All for You

After a string of four genre-defining and defying masterpieces, it seems inevitable that Janet Jackson would stumble. No one releases perfect albums every time, but the drop between The Velvet Rope and All for You is prominent. The Velvet Rope was the sound of an icon seeking personal and sexual self-actualization, and its intimacy, anger, sadness, and carnality was a breathtaking listen.

All for You is a limp pop confection. Some of the sex songs are embarrassing and/or hilariously pornographic, some of the ebullient dance tracks feel routine, and the entire thing feels like a retread of better Janet Jackson songs. Look at “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You),” another mashup of famous 70s female singer/songwriter sample with Janet’s hip-hop/R&B/pop. While Joni Mitchell’s appearance on “Got Till It’s Gone” was a surprise, a very pleasant one for its quiet storm that turns into a hurricane brilliance, Carly Simon’s on “Son of a Gun” is a several car pileup. It’s a mess but you can’t turn away from it. The remix, with P. Diddy (I think that was what he was calling himself at the time) and Missy Elliott, is so much better for sidelining Simon’s cringeworthy braggadocio.

Still, All for You contains some unexpected moments of tenderness and daring. “Trust a Try” finds Jackson embracing her inner theater kid AND rock goddess in a bizarre song that’s genius for its sheer insanity. There are strings, a metallic guitar, and Jackson’s committed vocal delivery that somehow manages to tie it all together into an experimental pop wonder. “China Love” is so simple and effective for generating intimacy, both romantic and sexual, through its lush production and speaking about anything but Jackson’s voracious sexual demands. It’s a beautiful nugget stashed in-between filler.

There’s also “Better Days,” a song that causes me to imagine what the wider album might have been. Here is one of her strongest vocals on the album, its simplicity is pleasurable and alluring while she sounds strong and inviting. The hint of putting strife and sadness behind you and moving onto greener pastures makes the song a stronger piece than many of the more forgettable material, like “When We Oooo,” “Truth,” or “Love Scene (Oh Baby).” Hell, the aggression of “You Ain’t Right” makes you think that All for You’s mixed reception and legacy is deserving a reevaluation before you spend the next hour-plus discovering that no, it’s a decidedly mixed bag.

While All for You is loaded with too much filler, the three major singles (“All for You,” “Someone to Call My Lover,” “Come on Get Up”) are sunny, bright, and effervescent gems that fit snuggling within Jackson’s wider range of work. The inclusion of “Doesn’t Really Matter” from the Nutty Professor II: The Klumps soundtrack is nice as its confidence and simple pleasures fit nicely with the album’s wider emphasis on cheer and escapism. It’s still more coherent and stronger than its follow-up, Damita Jo, but those goddamn skits and interludes! They weakened the strengths of The Velvet Rope at times, and they underscore the unchallenging material here.  

DOWNLOAD: “Trust a Try,” “Better Days,” “Someone to Call My Lover”