Janet Jackson, Control Full Album Zip !!TOP!!

Twenty-five years on, and this new edition of The Velvet Rope delves deeper into the tales Ms. Jackson and her creative team were pulling from the then such a deeply personal album - still loaded with the meanings Ms. Jackson imbued in every track. "I learned a lot about writing relationships from her," says Black Hippy's Ab-Soul. "She was constantly evolving and thinking about them; what she wanted to talk about, how she wanted them to play out, how she was going to do it on that record. She took it very seriously and I was always learning something new about love, or how to love, or about how to be in love. She would teach us all the stuff she taught herself, but we were the ones who had to apply it, ultimately. That to me, was the real test; to be the instrument that would interpret the experiences of her life. I felt that connection with her and I loved hearing us work together. It was like we were her soul mates musically, and that is so rare, because barely anything comes between an artist and their work."

"The Velvet Rope" marked a dramatic change in Ms. Jackson's style and musical direction; the album heralded a new, water-color, romantic-"passion of the soul" aesthetic. Its opener, "Do You Know What It Feeling?" - with its funk-driven groove and jazz-inspired keyboard chords - is undoubtedly one of the most iconic songs of all-time, and its elongated vocal hook - a peak of soul singing - was a signature Janet Jackson moment. But Janet's music has always been more than a pure extension of her soulful vocal stylings. It's always been about the emotional context of her story-telling. Janet is the best ever at getting under your skin, being difficult (and fun) and challenging you to do the same. Never in all my years of loving Janet Jackson have I heard someone who could do that more." - J. Holiday, d2c66b5586