Janet Jackson’s ‘Unbreakable’ lives up to expectations

JACKSON. Channels her brother, Michael, in two songs.

JANET JACKSON’S songs in her much-anticipated 11th studio album, “Unbreakable,” are neither groundbreaking nor career-defining. In fact, guest rapper Missy Elliott (in “BurnItUp!”) opts to go by way of braggadocio when she declares that Ms Jackson has “a brand-new sound/ Got a brand-new style.”

Well, not really. The album, which reunites the R&B songstress with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (“Control,” “Rhythm Nation 1814”), is indubitably one of the season’s recording must-haves.

But, while it lives up to music buffs’ high expectations, none of its hefty lineup signifies a radical shift for the 49-year-old pop diva, except if you consider her sounding like her brother, Michael, who passed away in 2009, a gimmicky game-changer that sets the collection apart from Janet’s previous musical potboilers.

In “BurnItUp!,” those processed vocal samples are eerily similar to Michael’s digitized warbling in his posthumous 2014 album, “Xscape.”
The King of Pop-inspired grunts and other vocal affectations are even more “pronounced” in “The Great Forever,” about their detractors.

Don’t get us wrong—Janet isn’t really spoiling for a fight. Devoid of tough-girl bravado or gratuitous sex, the new collection brims with positive vibe and “accessible” feminist energy.

When she isn’t advocating for a kinder world (“Dream Maker/Euphoria,” “Shoulda Known Better”), the need for people to do better (the exquisite “Black Eagle”), or paying tribute to her fans (the title track), the album’s predominant tone is more of regret than spite—especially in the gloriously realized “Broken Hearts Heal,” her wistful tribute to Michael, about growing up with an abusive father and losing someone she could no longer “laugh till we cry” with.

Now more than ever, Janet is comfortable in her own skin. As at ease as she is with her girlie giggling and playful voice-overs, she makes no bones about her refusal to let go of a destructive relationship (“Lessons Learned”), prays for her own fairy-tale ending (“Take Me Away”) and endures romantic failures that leave lasting scars (the hitbound ballad, “After You Fall”).

Her slinky slow jams (“No Sleeep,” which features J Cole in the single’s album version) and rippling, harmony-fueled tracks (the rapturous ‘2 B Loved,” the rock-and-funky ‘Gon’ B Alright” and the “house” music-infused “Night”) convey Jackson’s resilience, patience and willingness to compromise—as she gears up for the big 5-0 in May next year!