on janet jackson's 'unbreakable'- first listen (read description)

this work is mature and complex, and deserves a closer listen, outside of headphones and smaller devices. though there is not one bad song at all on the album, my favorite songs (so far) are after you fall, black eagle and promise and dream maker (euphoria).

without having seen the credits (yet- boo!) it sounds like both 'BURNITUP' and 'broken hearts heal' use portions of 'don't stop til you get enough'. also, the horn charting of 'gon' be alright' sounds very similar to something jerry hey would arrange. there's definitely some MJ inflections in that one, for sure.

interestingly, the order of the release of the songs is similar to how the singles were released for thriller. 'no sleeeep' was similar to the 'girl is mine'- people didn't know what to do with it. the farther the singles went, the songs were faster. and of course, both albums have far exceeded people's expectations upon each respective release. i love that janet brought it back to the 'vinyl' era, stating that the album had a side 1 and side 2.

this journey janet is taking is very similar, to me, to the one mary j. blige has taken. there is a maturity in her work and delivery as well that is underrated. very few popular artists in this time utilize a pensive/reflective approach as the one janet has consciously taken.

i hope to get the vinyl version in the mail sooner than later, so i can actually see the full credits.