Janet Jackson

Both Janet Jackson and her older brother Michael started out as cuddly child stars and
then retreated into more-remote personas. But while Michael has nearly vanished into a
sexually ambivalent neverland, Janet has made the attainment of a high-gloss, sexually
charged "normalcy" her personal and professional project. Over the years, the
military-style beats and dance moves of Control (1986) and Rhythm Nation 1814 (1... More >

Fifth time through or so, having vaguely enjoyed the title tune's thirdhand chic and patted my figurative foot to two other early songs and conceived something a little more fattening when she invited/implored me (me--we hardly know each other, but hey) to "taste" her, I got to the Carly Simon duet again, and finally it hit me. This wasn't just weird, it was revolting. Once Janet was a repressed young thing discovering her sexuality, and that was fun for everybody; now she's a rich 35-year-old demanding sex, and even if her body wisdom is manifestly subtler than Carly's, the thrill is gone. And then there's a fabled production team that has achieved precisely nothing on its own since she turned into something slinkier and more carnivorous than a cash cow--a cash mink, say. (Grade: B-)