As Janet Jackson so eloquently states on the intro to her ninth studio album, 20 Y.O., “there’s something to be said for not saying anything.” And as she fondly reminds us, she’s said a lot over the last 20 years. Topics like racism, spousal abuse, empowering women, and children are just tips of the musical icebergs she’s utilized to create some of her most memorable music and some now-classic albums (Control-Velvet Rope being a quartet of R&B perfection. Period). So with all those things having been said, Janet decided that to mark the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking “debut”, Control, she wanted to make an album that paid homage to it - “by blending her sounds of the past with the modern-day present” - as well as making an album that reflected how old she felt (she turned 40 last May).

In a nutshell, she wanted to make a “fun” album and thus we have 20 Y.O.; longtime Janet enthusiasts feared the worst when it was reported that Janet’s beau, Jermaine Dupri, would be executive producing the project. And with his never-ending tendency to recycle melodies, arrangements and basically repeat himself musically, the fears were well-founded. But thankfully, JD brought some creativity with him to the studio and laced his honey with some of his more original material as of late.

The album plays as a 5-part suite about having fun in every sense possible, with each sequence of songs sectioned off by an infamous Janet interlude. On Interlude #1, Janet declares her mission statement to just have fun and the following sequence of tracks affirms this.

As far as JD club bangers go, current single So Excited, is definitely an original. Built off the classic Herbie Hancock “Rock It” sample, Janet coos her patented seductive come-ons over the thumping drumline and record scratches, while a vocal assist from Dirty South femcee Khia (yes, that Khia) turns up the hype factor and makes the record one of Janet’s catchiest dancefloor fillers this side of the millennium. Show Me mellows out the excitement with its sparse bounce backing a lyrical bent similar to “You Want This”; reminding us how entertaining Janet is when her fun and flirtatious side comes out to play. And Get It Out Me is an assault on the ears all its own with the thunderous backbeat, upfront lyric, sing-a-long hook and sassy Janet vocals just begging for a classic routine to accompany it a la “Pleasure Principle”.

Do It 2 Me is JD’s first repeated beat attempt with the backing drumkick being the same one employed on his protégé Johnta Austin’s lead single “Turn It Up”. But thankfully, he played it smart with the samples; interpolating a classic Luther joint into Johnta’s mix while lacing Janet’s falsetto cooing with a rather obscure Brenda Russell sample. And then Janet’s inner “Black Cat” is resurrected in a tamer yet more seductive form with This Body; the squawking electric guitars, erotic drum knocks, and Janet’s patented moaning making the record and smolder and sizzle like only a Janet record done right can.

Next follows Janet’s instructions to “smooth it out” and JD’s recycle beat bin being raided for the silky With U. Musically, the tune differs barely from the majority of the JD-fashioned mid-tempo/ballads that have hit the airwaves within the last 18 months. But the concept and lyric is where the beauty lies; the record being billed as a sequel to Janet’s classic “Let’s Wait A While”, with the couple from the original now stuck in a lull of romantic confusion after the fact. Coupled with a gentle and rather vulnerable vocal from Janet, this one’s sure to be lodged in her musical canon as an artifact soon enough.

Also in the smoothed-out section is the lead single, Call On Me, which winds up being the weakest song on the album - but due to its competition and not its quality. From there, JD’s production reign ends and Janet stalwarts Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are ushered back in to tighten up the latter half of 20 Y.O. and provide the, overall, most solid material on the album. Janet gets a bit nostalgic with an old friend on Interlude #3 and then treats us to the two best instances of classic Janet bridged with modern Janet.

Daybreak sounds like the prequel to “Escapade” and “Runaway” with its chimes, 808s and faux-rock guitar blended into the mix, creating a wistful and carefree vibe that plays like a cool breeze blowing on a hot summer night. And Enjoy brings out Janet’s more sunny and soulful side, complete with piano and a children’s choir. The clear-eyed lyric about living life to the full is a tad cliché but appreciated within the context of the album as are Janet’s blissful ad-libs which highlight the vocalized similarities between her and big brother Mike.

Interlude #4 is a brief voicemail with Janet telling JD how much she misses him before segueing into the luscious Take Care, which is yet another instructional .mp3 on honing the fine art of self-love over a sensual bed of strings, guitar, and drip-drop percussion - Janet’s breathy moans and coos firmly intact. (see: “Any Time, Any Place” or “Moist”/”Warmth” without all the gratuitously explicit detail) And then there’s the smoldering and erotic finale, Love 2 Love, which Janet says takes her back to her Velvet Rope while also revealing the effects of her reading through a couple of pages in the book of Prince. If Janet’s steamy and passionate vocals don’t do a well enough job of winding the album down , the simulated via synthesized bumping and grinding will.

Regardless of the material presented, Janet’s approach to 20 Y.O. should be respected and appreciated. She's not acting like it's her major "comeback" album or the album to apologize to the fans and critics who disliked and/or condemned Damita Jo. It wasn’t an album made to help pretend that the entire Super Bowl incident never happened. And Janet’s not even calling it her "best" album as so many artists like to do when they release an album at a certain point in their career. She’s not trying sell the album to the public as more than it is; she's letting the music speak for itself.

And what the music says is that 20 Y.O. was an album made for fun and to be fun and it winds up being an album that plays like it. Say what you like about how, now, she’s just biting off the younger artists and current trends to regain some footing and cover some ground. But if anything, she's only showing them, and everyone else, how it’s really supposed to be done.

Retail Price: $13.99

Retail Worth: $28.00

Final Analysis: Take the top-10 most successful female R&B artists currently in the game and check back in 20 years to see if they’re capable of making an album this entertaining. That’s if they’re still around.

Recommended: Yes