakable’
is her story.
Fittingly, then, this is musically something of an anthology
of her past, covering the many genres she’s experimented with and somehow
managing to sound simultaneously retro and modern. Tracks like Missy Elliot
collaboration BURNITUP, No Sleeep and the soulful R&B jam of
a title track all sound about ten years out of date, but there are some slick,
sexy dance tracks here that fit nicely into modern tastes. Dammn Baby is Jackson in typically sexual mode accompanied by trap
beats; The Great Forever takes a
darker turn with its menacing bass and haunting vocal harmonies; and Night is all warm, funky synths, guitars
and piano that subtly hark back to 90s hit Together
Again. That Jackson has reunited with songwriting/production duo Jimmy Jam
and Terry Lewis is totally apparent in the confidence brimming from almost
every track.
Dream Maker/Euphoria heralds
the start of “Side 2”. Here, the album is a more experimental affair,
influenced by a wide range of genres: from the R&B pop of 2 Be Loved, to the stark synth-rock
sound of Take Me Away, the guitar-led
ballad Lessons Learned, the
minimalist finger clicks of Black Eagle,
and the glorious World sounds of Well
Travelled (that should’ve ended the album, rather than the jaunty Mo-Town
funk of Gon’ B Alright). Jackson is
pushing boundaries like she hasn’t for years, but whether she now has the
popstar clout to deliver these tracks is another matter entirely.
“Am I done? Thank you”, she questions in the album’s final
moments at the end of Gon’ B Alright.
Part glimpse into her recording process with Jimmy Jam (we are literally jerked
out of the dreamworld of her music back into cold reality), it perhaps also heralds
the end of Jackson’s career. ‘Unbreakable’ neatly ties together her past,
proving her indomitable spirit and solidifying the building blocks of her
career and reputation. To progress from here may be a step too far.
4/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* The Great Forever
* Shoulda Known Better
* Night
Listen: ‘Unbreakable’ is available now.
