Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable is due October 2—can it arrive fast enough?—and the inveterate musician, dancer, choreographer, actor, style leader, and cultural icon has just dropped the title track. It’s about love! You will swoon!
“Unbreakable,” from her first album since 2008 and a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Control, has Jackson dipping up and over a funk-amplified hip-hop sample, weaving through her vocal range, including that conversational alto, an easy midrange, and that oh-so-Jackson high end, a not-quite falsetto that spreads out with impeccable harmonies. There’s something very 2005 about the instrumentation—the sample, the rhythm—but it makes complete sense here, and doesn’t sound dated so much as an evergreen throwback. But maybe that’s just a benefit of being one of the most iconic American pop stars of the past four decades? Perhaps.
01 Unbreakable
02 Burnitup! (Feat. Missy Elliott)
03 Dammn Baby
04 The Great Forever
05 Shoulda Known Better
06 After You Fall
07 Broken Hearts Heal
08 Night
09 No Sleeep (Feat. J Cole)
10 Dream Maker/ Euphoria
11 2 B Loved
12 Take Me Away
13 Promise
14 Lessons Learned
15 Black Eagle
16 Well Traveled
17 Gon B Alright
Contact the author at [email protected].
Image via JanetJackson.com