Damita Jo (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Janet Jackson > Reviews > Damita Jo by Janet Jackson - A Review

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
Value for Money

Advantages:	It's got the first single on it
Disadvantages:	It's too samey, interludes spoil instead of help

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

I'm listening to it now. I'm going to try and review whilst on a first listen. Be gentle with me as it's my first music review!

I am expecting something as good Rhythm Nation 1814 but I'll more than likely get something like Velvet Rope. Let's see...

The way Janet's albums are stuck together is generally about 14 songs with little sound bites or studio 'bloopers' and every track normally blends into each other giving you about 70 minutes of non-stop music. This one is no exception. Opening with...

1 - Looking For Love 1:29
...which is a narrative set to some peaceful music with a pulsing tone fading in periodically. You have the lady herself on about the creativity and energy in all of us and that we're all looking for love. Nice. It's a half decent warm up for...

2 - Damita Jo 2:45
...the title track which breaks down into a funky sample and some geezers shouting Damita Jo every now and again. I wouldn't have put it past J-Lo but Miss Jackson shame on you! Not a good start for the first full track which fades into...

3 - Sexhibition 2:29
...a banging intro. This is more like it. Funky backbeat and track leading, by way of a high note, into the simple chorus which is an effective 3 step harmony-sing/rap-harmony. The bridge is a bit flat but goes back into the extremely catchy chorus. "Relax, it's just sex" takes us into...

4 - Strawberry Bounce 3:10
...a bouncy track with a bland verse and a chorus out of an Emma Bunton album (sorry Emma!) with a brief bridge and the first motherf*cker of the album. Ooo she swears. Nah, me not like-ee this track. Next...

5 - My Baby (featuring Kayne West) 4:17
Nice. A bit nicey-nice. Seems to be about how her man makes her feel Tony-The-Tiger grrrrreat! It's passable. I can see it being a grower. Some nice harmonies but then you get the obligatory rappy bit in the middle. Though what's going on? Only 1 real sing-a-long track so far! which takes us to...

6 - The Islands 0.39
...an interlude. That's why I put the timings on for you so you can tell. Here we are by the ocean. She likes Anguila it sems. Loves humidity, palm trees etc. Peaceful. Then you get the clue to the next track. Her last line is "With my baby..."...

7 - Spending Time With You 4:14
...onto a song about an island and how she likes to walk on the beach, palm trees etc. with her baby. It's chilled out. A little samey though. The bridge is a climb down from the current melody. Then a few words from Janet and we're off back in to the main melody. Sounds like a laid back version of "Go Deep" from Velvet Rope....

8 - Magic Hour 0:23
...fading into the magic hour when it's almost dark and the sun is almost down. She likes the twilight with the cool evening breeze. You think yeah, more schmaltz coming but...

9 - Island Life 3:53
...the next track starts off with good sound. She mentions those bloody palm trees again and we are treated to a melodic verse going into a very nice harmony chorus. A beat breakdown and fade in and out with a tinny back beat takes us to the bridge. Then back to the chorus with our Damita Jo ad-libing over the last minute of the track to...

10 - All Nite (Don't Stop) 3:26
...something which she thinks is "sick" which seems to be a good thing as it goes into a funky dancy number that you can see the girlies shaking their butt and the men panting for more on the dance floor. I think that it's a continuation of the island theme with us now in the nightclub. I don't know why but I keep expecting Sean Paul to come in at any moment possibly because I've heard this beat so much recently. The bridge has sounds of someone panting over it. Funky but forgettable...

11 - R&B Junkie 3:10
...going into an even funkier number. Liking it. It's sampling an 80s tune I think. Looked it up it's Evelyn King. I like it. Oh oh oh oh oh. Tum-te-tum. "I feel like bumpin to some old skool" well me too after this. Yes, this one can stay....

12 - I Want You 3:57
...she wants to slow it down and dance with her baby now so it's a very Diana Ross and the Supremes sounding tune. Very Motown (With a capital M). With the kind of harmonies and tuneful sound you'd expect you can almost hear those glittering ladies from decades ago in the harmonies! Yep that's another one for Janet....

13 - Like You Don't Love Me 3:30
...wasn't sure what to expect here. Sounds a little like SWV's "Right Here" so far. No real tune though. It feels like a filler track. Sounds the same right the way through. There's a bit of dialogue from Janet at the end here about her doing her homework listening to music when she was a kid...

14 - Could This Be Love 4:19
... leads into a song that, well, just doesn't open very well. It gets worrying when you start skipping through a track and I'm doing that now. Bland bland bland. Another chat from Janet though it seems to be part of the song taking us into...

15 - Thinkin' Bout My Ex 4:35
....a slow bit with Janet over a guitar. I was hoping we'd get a beat here ( Like Velevet Ropes "What About?") but it's about her seemingly on the rebound and telling the person she's bouncing off that she still wants her ex and it's over. De-press-ing. Very samey through. Don't know how else to describe it. Apart from *yawn* ...

16 - Warmth 3:44
...very harmony intense here. Sounds a bit much as it's all up at the top end of the range. the instruments don't offset it much either. I think it's meant to be sensual but all I'm getting is a headache. Percussion noticeably absent apart from the odd tap and click and it doesn't change at all for the entire song....

17 - Moist 4:54
...now this one has started a bit more interestingly. But again with the high vocal and ooooo bit. Moist seems to be about her copulating, or at least the promise of it. Doesn't change all the way through and the last 50 seconds is just the tune with no singing. Filler anyone?...

18 - It All Comes Down To Love 0:38
...Another Damita Jo Monologue. She says "unforgettably" at one point, well, what was that again?...

19 - Truly 3:58
...click of the fingers and a ting-a-ling bit takes us into this track. Tuneful for a change. But the hoped for beat just doesn't come. No bridge either (That I could detect). Still nice though...

20 - The One 1:01
...back to the almost Enigma-esque backing track for the talky bits. It seems that she has found Neo! Ah but seriously. She's found The One and it's Love (With a capital L!)...

21 - SloLove 3:44
...another 'slo' one? Well, I like the start. Ah, it's D.I.S.C.O. Well, sort of. Back with the funk. I'm sat here boogying a bit. Yay! Nice chorus. Funky breakdown in the bridge and back into the song. Plods along quite nicely really...

22 - Country 0:30
..."Damita Jo - is like a country name?" Some hillbillie music behind it...

23 - Just A Little While 4:11
...my favourite on the album. Nice to end on this after the last 22 tracks. Starts off with a good guitar bit. Instantly very tuneful. Now I'm bopping. The song sounds like it was sang with a smile and it's making me smile too. It's very heart-warming. Singalong too! Yep, nice way to end the album.

Good tracks: 7 out of 17 tracks (excluding interludes)
Best track(s): Just A Little While, Sexhibition and I Want You
Depressing track: Thinkin' Bout My Ex
Rating 3 out of 5

Well then. It's fair that I identify myself as a fan of Janet. I have every album that she has made. This has been a disappointment. I gave the extra half to take it to three because the tracks that are really good really are impressive. Very well produced as per usual by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis but it just didn't get me going. It only just beats the Janet Remix album. I'm off back to the Velvet Rope. Might see you all there....