I just wanted to take a minute to revisit Janet Jackson’s wonderful 1993 album, Janet. Prior to the release of Janet, the world had come to know Janet Jackson as Michael’s adorable little sister who could dance her ass off and churn out some major R&B/Pop hits. Despite her overwhelming success, Ms. Jackson’s image back then was completely different from her image now. She stayed away from sexual imagery and never showed much skin. It wasn’t until “Love Will Never Do Without You” (the last video from her Rhythm Nation album) that she hinted to the world there was more to her than a cute small and exquisitely executed dance moves. Little did we know, sweet little Janet was a big freak and after she unveiled her sexuality the girl hasn’t looked back since. Janet became the first album by a female artist to debut at #1 in the U.S. in the Nielsen SoundScan era and went on to become the best-selling album of her career, spawning a whopping SIX top 10 hits on Billboard and selling over 17 million worldwide. Come back with me and revisit… Janet.

“That’s The Way Love Goes” and “If”

America hadn’t seen a pop star display such overt sexuality since Madonna, however these two pop star’s exploration of the erotic were significantly different. Janet Jackson’s image underwent more of a sexual metamorphosis because America knew her as youthful and innocent before she decided to let it all hang out. Madonna, on the other hand, was sexually explicit from the start of her career. Janet’s image transformation from innocent to bad girl has been displayed in the careers of many who have come after her (ie. Britney, Christina, Mariah). Ooh yeah… that Rolling Stone cover sent shock waves throughout the industry. And unlike the Superbowl incident, this one had a strictly positive effect.

“Again” and “Anytime/Anyplace”

On Janet, the music and videos were downright incredible. She completely threw everyone off when she debuted “That’s The Way Love Goes” which was completely laid back and completely void of choreography. Her following singles proved she could still bust a move. I can’t tell you how many times I tried to the choreography to “If” or “You Want This” (I’m still working on it…I’ll keep you posted). And when she released “Throb”, it blew my mind because I hadn’t known any star of her magnitude to release a song that was straight up Club/House music. And who could forget “Again” (Ahh the memories).

“Because of Love” and “You Want This”

To be completely honest, I’m a little nervous about her upcoming album. While I fully support her and Jermaine Dupri’s personal relationship, I’m not much of a fan of their professional pairing. I think she’s making a big mistake by tossing her long and successful relationship with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis aside in favor of working with her boyfriend. Her with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis was pure magic and if it ain’t broke…We’ll just have to wait and see. But in the meantime, dust off the Janet album and take a listen, it will brighten your day and probably sex it up a little too.

Just For Kicks: here’s the ‘N Sync cover of “That’s The Way Love Goes” they did for MTV’s Icon Special. It’s actually really good!

‘N Sync – That’s The Way Love Goes

I still can’t believe it has been 6 years since the passing of one of the brightest stars R&B music has ever been song by, Aaliyah. Blazing the trail for young female singers of her generation like Brandy, Monica and Mya, Aaliyah’s music still inspires and stays in the hearts of those who love her.

As a tribute to Baby Girl, please enjoy these rarities:

Giving Up – from her expected role as Sparkle

Turn The Page – from the Music of Heart OST

I Am Music – by Timbaland f/ Aaliyah, Beck, and Static

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that my favorite Mary J. Blige album is “My Life”. Although during the recording process, Mary J. was at a low point emotionalyl, battling drug and alcohol abuse, the music she created was so pure and soulful. Like Billie Holliday and Donny Hathaway who also infused their music with the deep pain of their personal lives, Mary J. Blige took her depression and created an album that critics and fans alike consider to be her greatest work to date. This once again proves that out of great pain can come great art.

My Life was certified 3X platinum by the RIAA in December 1996. In 2003, the album was ranked number 279 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It’s Blige’s only album on the list. Revist My Life!

P.S. After completing the My Life album, The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul also covered the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, classic hits “Natural Woman” for the New York Undercover soundtrack so I tacked that on the end. Enjoy Love Muffins!

G’day love muffins, I just wanted to take a moment a revisit the spectacular album that was Jagged Little Pill. After a couple of pop albums in her native Canada, Alanis Morisette took a more emotional approach to her next album and the result was truly legendary. After her album was released in 1995, it went 16x platinum in the United States alone and went on to become the 18th best selling album of all time (That’s major). Alanis secured herself as part of Canada’s Holy Trinity (Celine, Shania, and Alanis). Jagged Little Pill became the soundtrack of the mid-90s and the sense of angst she embodied in her voice and lyrics has been often imitated but never duplicated by newer wanna-be-rocker artist (Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, etc). Take a moment and revisit all that is and was Jagged Little Pill.

As the story goes, when Whitney Houston was offered one of the lead roles in Waiting to Exhale, she was still reeling from the huge success of her movie debut in The Bodyguard and its award-winning soundtrack. With her next role, Whitney didn’t want the pressure of holding double duties as actor/singer and wanted to keep the focus primarily on her acting. Clive Davis, in an effort to keep his star diva from putting her singing on hold, recruited Whitney’s long-time friend and collaborator, Babyface, to help convince her to lend her voice to the movie soundtrack. After several approaches, Whitney finally agreed to do three songs for the Waiting To Exhale soundtrack under one condition: that the rest of the tracks all be sung only by women to reflect the mood and subject-matter of the movie. Babyface and Clive Davis obliged and the rest is history.

.
Whitney’s great idea, Babyface’s songwriting/production, and the great collection of artists turned out to be pure magic. The album debuted at #1 in November of 1995 and remained at the top of the charts for five weeks and sold over six million copies. It spawned a plethora of major hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including the #1 singles Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” and Toni Braxton’s “Let It Flow”, the #2 hits Brandy’s “Sittin’ Up In My Room” and Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry”. This soundtrack brought together some of the greatest voices in R&B old and new. It also seemed to reflect a wide array of emotions from blissful love to bitter heartbreak. And to think that the person to capture the essence of all of these female R&B singers was a man! Enjoy one of favorites, love muffins!