Friday, September 17, 2004
"What Have You Done For Me Lately," Janet Jackson (3/22/86)
Hard and dry, "Lately" was the start of a new era in R&B; while it wasn't Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's first charttopper (that'd be this one, nearly two years prior), it was the one which signalled their true arrival. Control is the sound of Jam & Lewis, perhaps even moreso than the littlest Jackson, locking into a groove - a groove which proved to be damned near indestructible and unbeatable. As The Neptunes and Timbaland have been the kings of the (production) world for the past 4 (or so) years, Jimmy & Terry, alongside L.A. & Babyface, were for the last four years of the '80s. This one - and the entire Control album - paved the way for so much. The song itself? As we all know, it's a sassy steppin' out partay for Janet, which feels lightyears from Damita Jo. Then again, it should, since she was but a teenager when she recorded this. I recently observed to my bf that Control has aged better than perhaps expected; I now prefer it to Rhythm Nation 1814, felt by most back in '89 to be a superior album. So simple-sounding it's not simple at all, and that's where its brilliance lies. A-
Hard and dry, "Lately" was the start of a new era in R&B; while it wasn't Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's first charttopper (that'd be this one, nearly two years prior), it was the one which signalled their true arrival. Control is the sound of Jam & Lewis, perhaps even moreso than the littlest Jackson, locking into a groove - a groove which proved to be damned near indestructible and unbeatable. As The Neptunes and Timbaland have been the kings of the (production) world for the past 4 (or so) years, Jimmy & Terry, alongside L.A. & Babyface, were for the last four years of the '80s. This one - and the entire Control album - paved the way for so much. The song itself? As we all know, it's a sassy steppin' out partay for Janet, which feels lightyears from Damita Jo. Then again, it should, since she was but a teenager when she recorded this. I recently observed to my bf that Control has aged better than perhaps expected; I now prefer it to Rhythm Nation 1814, felt by most back in '89 to be a superior album. So simple-sounding it's not simple at all, and that's where its brilliance lies. A-
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