CONTROL: THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY

I can't believe that it's been forty years (February 4, 1986, to be exact) since the release of the breakthrough album by Janet Jackson, "Control". I remember like it was yesterday when the first single, "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" was dropped, a blunt feminist anthem with a funky beat that was enhanced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' progressive production. More hit songs followed (with seven of the nine album tracks released as singles) and Jackson would no longer be in the shadow of her very famous brothers as "Control" went on to become a worldwide smash, selling more than ten million copies.

As a teenager, Jackson was largely focusing on acting, appearing in the television shows, "Different Strokes" and "Fame", and not really interested in pursuing music. But her father and manager, Joseph got her a recording contract with A&M Records. Jackson went on to release two albums, a self-titled debut in 1982 and "Dream Street" two years later. Both albums were collections of bubblegum soul that received scant attention and failed to give Jackson, who had very little creative control, much of an identity as a musical artist. 

After deciding to take charge of her career, the then nineteen year old first fired her father and then hired her label's A&R manager, John McClain to help guide her into the next phase. He introduced her to Jam and Lewis, who were former members of the funk band, The Time. The trio clicked and went to work together to create her next album with Jackson even co-writing and producing for the first time.

"Control" was made intentionally to appeal primarily to the African-American community with the feeling that if it crossed over to the pop charts, that would be an added bonus. And the album did have a major impact on both the r&b and pop charts. This was also during MTV and the age of the music video which helped bring even more attention to the singles, "Nasty", "When I Think of You", "Let's Wait Awhile" "The Pleasure Principle" and the title track, assisting them in riding high on the charts.

This album has since gone on to become a highly influential and groundbreaking collection, helping to usher in the sounds of contemporary hip-hop soul with Jackson now considered to be one of the preeminent female artists of popular music. Here is a reminder of the enduring legacy of "Control" and the extraordinary artistry of Janet Jackson:

SOMEONE TO CALL MY LOVER

I am still amazed about the power of Tik Tok and the short-form, video platform's ability to breathe new life into older or more obscure music. The latest is the resurgence of Janet Jackson's 2001 pop hit, "Someone To Call My Lover" which has seen a streaming surge once again by going viral on the app. There is usually a current dance craze that helps propel a song's popularly but that isn't clear here with Jackson's twenty-four year old song gaining traction through remixes by her fans and the use as background music on various Tik Toks.

"Someone To Call My Lover" was a track from Jackson's seventh studio album, "All for You" and was the second single released from the record. Jackson and her producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis crafted this song during the difficult demise of her over ten year marriage to dancer and producer, René Elizondo Jr. Feeling lonely and wishing she had a companion so she could do things differently in a new relationship, the song was inspired by these emotions. With a sample of the guitar riff from the rock band, America's 1972 top-ten hit, "Ventura Highway" driving the song, "Someone To Call My Lover" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the top-twenty in several other countries.

But this sadly would become Jackson's final top-ten hit in the US and the last time Jam and Lewis would produce her music for ten years. Following her appearance on the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004 and the infamous "wardrobe malfunction", Jackson became vilified in the press, losing work and her new music would suffer the consequences from this incident. Thankfully, Jackson's career recovered from this controversy, enjoying a renewed, surge in popularity with her Together Again World Tour which began in 2023 and has continued with a Las Vegas residency. And it's been ten years since her last studio album, "Unbreakable", so let's hope this viral hit will help inspire Jackson to get back in the studio to make some new music.

JANET JACKSON: TOGETHER AGAIN TOUR

Janet Jackson has been in the spotlight since she was seven years old after being drawn into the family musical act, The Jacksons (which had been started by her five brothers) by her controlling father when they began an engagement in Las Vegas during the mid-'70's. This lead to the family all being a part of a television variety show where the world got a chance to see the budding talent of this precocious child. More acting followed, appearances on the tv programs, "Good Times" and "Fame", but her father, Joseph, who was also her manager at the time, decided the then-fifteen year old should begin to make music. With no real creative input, Jackson's first two albums were fairly generic collections of r&b-pop that were met with modest attention.

After making the decision to take more control over her future recording endeavors, Jackson fired her father, was paired with two promising musicians/producers by her label and together made an album that introduced a dynamic new artist and changed the course of her career.

Jackson has been in this business for a long time, for a little over fifty years. And she has weathered the mercurial nature of a career in the performing arts, continuing to inspire and influence as one of the most distinguished global artists in popular music.

Having foolishly missed the Together Again Tour when Jackson made a stop at the Hollywood Bowl last summer, I was determined that wasn't going to happen again when the second leg of the tour rolled back into Los Angeles on June 8th at the Kia Forum. 

A tiered curtain rises above a tall platform in the center of the stage to reveal Jackson, swaddled in an oversized jacket cape, as she begins the concert with "Night", a track from her criminally overlooked last studio album, "Unbreakable" from almost ten years ago. Once losing the draping and looking resplendent in one of her Thom Browne designed, sparkling bodysuits, she continues with "2Nite", a deep cut from "Discipline", "Rock With U", another single from the album and "SloLove" from her eighth album, "Damita Jo". Jackson had stated that on this part of the tour she was going to change up the setlist to revisit some popular non-singles from her previous albums and songs she had never performed live. She doesn't disappoint with her selections but hearing the hits is what brought her fans out to the show and she doesn't disappoint here either.

Jackson continues on with a few more obscure songs before reaching "Got 'Til It's Gone", the first single from her critically acclaimed 1997 album, "The Velvet Rope", Jackson's early venture into hip-hop which brought music legend, Joni Mitchell along for the ride with a sample of her "Big Yellow Taxi" used on the track. The beloved hits followed fast and furious; "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "Nasty", "The Pleasure Principle", "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" and "When I Think of You" which she reminds us was her very first number one single way back in 1986.

As with all of her previous road shows, Jackson is constantly surrounded by a group of backing dancers. But this time, surprisingly, they are all-male performers. Perhaps she felt that this time she was the only female energy needed for her show. At the age of fifty-eight, Jackson appeared to have no issue keeping up with these dancers, who are certainly more than half her age, delivering moves that were smooth and full of vigor.

And since she was doing a lot of moving on stage, a backing track was used to assist her vocals but let's be perfectly clear, Jackson's mic was turned on. This was evident when Jackson slowed things down with a medley of her well-known ballads which included "Come Back to Me" and "Let's Wait Awhile". During the song, "Again" from her 1993 movie, "Poetic Justice", Jackson chose to let the audience sing most of this Oscar-nominated love ballad. I have to say this is one of my major pet peeves at concerts since I did not pay to hear a chorus of voices bleat out a song instead of the artist. I will admit that I was quite impressed that the crowd knew all the words to this tune.

This two hour concert serves as a vivid reminder of what a vital performer and impressive musical artist that Jackson has remained. We are long overdue for new music from Jackson who I believe still has much to offer contemporary pop. After the tour concludes in the fall, I hope she will be inspired to put forth some fresh musical expressions in the very near future.

JAM & LEWIS - VOL. ONE

You may not immediately recognize the names of "Jimmy Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis but you definitely know their music:

"Saturday Love" by Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal

"Human" by the Human League

"Just Be Good To Me" by the S.O.S. Band

"If It Isn't Love" by New Edition

"U Remind Me" by Usher

"Tender Love" by Force MD's

"Encore" by Cheryl Lynn

And almost the entire discography of Janet Jackson. This is just a very small number of songs this dynamic duo has co-written and produced since 1983. They have worked with a wildly diverse group of musicians during that time which includes Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bryan Adams, Chaka Khan, Boyz II Men, Sting, Yolanda Adams, Herb Alpert, Patti Austin, Earth Wind & Fire and The Spice Girls.

These long-time friends, who first met in college, would join as musicians with the Minneapolis-based funk band called Flyte Tyme. After connecting with Prince and Morris Day joining as lead singer, the group evolved in to the Time and released their self-titled debut album in 1981. This band enjoyed great success before the duo, who had begun to produce other acts on the side, missed a concert while stranded in Atlanta during a snow storm. Harris and Lewis would end up leaving the Time, after either quitting or were fired (depending on who you ask) in 1983. The song they had produced during that time for the S.O.S. Band, "Just Be Good To Me" would become a smash hit and helped launch the production careers of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Now after years of being in the background, Jam & Lewis have released their very first album under their own names. "Jam & Lewis Volume One" features an impressive line-up of artists that they have worked with previously (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Usher) and for the first time (Toni Braxton, Babyface, Charlie Wilson, formerly of the Gap Band). And former Time members, Morris Day and Jerome Benton even show up along with The Roots on the track, "Babylove". This is a great collection of classic r&b by this influential team and I can't wait to hear the next volume.

2019 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

The artists inducted in to this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be the British Goth band, The Cure; heavy metal rockers, Def Leppard; soul siren, Janet Jackson; gypsy queen, Stevie Nicks, the English alt-rock band, Radiohead, the elegant art rock outfit, Roxy Music and the psychedelic pop band, the Zombies. In order to be considered, at least twenty-five years must have passed since the musician’s first recordings were released in order to ensure that their contribution to music has stood the test of time.

The induction dinner and ceremony will be held March 29th at the Hall in Cleveland, Ohio with highlights of the speeches and performances honoring the inductees will be later shown on an HBO special on April 27th.

THE CURE

The Cure emerged during the end of the punk rock revolution and the rise of the new wave movement. The founding members of this band were school friends in Crawley, England and first played locally as Easy Cure. There were some conflicts over the direction of the band and eventually only bassist, Michael Dempsey, drummer, Lol Tolhurst and guitarist, writer and vocalist, Robert Smith remained. They decided to rename themselves "The Cure" and were signed to Fiction record label and released a still very controversial single, “Killing an Arab” in 1978. It certainly brought the band attention and their debut album, “Three Imaginary Boys” was released the following year. The band became known as leaders in the Gothic rock genre but Smith soon grew tired of their gloomy rock sound and decided to move the band in to a more distinctive pop direction after their 1982 album, “Pornography”. And The Cure found commercial success with their singles, “Let’s Go To Bed”, “Just Like Heaven”, “Lovesong” and “Friday I’m in Love”. There have been several line-up changes over the years yet Smith has remained the only constant member and there are plans for a new album sometime this year in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of The Cure’s first release.



DEF LEPPARD

Def Leppard is one of the most successful hard rock bands of all time with sales of over one hundred million records sold. This English band formed while classmates in school in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. In 1978, Pete Willis on guitar, Rick Savage on bass guitar, Rick Allen on drums and Joe Elliott on lead vocals, released the three-track, "The Def Leppard E.P.". After BBC Radio 1 DJ, John Peel gave their song, "Getcha Rocks Off" some heavy rotation, the record took off which lead to a major recording deal with Mercury Records. Def Leppard soon developed a loyal following among heavy metal fans and their major breakthrough came with their third album, "Pyromania" in 1983. With the singles, "Photograph", "Rock of Ages" and "Foolin'", the album was a massive success and would go on to sell ten million copies in the U.S. alone. Their follow-up, "Hysteria" in 1987 continued their winning streak and would become Def Leppard's biggest selling album with twenty-five million copies sold worldwide. While Pete Willis was fired in 1982 due to his serious drinking problem and replaced by Phil Collen and drummer, Allen lost his left arm in a car accident and now uses a custom electronic drum kit to play, Def Leppard are still rocking around the globe and plan to embark on a world tour this summer.



JANET JACKSON

We first met Janet Jackson as a cute eight year old appearing with her famous musical brothers, The Jackson 5 on their television variety program back in 1976. She had initially intended to become an actress and appeared on the sitcoms, "Good Times" and "Different Strokes" but her father eventually pulled her in to the family business. Jackson's first two albums featured polished r&b yet lacked a distinctive sound and failed to generate much interest. But it was when she was teamed-up with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for her third album, "Control" in 1986 that Jackson found her own voice. The record was an incredible success with six hit singles including her first number one pop song, "When I Think of You" and a Grammy nomination for Album of The Year. Jackson would go on to become a beloved and prominent figure in pop music with sales of over one hundred million records and ranked number seven on Billboard's list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.



STEVIE NICKS

With her earthy voice, gypsy style and poetic lyrics, Stevie Nicks had already achieved great success and fame as a member of the rock/pop group, Fleetwood Mac (who were inducted to the Hall in 1998) before deciding to begin a solo career. She released her debut, "Bella Donna" in 1981 which was met with critical and commercial acclaim with four hit singles (including a duet with Tom Petty on "Stop Dragging My Heart Around") and reaching the top of the Billboard 200 Album chart. Nicks would record eight studio albums including "24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault" from 2014 which featured new recordings of demos that Nicks had made over the years. And she is still performing with Fleetwood Mac and currently on tour with them.



RADIOHEAD

Radiohead is another popular British band who came together while meeting in school. While attending Abingdon Boarding School in Oxfordshire, England, guitarist Ed O'Brien, drummer Philip Selway, guitarist and singer Thom Yorke, bassist Colin Greenwood and his brother, multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood formed a rock group called, On a Friday in 1985. They credit their music teacher for exposing them to a variety of different music like jazz, film scores, avant-garde and classical that would help shape and influence their future sound as a band. After they graduated from school, the band toured around Oxford until they drew attention by record labels. On a Friday were signed to EMI Records and the group agreed to change their name to "Radiohead" per the label's request. Their debut album, "Pablo Honey" was released in 1993 but the record and the singles failed to make much of an impact in their home country. However, the single, "Creep" would unexpectedly become a hit in Israel and the U.S. Radiohead's third album, "OK Computer" was their major breakthrough that went on to become a landmark record of the 1990's. The band's subsequent albums continued to experiment with various sounds and textures leading to Radiohead finding worldwide acclaim and a frenzied cult following.



ROXY MUSIC

Roxy Music was a popular and highly influential act in the 1970's largely in Europe and Australia. Formed by lead vocalist and chief songwriter, Bryan Ferry and bassist Graham Simpson, this stylish band brought sophistication to glam rock and would help inspire the future punk and new wave movements. They released their self-titled debut in 1972 and the eclectic album was well received reaching the top-ten on the UK Album chart. One of Roxy Music's biggest albums was their fifth, "Siren" in 1975 which featured Ferry's then-girlfriend, model, Jerry Hall on the cover and the single, "Love Is The Drug" was a substantial International hit which includes the U.S. Over the years, there were several musicians that came and went in Roxy Music (including musician and record producer, Brian Eno who was with the band during the first two albums) mostly due to creative differences with Ferry and the band would disband a few times as well. Roxy Music released their last studio album, "Avalon" in 1982 and performed together for the last time in 2011 for a series of 40th anniversary concerts.



THE ZOMBIES

The timing of The Zombies coming together was perfect as they managed to get swept in during the era of the musical British invasion of the 1960's. As teenagers, multi-instrumentalist, Rod Argent, guitarist, Paul Atkinson and drummer, Hugh Grundy decided they wanted to form a band. They later met bassist, Paul Arnold and Colin Blunstone who became lead vocalist to join them to become The Mustangs in 1962. However, after realizing there were other bands with this name, Arnold came up with "The Zombies". Arnold soon lost interest in the band and was replaced with Chris White. The Zombies won a music competition and were signed to a recording contract with Decca Records. They recorded their first single, "She's Not There" in 1964 and just missed reaching the top-ten on the UK pop chart. But the song became a bigger hit in the U.S. selling a million copies and going to number two on the chart. The Zombies found greater success in America with the singles, "Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1969 becoming top-ten pop hits. The group had actually broken-up near the end of 1967 after struggling to get their music played with "Time of the Season" only getting a U.S. release due to the advise of musician, Al Kooper who formed Blood, Sweat & Tears. The Zombies reunited in 1990 and have continued to perform and record together with their sixth album, "Still Got That Hunger" released in 2015.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Steve Perry was the dynamic voice behind the popular 70's rock group, Journey who had such memorable hits like "Open Arms", "Who's Cryin' Now", "Any Way You Want It" and one of their most famous, "Don't Stop Believin'". But by 1998, Perry, who had suffered a hip injury and burned out by the pressures of fame,  decided to walk away from the band and music. Now after almost twenty-five years, Perry will be releasing his third solo album, "Traces" which is due out in October. He actually began work on this project back in 2015 and has co-written all of the songs. With two singles released, "No Erasin'" and "No More Cryin'", the sixty-nine year old singer's voice may no longer have the power of his younger days but the passion and deep emotion is still there.



And here is a bonus of two of my favorite songs that features the incredible voice of Steve Perry:





Here are a couple of recent songs I'm digging right now:






Two more great performers from the past have released new material. Janet Jackson dropped a surprise song, "Made For Now" that has a lively Afrocentric beat. It was inspired by her desire to put out a much needed dance tune about love and positivity and features reggaeton performer, Daddy Yankee to deliver a Latin flavor.



British blue-eyed soul singer, Lisa Stansfield is also back with new music. Her eighth studio album, "Deeper" was already released in Europe earlier this year and the fifty-two year old vocalist went on a successful tour to support the record. I'm excited to learn that Stansfield plans on hitting the road for a North American leg of her tour which should begin next month. The second single, "Never Ever" is a shimmering slice of disco heaven that is highlighted by Stansfield's sensuous voice.



And we finally have a proper tribute to Aretha Franklin which was performed during the recent BET Black Girls Rock telecast. Ledisi, Jazmine Sullivan, Cynthia Ervio, Stephanie Mills, Yolanda Adams and Fantasia are the powerhouse talent that showed respect to the Queen:

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

Today's number one flashback, "Together Again" by Janet Jackson held the top spot during this week back in 1998. This poignant dance track pays loving tribute to lives lost to AIDS and was the second single off her critically acclaimed concept album, "The Velvet Rope".  The song would become Jackson's eighth of ten career number one U.S. singles and would enjoy two weeks in this position.

"Together Again", co-written by Jackson with her long-time producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and her-then-unknown-now-former-husband, René Elizondo Jr., began as a moving ballad inspired after the AIDS-related death of a friend of Jackson's before being transformed in to a celebratory beat-heavy appreciation to anyone who has lost a loved one. The song traveled the world reaching the top-ten on many international charts and would go on to sell six million copies worldwide.

"Together Again" - Janet Jackson (1998) mp3

Here is a little-seen music video directed by Elizondo, Jr. of a remix of the song which turns it to a sensual ballad with Jackson clearly singing about wanting to reunite with a lover:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Two British alt-soul vocalist are making their long-awaited return to the music scene. First, we have Laura Mvula, who dazzled us with her 2013 debut album, "Sing To The Moon", back with the follow-up release, "The Dreaming Room". Following the first single, "Overcome" that featured Nile Rodgers, the latest is "Phenomenal Woman" which is inspired by the poem by the late, great Maya Angelou. I love the video for the song which is a colorful, dance-filled celebration of women filmed in Cape Town, South Africa:

It's been about five years since we last heard from Corinne Bailey Rae. After having to cope with the tragic loss of her musician husband, Jason Rae in 2008, the thirty-seven year old singer found love again with another musician, Steve Brown whom she married in 2013. That is reflected on her third album, "The Heart Speaks in Whispers" which finds Rae (who co-wrote and produced much of the album with Brown) in a more upbeat, groove-oriented vibe than on her last release, "The Sea" in 2010. There are certainly moving songs about love to be found here as well. Check out this great video for the single, "Green Aphrodisiac" which features the singer performing interpretive dance with two impressive male dancers. Now, I'm not sure if Rae is actually singing about weed here but have a listen and see what you think:

Sean Combs has taken back the name "Puff Daddy" for his upcoming "Bad Boy Family Reunion" tour. It reunites many of the artists that recorded on Combs' Bad Boy label in the '90's all on one stage. Expect to see such rap and hip-hop greats like Mase, Faith Evans, Mario Winans, 112, Total and Lil' Kim in addition to a musical tribute to the legendary Notorious B.I.G.

This celebration of the 20th anniversary of Bad Boy Entertainment will begin in late August and run through October. In case you may have forgotten, here are just a few of the hits made by some of these performers:

"Crush On You" - Lil' Kim featuring Lil' Cease and The Notorious B.I.G. (1996) mp3





"I Don't Wanna Know" - Mario Winans featuring Enya and P. Diddy (2004) mp3

Finally here is our Miss Janet with the last video from her sensational album, "Unbreakable" that was released shortly before she took some take off to have a child. "Dammn Baby" is classic Janet Jackson as she shows the world she's one hot mama that still got the moves:

JANET JACKSON IS BACK

After being completely out of sight for nearly five years, Janet Jackson has finally reappeared in a major way. First, a North American concert tour was announced that's going to begin in August and now we have some new music.

Reunited with her legendary producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and released on her new record label, Rhythm Nation Records, "No Sleeep" is a smooth r&b ballad with our Miss Jackson delivering a confident and sexy vocal. I am really loving this song and excited to hear more.

"No Sleeep" - Janet Jackson (2015) mp3

MY TUNE OF THE DAY

I was surprised to see that Joni Mitchell, the iconic singer/songwriter, now appears to be a fashion model. The seventy-one year old legend is part of the spring ad campaign for Saint Laurent Paris along with other stylish rockers, Kim Gordon, Marilyn Manson and Marianne Faithfull. This inspired me to take a look back at the music of Mitchell, who has pretty much retired as a musician and her focus now is just painting.

Today's tune is "Big Yellow Taxi" and the environmental concerns covered in the song seem even more relevant today. During her first trip to Hawaii, Mitchell was shocked to see in the middle of this beautiful paradise was a large, ugly parking lot and quickly put her thoughts to music.

The original studio version of the song was released in 1970 and became a hit in Australia, Britain and her native Canada. The live recording came out four years later and reached the top-forty in America. Many other artists have covered "Big Yellow Taxi" with versions by Amy Grant and Counting Crows becoming very popular.

"Big Yellow Taxi" - Joni Mitchell (1974)

"Big Yellow Taxi" was famously sampled by Janet Jackson on "Got 'Til It's Gone", one of my all-time favorite tunes by the artist. Check out the great music video directed by film maker,Mark Romanek:

DICK CLARK (1929 - 2012)

Another sad day in the world of music as we lost, Dick Clark, the host of the long-running and influential musical variety program, "American Bandstand" yesterday. The show (which was on the air from 1957 until 1987) was not only a showcase for all of the top pop acts of the day but introduced many new artists to America as well as helped put an end to musical segregation by having the original African-American singers perform their songs on the show instead of the white artists who covered their hits.

Known as "America's Oldest Teenager" because of his boyish appearance, Clark was also responsible for bringing to the airwaves other popular television shows such as "The 25,000 Pyramid", ''TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes","New Year's Rockin' Eve" and the American Music Awards.

"American Bandstand" was part of my Saturday ritual (along with "Soul Train") as I looked forward to either seeing one of my favorite bands or falling in love with a new performer. I remember the first time seeing Teena Marie, Prince (and his juvenile interview) and Madonna (proclaiming she was ready to "rule the world") on the program and immediately went out and bought their music afterwards.

Dick Clark came across as a genuinely nice person and his love of the music always came through. He was truly one-of-a-kind and what he brought to television can never be replaced.

Here are some video highlights from "American Bandstand":

JANET JACKSON: NUMBER ONES- UPCLOSE AND PERSONAL TOUR

Janet Jackson is in the middle of her world tour to support her recent collection of  her hit songs, "Number Ones" as well as her memoir, "True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself" and the current stop was in Los Angeles which I saw April 16th at the Gibson Amphitheater.

After keeping the audience waiting for an hour and fifteen minutes after show time, (and without an opening act), the lights finally go down and a message displays on the screen dedicating her songs, "All For You" and "Together Again" to the people of L.A. but then proceeds to show the music videos for both of them in their entirety. WTF??

I was briefly concerned that this was going to be the show but Janet finally emerged, looking toned, sexy and ready for action in a white tank top, tight black jeans, combat boots and close-cropped hair.

She kicked things off with "The Pleasure Principle" and the rest of the hits followed fast and furious. After a few songs, she took a lengthy break and in-between we were treated to a few clips from her acting career including the television show, "Good Times" and the film,"Poetic Justice" before returning to the stage, without a costume change, to slow things down with a series of her ballads like "Let's Wait Awhile" and "Again". This appears to be the only true time when Ms Jackson actually sang "live" while throughout the rest of the show, she seemed to be "vocally enhanced".

After that was over, she took another long break which we saw various photos of Ms Jackson from throughout her career while we waited for her to come back. She came back raring to go but still wearing the same outfit. Ms Jackson wound up taking four lengthy breaks throughout the ninety minute show which seemed a little excessive but perhaps she was getting some needed extra oxygen backstage because at the age of  44, Janet definitely managed to effortlessly keep up with her younger back-up dancers.

Despite the numerous breaks, lack of costume changes and a much more scaled back production than what she usually puts on, Janet Jackson still delivered a fast-paced, high-energy and just plain fun concert full of all of her great dance hits

Here are a few of the songs she performed:

"If" - Janet Jackson  (1993)

"Got 'Til It's Gone" - Janet Jackson (1997)

"All For You" - Janet Jackson (2001)

THIS IS FOR THE LOVERS. . .

V. D. is upon us again today, making it's yearly visit.

This is that so-called "holiday" where people feel obligated to scramble around to buy expensive gifts or forced to go out to dinner where restaurants rob people blind by hiking up the prices to obscene levels, all of this in a commerical way to show someone how much you truly "love" them. Like JLo wisely said,"My love don't cost a thing" Worst still, people who don't happen to have a lover are made to feel particularly lousy today.

Despite all of this nonsense, Valentine's Day is a great excuse for me to share a few love songs that I love.

Enjoy them alone or with someone you care about:

"I Think I Love You " The Partridge Family

"My First Love" - Rene & Angela

"Love Will Never Do (Without You)" - Janet Jackson

"Love, Need, And Want You" - Patti LaBelle

"Love, Etc." - Pet Shop Boys

"All In Love Is Fair" - Barbra Streisand

THE OTHER JACKSONS

We are all familiar with these five talented brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and little Michael Jackson who took the world by storm as the Jackson 5. The group signed with Motown Records in 1968 and after years of many chart toppers with the label, they decided to sign with Epic Records in order to have more control over their music.

They were unable to legally continue using the name The Jackson 5, so they became The Jacksons. Jermaine left, then younger brother, Randy joined the group and they continued with more hit songs. In 1979, Michael teamed up with producer, Quincy Jones and released, "Off the Wall" which was the beginning of him ultimately becoming a global musical superstar and because of this, he soon distanced himself from the family group.

Over the years, all of the other brothers (as well as sister, LaToya, although the less said, the better) attempted a solo career as well as tried to continue as The Jacksons without Michael with not much success.

This post is to focus on the rest of the family who managed to step out of Michael's very large shadow to create a moment for themselves.

Jermaine played bass guitar and shared lead vocals with Michael in the group. Like Michael, Jermaine had begun a solo career while still performing with the Jackson 5. After the group decided to leave Motown in 1975, Jermaine, who was married at the time to Hazel Gordy, the daughter of the label's founder, Berry, remained to continue as a solo artist. He has recorded thirteen albums and had numerous top forty hits throughout the 1970's and 1980's which includes one of his biggest songs, "Let's Get Serious" (1980), that was written and produced by Stevie Wonder and becoming his first number one on the R&B charts and reaching number nine on the pop charts. He produced three tracks and sang a couple of duets with Whitney Houston on her debut album. Jermaine has been married twice and has seven children. He converted to Islam after a trip to Bahrain in 1989.

This is one of my favorite songs by Jackson, "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" where he teams up with Devo which gives the song a strange funky/new wave mash-up that really works:

Maureen Reillette Jackson or as she is professionally known by her nickname, "Rebbie" is the eldest of the Jackson clan. Although she participated with the family during their Las Vegas stage shows in 1974 as well as the Jacksons television variety series in 1976, she was the last to embark on a recording career. Rebbie Jackson's first album, "Centipede" (1984) was released when she was thirty-four years old. The title track was written and produced by her brother, Michael and he provided background vocals in addition. The song was her biggest hit and reached number four on the R&B charts and twenty-four on the pop charts. She has recorded a total of four CDs to date. She has been married to her childhood sweetheart, Nathaniel Brown since 1968 and they have three children.

This is Rebbie's first hit song, "Centipede" and the very campy and very 80's music video for the song:

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is the youngest of the family and has had the most success outside of Michael. She began her career at the age of seven during the Las Vegas shows at the MGM Grand Casino. She would initially concentrate on acting with appearances on the television sitcoms, "Good Times" and "Different Strokes" before she moved on to music. Her debut album., "Janet Jackson" was released in 1982 and was produced by R&B singing duo, Rene Moore and Angela Winbush as well as Leon Foster Sylvers III of another family musical group, The Sylvers. The album was a modest hit that consisted of light r&b with touches of pop and new wave and it sold a half a million copies in the U.S. In 1984, shortly after the release of her second album, "Dream Street", Janet eloped and married James DeBarge of the singing group, DeBarge. Her father, Joseph, who was her manager at the time, saw to it that the marriage was quickly annulled. Soon after the divorce, Janet dropped her father as her manager, took over control of her music career, went to Minneapolis to record a new album and the rest is history.

This is Janet's first single, "Young Love" off of her self-titled debut album:

THE FIRST TIME

Since this is my first post, I decided to look back on the first time we heard the music of some of my favorite artists. Here are the first group:

JANET JACKSON - "CONTROL" - (1985)

Although this was Janet Jackson's third album following, "Janet Jackson" (1982) and "Dream Street" (1984), this was her first record that made any impact with the public. She was the youngest of the musical Jackson clan and while she dabbled in acting on the television shows. "Good Times" and "Fame", but it was still music that got her out of the shadow of her famous family.

After releasing the first two records, where she had little say on the music she recorded, she was teamed up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, formerly of the band, The Time where they took her out of her home environment, went to their recording studios in Minnesota and together they wrote the songs for the record where she finally took control of her music career.

She went on to release a total of ten CD's and has sold over 100 million records worldwide.

This is the first song that kicked off her career:

What Have You Done for me Lately.mp3

ALANIS MORISSETTE - "JAGGED LITTLE PILL" - (1995)

Like Janet Jackson, this was not Alanis Morissette's first record but the one where she was first achieved world-wide musical fame. She released two records as a teenager in her native Canada. The first,"Alanis" (1991) was a pop album which was very successful in Canada and the follow-up, "Now Is The Time" (1992) did not do nearly as well.

After she finished high school, Alanis went to Los Angeles where she met up with producer and songwriter, Glen Ballard and together they created Alanis's first international smash hit.

Alanis went on to release a total of ten albums to date, won seven Grammy Awards and has sold 40 million records world wide.

This was her first single:

You Oughta Know.mp3

WHITNEY HOUSTON - "WHITNEY HOUSTON" - (1985)

She may be the daughter of singer, Cissy Houston and the cousin of Dionne Warwick but she has a voice that is all her own. She was part of her mother's stage act when she was discovered by the head of Arista Records, Clive Davis and he promptly signed her to his label.

This album, at the time, was the biggest selling debut by a female artist. She has released seven albums so far, has won six Grammy Awards and has sold a total of over 170 million records around the globe.

This is the first single off of this album:

You Give Good Love.mp3