Ms. Jackson's Modest Debut

Janet Jackson (1982)

1. "Say You Do"
Starting off the album is what I would like to call "bubblegum disco". This cutesy pop-dance tune has an infectious beat and I love how the beginning of the song is prolonged until Janet's vocals finally come in.  It's amazing how young Janet sounded here, which is not surprising considering she was only 16 at the time! The production is solid, even superb and Janet's vocals sound pretty sharp as she sings about a boy she wants so desperately to tell her how he feels about her.  As far as openers go, this is a strong one and gives an idea of how the album's sound will be dictated throughout, for the most part, anyway! Nice! :)
(A-)

2. "You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)"
After a great start with "Say You Do", we get this bleak and boring sounding follow-up with this track. "You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)" feels like a leftover piece of disco history that should have best been left in the 70s! O_O Seriously, Janet sings this with the same bland tone as the production itself. I can imagine this song being played toward the end of the night at a disco with every suddenly deciding to leave the dance floor. Certainly one of the weakest tracks on the album and is quite forgettable!
(D+)

3. "Young Love"
Instantly rejuvenating the album with some MUCH needed energy after the lackluster "You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)", we get this stunning disco tune that rivals almost anything from brother Michael's daring disco breakthrough "Off The Wall".  Janet, once again, sings with some fire and fury in her voice for her age and the lyrics are well written with her singing of a juvenile relationship that everyone think she's in but knowing she isn't.  I love the added instrumentation of those terrific trumpets and the beat just personifies fun and funk! One of the album's most standout tracks and one of Janet's closet pre-"Control" hits! :)
(A)  

4. "Love And My Best Friend"
You know, I don't know what it is about this song that I love but I just...do! I mean the lyrics are beyond sappy as well as the melodramatic production...but this is one of Janet's sweetest vocal performances; giving the track a genuine emotional resonance that feels earned, not forced. I love hearing young Janet pour her heart out on this one and that sad sounding piano playing! Also, LOVE that last note she hits at the end of the song. Just...so beautiful! :_)
(B+)

5. "Don't Mess Up This Good Thing"
The first track to sound like a more traditional 80s R&B-pop tune, "Don't Mess Up This Good Thing" is almost a slight window into the sassy young star that Janet would become.  The production is really great and actually reminds me of a little classic album that came out that same year....."Thriller?" Definitely has that timeless funk and freshness to it that made "Thriller" so beyond its time! I love Janet's vocals here at well; who would have known she is a tiny powerhouse vocally.  This is just a fun track with a catchy chorus and a juicy beat!
(B+)

6. "Forever Yours"
YAWN!!! Zzzzzzz.....!!! Remember when I said "Love and My Best Friend" sounded genuinely emotional and not forced!! Well, "Forever Yours" is that exact opposite!!! Drench with overly sappy lyrics and attention draining production, it's almost as if the producers forgot that Janet was just a teenager; having her sing a ballad that would be better in a more veteran singer's hands that has a lot more powerful voice. Janet, once again, sounds tired and uninterested, so why should listeners even be invested with the material??? "Forever Yours" is a Forever Snore!!!
(D-)

7. "The Magic Is Working"
"The Magic Is Working" is...cute!!! I love how Janet sang a portion of it on "Diff'rent Strokes".....that's about all the positive I can say about it. It's not a bad song by any means, there's just nothing special about it.  It just kind of goes around in circles for the majority of the song and the production is rather simplistic. There's no real excitement and flare to it that keeps you interested. Janet's vocals are average on it; sometimes you hear the lyrics clearly, sometimes you don'.t. Overall, not really a fan of it. Sorry! :(
(C-)

8. "Come Give Your Love To Me"
What an awesome way to end this meek little album!!! I remember when I first heard this song back in 2015, I hated it!!! I thought it was lazy and not pleasing to the ears at all.  But then I couldn't stop listening to it and realized, MAN was I wrong!!! O_O This is one of the strongest tracks on the album as it ushers in a new age pop-rock sound for the early 80s that hadn't been heard of before! It almost has some elements of Prince's Minneapolis sound (especially during that phenomenal guitar solo toward the middle of the song). I just love the way Janet sings this, especially when she sings "Talk is cheap/Action speaks/Louder than words...YAYHA!!!" :) A shame the song never became a hit off the album but it really is a shinning star among the album's uneven quality at times. :)
(B+)

Back in 1982, Janet Jackson, the youngest member of the Jackson Family Dynasty, was just a young actress. First making her appearance on the mid-70s Jackson Variety Show; which led to her first acting role outside of her family's control on "Good Times". Then came "Diff'rent Strokes" but old Joe Jackson wanted his daughter to do more singing and forced her into a music career. The first results were her self titled debut, "Janet Jackson", an often mixed but album with some glimpse of merit from the soft spoken singer.  But you can tell that Janet had very little "control" (uhuh! ;) over the project with the likes of songwriters Angela Winbush and René Moore contributing to much of the album's lyrics. Moore and Winbush share production credits with Foster Sylvers, Jerry Weaver, and Bobby Watson. Honestly, there is some surprisingly good material here like the post disco roar of "Say You Do" and especially "Young Love" as well as the crossover rock sensation of "Come Give Your Love To Me"....but when it comes to Janet, you can tell her heart wasn't in it for the most part. While some of her vocals are clear and strong, sometimes she just doesn't seem invested in what she's singing; making the material sound blander than it already is. I mean "You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)" feels like throwaway disco fodder while "Forever Yours" is about as forgettable as a ballad can get.! The album's success, or severe lack there of, was the results of this with the album peaking at #63 on the Billboard 200 and going on to only sell 400,000 copies worldwide. The critics weren't also too kind to the album; deeming it "bland and weak", which I agree for the most part. But the parts that stand out, show there is an indication that the album isn't all bad and that there was some hope for Janet, she just hadn't found the right sound yet or figured out how to sing with the noticeable distinction yet. Nothing really separates this material from a Donna Summer or Gloria Gayner record honestly!

"As the first album of the youngest member of pop music royalty, "Janet Jackson" is a decent, if not terribly mishandled album. What ultimately saves if from complete obscurity are the few gems found in between watered down disco and dry ballads that pale in comparison to her work on signature classics like "Control" and "Rhythm Nation".
(C+)