Janet Jackson - Feedback

Janet Jackson is back in the form that made her a pop superstar. There is a graceful surface elegance here that can almost make a listener forget this is also a deeply sexy, primally rhythmic jam. Few artists can make soft vocals sound so deeply authoritative. "Feedback" deserves a place alongside Janet's long string of major pop hits.

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Over 20 years ago she shouted "Gimme a beat!" to kick off the masterful dance classic "Nasty." "Feedback" kicks off with another "Gimme a beat." This time it's distorted by feedback, as the title promises, but it's just as stirring of a call to attention 2 decades later. Janet is back, and she is determined to continue the legacy that produced a stunning 19 top 10 pop singles from only 3 studio albums in the late 80's and early 90's.

"Feedback" can also be seen as a long-delayed but extremely effective response to the Super Bowl wardrobe debacle. Janet Jackson states confidently that she is simply sexy, one of the most overtly sexual pop performers of all time, and she's not going to change. The sexual content of the lyrics of "Feedback" also results in a stumble that may have seemed more interesting on paper, but the line "something heavy like a first day period" is a comparison many listeners don't really want to hear. However, the pushing of boundaries helps make this Janet's hottest dance track, in multiple ways, since "If" 15 years ago.

Due notice should be made of the fact that this single marks a move away from Jackson's 20 year collaboration with the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Instead, this time she works with Rodney Jerkins, a man who is no stranger to producing hot dance tracks with female performers. His long list of clients includes Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, and Whitney Houston. The pairing has generated sparks that should light up the pop music world for weeks to come.

Single released by Island Records January 2008.