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ALL FOR YOU
Janet Jackson
(Virgin)
After her groundbreaking 1997 album, The Velvet Rope, Jackson takes a slight step backward with her latest collection, in stores Tuesday.
While The Velvet Rope dealt with such mature subject matter as AIDS, homophobia and abuse and showed off a more confident Jackson overall, All For You is a shallow, sex-oriented affair.
Check out the singer in the buff on the album cover -- except for a white fur blanket -- not to mention the explicit Would You Mind, which ends with some mighty heavy breathing on Janet's part and not-for-kids lyrics: "And I'm gonna kiss you, suck you, taste you, ride you, feel you deep inside me ooh, I just wanna kiss you, suck you, taste you, ride you, feel you, make you come too."
The 20-track collection mainly of R&B and pop also covers such subjects as gossip, dancing relationships and -- did I already mention sex? -- with disco, funk and rock influences throughout.
The slower songs stand out: The cool-sounding, percussion-driven When We Oooo and China Love, along with the contemplative Truth, which seems to be about her nasty breakup from second husband Rene Elizondo, who's suing her for $10 million.
Her longtime collaborating writer-producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, also know their way around a dance hook, as All For You, Trust A Try, Someone To Call My Lover and Doesn't Really Matter attest.
Not so successful is a remake of You're So Vain. Jackson hooks up with Carly Simon on Jackson's version called Son Of A Gun (Betcha Think This Song Is About You). Simon attempts to rap.
Jackson starts a world tour in July. (More on Janet Jackson)
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. You Ain't Right
3. All For You
4. 2wayforyou (Interlude)
5. Come On Get Up
6. When We Oooo
7. China Love
8. Love Scene
9. Would You Mind
10. Lame (Interlude)
11. Trust A Try
12. Clouds (Interlude)
13. Son Of A Gun
14. Truth
15. Theory (Interlude)
16. Someone To Call My Lover
17. Feels So Right
18. Doesn't Really Matter
19. Better Days
20. Outro