JANET JACKSON

All For You

Virgin

Dammit, Janet! What happened to the lovable girl-next-door persona of yours from the sitcoms Good Times and Different Strokes? What happened to the days when you were singing “Let’s Wait Awhile” to a boyfriend trying to get on second base?

Apparently, our now 34 year-old Janet is all grown up. Welcome the new curmudgeonly, yet still adorable, Janet. On All for You Janet has once again enlisted old comrades Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who have worked on every one of her albums since Control in 1986. All for You saw the subtraction of producer and ex-hubby Elizondo and the addition of producer Rockwilder (Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes). Although Elizondo’s presence didn’t play a part in the crafting of All for You, Jackson surly found the source of material (her anger and disappointments) through her relationship with her once significant other.

The claustrophobic sounding “You Ain’t Right” kicks off the album with drum machines and synths while Janet begins her ranting of a parasite. One can’t resist from shaking his hips while listening to Miss Thang’s falsetto voice and syncopated rhythm.

“All for You,” her tenth no. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single, contains everything we’ve come to expect from Miss J.-it’s a butt shaking romper, a throwback to old-school disco, lacquered with a thumpy hook. This time she employs vocal alterations that warp her voice into a virtual doppelganger.

Jackson’s a newly reborn, sexually liberated, single girl on “Come On Get Up.” Her lively singing combines with a dynamic mix of jungle drum rhythms and driven, dance club keyboards.

Jackson slows the pace on “When We Oooo” as she breathily coos “can’t get enough of you.” But the track doesn’t contain enough carnal lyrics to ignite any real passion. The formula works to a better degree on the sizzling, R-rated “Love Scene (Ooh Baby)” where Jackson naughtily coos “as your hands move slowly/ up my thighs/ you taste the honey.” Jackson once again ups the ante in “Would You Mind” where she lustily drifts into a soft core fantasy: “I just wanna/ kiss you, suck you, taste you, ride you/ feel you, make you come too.” But besides the scorching lyrics and moaning, the song provides little else through aural pleasures.

All For You’s best track is, undeniably, “Trust a Try.” It’s fast pace, guitar riff, and nasty lyrics give the track an avant-garde characteristic. The song shows much of Jackson’s capability as a creative artist. If only she would create an album entirely composed of such original pieces would she then take her career to the next level.

Another standout track is “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song is About You),” which samples Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” and where Miss Jackson gets serious. Instead of sexually charged lyrics she uses obscene language and lashes out on others as she sings, “thought you’d get the money too/ greedy mutherfuckers/ try to have your cake/ and eat it too.” (With such racy lyrics and testy language it’s surprising All for You wasn’t slapped with a parental advisory sticker.) Spoken word from Simon laughably name-dropping various cloud formations only incites the song further. The twice-divorced pop diva who has been in the business for over 20 years has surely made many enemies along the way. But the song is probably aimed at her most recent divorce from Rene Elizondo Jr. who is suing her for $10 million in damages, asking for some assets and property they acquired together.

Set against a whirling up tempo dance groove and Jackson’s voice sounding fresh as ever, “Someone to Call My Lover” is an irresistible summer anthem. Also included on the album is last years release “Doesn’t

Really Matter,” another superb Jackson ditty.

For every great song on All for You, there’s a disappointing one. Jackson’s musings about her topsy-turvy personal life translate into so-so tracks. Still, Janet Jackson is one of the few international icons that can still entertain the masses. Her recent string of success is a testament to her savvy marketing techniques. Last summer, Nutty Professor 2, in which she starred alongside Eddie Murphy, took in more than $175 million at the worldwide box office. “Doesn’t Really Matter,” off the Nutty soundtrack, added another no. 1 hit to her arsenal. In March, MTV’s inaugural “mtvICON,” the network’s tribute to musicians who rate the title, made her status official. With the All For You blockbuster world tour in high gear and All for You an already multi-platinum album Jackson is a force to be reckoned with.