Unbreakable
Rhythm
Nation / BMG
Release
date: October 2, 2015
By Shawal
Ras
Follow @shawalras
The Queen
of R&B, Janet Jackson, returns to the music scene with a brand new album
after a seven-year hiatus.
A lot of
things happened in the last seven years, to be honest. On the professional
level, she parted ways with Island Records due to her dissatisfaction over its
method in promoting her last album, Discipline. Personally, Janet ended her
relationship with Jermaine Dupri, got married to a “normal” bloke who happens
to be a Qatari billionaire (and converted to Islam along the way - according to
tabloids), and yes, the death of her brother Michael back in 2009.
Like I
said, a lot had happened.
Anyway,
Unbreakable, to me, should be described as quintessential Janet. Despite it
being too long for me (over an hour, 17 tracks + 2 extras), the album seems
like a throwback to her best years.
Packed
with a lot of dated R&B tunes and less S&M - the album is pretty tame
for Jackson. Finger-snappy tracks like ‘No Sleep’, ‘Black Eagle’, and ‘Dammn
Baby’ may tease you with some inappropriate thoughts, but, that’s the only thing
she’ll give you: a tease. The rest? Do it yourself.
Summore
tracks that caught my attention are ‘Night’, ‘Lessons Learned’, and ‘2 B Loved’
which are very early 90’s Janet.
As a
whole, if I'm being honest, Unbreakable is not a solid record. After the first few plays, the album
feels like a mixture of everything and you’ll feel as if there are gaps here
and there throughout the long play. In another word, it’s not cohesive.
But, it’s
kinda good to know that Janet is back in the limelight. Really, there’s no need
for her to reinvent herself by jumping into a cheerleading outfit (I’m staring
at you, Madonna) or compete with the likes of Tinashe, Jhene Aiko, or Natalie
La Rose. In all the mess that is Unbreakable, lies a content and happier Janet.
Unbreakable
is out now via Rhythm Nation and BMG.
Rating:
2.5 out of 5 stars.