Review: “The Velvet Rope” by Janet Jackson (CD, 1997)

Today’s Pop Rescue from an uncertain future, is the 1997 The Velvet Rope by American singer and songwriter, Janet Jackson. Will this album be a smooth listen, or will it leave you tied up in knots? Read on…

Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope (1997) album.

This 22 track (yes, 22 track) cd opens with Janet speaking to us in Interlude: Twisted Elegance, as radio fuzz leads us to a gentle jazz sound, as Janet introduces the album. It’s gone in 43 seconds.

Then we’re on to titular track Velvet Rope, which instantly comes in with a wave of synthpads and breathy vocals. Janet sounds great within seconds, as more radio interference joins in. A lonely bell chimes, piano tinkles a simple sequence as acidy synths drop in, building gently and sounding not at all unlike a Mike Oldfield song that’s dropped off a Tubular Bells album, but Janet certainly owns the track here, and she sounds magnificent.

You is next, the album’s fifth and penultimate single. Here, we’re treated some wonderful sampling from The Cisco Kid by War which works a treat and gives the track a nice vintage, slick, bass-y sound. The attitude works a treat here in Janet’s vocals too, which are cutting as she “blame[s] nobody but you“.

Next up is lead single Got ‘Til It’s Gone, opening with Janet and Q-Tip chatting as they drop in the wonderful vocals from Joni Mitchell. Production is incredibly slick, and the contrast between Joni, Q-Tip, and Janet’s voices work perfectly. This a nice downbeat and soulful track, with legend Joni taking the song’s title as a sample – making it all the more addictive. The track took Janet to #6 in the UK charts.

Interlude: Speaker Phone follows that, and we’re making a call to Janet’s ex-sister-in-law, the late Lisa-Marie Presley, whilst Janet has a… well… Lisa-Marie puts it well.

Then we’re on to My Need, which gives you an idea of what was going on in the previous interlude, and here we’re treated to some breathy, slightly whimpering sounds as a thick bass, and all the cymbals get tapped. Finger snaps lead us into the somewhat un-subtle chorus detailing Janet’s Need. There are portions here of You’re All I Need To Get By by written by Ashford & Simpson.

Another interlude – Interlude: Fasten Your Seatbelts follows this, and I’m reminded here of earlier song What Have You Done For Me Lately where Janet is chatting to her girl friend about a guy. After 19 seconds we’re off into another track…

That leads on to Go Deep, which has some wonderful sound effects as another thick bass line plods its way through the song. Janet once again sounds great here as her vocals dance lightly over the top by contrast. A gentle synth and beat help to lift the track up too, making the track pretty catchy R&B track. The broken down ending is a really nice treat at the end. This was the album’s fourth single, but it was the album’s first to strike outside the top 10 in the UK, settling at #13.

Then it’s time for Free Xone, starting off like a robotised En Vogue for a few seconds, before plunging into a wonderul 60’s funk track taking samples of James Brown and Archie Bell and The Drells. Here, Janet stands up against discrimination of same-sex relationships. It is a loud, exciting, busy track, and it sounds magnificent with the beats and samples. “Love yourself” she states – damn right!

Interlude: Memory is up next, and this is just 5 seconds of Janet on the phone with an inspirational message.

Following that is single Together Again, which gave Janet a #4 UK hit, and here she’s given the chance to sing the opening lines alongside a harp and it really lets her voice shine. Then, the song starts proper, and the thumping dance beat arrives. Janet shows that she can flip between stomping dance track to moody downbeat R&B. This track is a masterpiece, and flawless with its catchiness, production, and vocals.

Another interlude, this time Interlude: Online, which seems to overlap with Together Again, giving us the wonderful mystique of 1990s dial-up modem connections. It would have been the future in 1997, but now it’s a little blast of whimsy.

Empty is next, and we’re giving what sounds like a song played on some jars and milk bottles. Janet is surrounded by a wash of vocal harmonies, and she sounds perfect here as a drum machine races along. I think Janet’s lacking a pop-shield here in this song, but that aside it is wonderfully layered.

After that is Interlude: Full, which despite the title, lasts for just 13 seconds, and sounds like Janet’s on the coast of Margate with the seagulls.

What About is next, and here we have a softer sound, with warm and delicate acoustic guitars repeated…. but then, the chorus roars in with growling guitars as Janet, sounding not unlike her brother Michael, is loaded with questions for someone who has mistreated her. It’s a really nice juxtaposition, and Janet sounds great whether she’s delivery heartfelt vocals whilst being mobbed by gulls, or giving some raw anger.

Then it’s Every Time, which again starts off quite mellow, as Janet shows off her warm and rich vocals. She’s flanked here by a piano and tons of breathiness. The track certainly stands out amongst the rest here with this soft ballad that builds with soaring orchestra too. Whilst it was the album’s final single, it stumbled in the UK chart at #46, albeit around Christmas time. To be honest, switch Janet out for any American female vocalist, and it’d probably sound very similar.

Tonight’s The Night follows this, opening with a mysterious synthpad as Janet tells you how the track is personal. Janet’s vocals are whispery here, instructing you to put your feet up and cut off interruptions. The shuffling beats, the backing vocals, and soft vocals make this a wonderfully warm and cosy song.

That leads on to I Get Lonely, and if you don’t think you’ve heard enough thick basses then here it is… as it commands the track. Janet joins it with finger snaps, and it plays the perfect companion to her brighter vocals. Her backing vocalists burst in dramatically for the chorus, and it once again hints of En Vogue again. Musically, the track does sometimes feel a bit meandering, but the bass and brass bursts of the chorus pull it back into line with perfection.

Next up is Rope Burn, and we return to Janet getting all whimpery and breathy, as her ‘lips’ have some kind of issue, with slightly sexually comedic ‘BOING’ sounds are heard. The beat is slow here, the temperature is aptly high as Janet takes on a sexual journey with a tiny tender voice suggesting you ‘come to my velvet room‘. Say no more!

It’s time for Anything now, no, that’s the song title. A thunderstorm breaks overhead, as a low bass and beat swells to a softly moaning Janet. Soon though, she takes the mic and gives us some more warm and gentle vocals – sounding superb against the simple beat.

Interlude: Sad stands as the 11 second penultimately listed track, and Janet gives us one final piece of advice for our own well-being.

The album appears to close with Special, which gives us a slightly too-hard bass drum, but vocally Janet sounds like a child as she reflects on her life and gives us an upbeat boost. The track builds wonderful with an ensemble moment as the track heads towards the 3min moment. This track is listed at 7mins 55, and as with many 1990s CD albums, there’s an unsurprising surprise secret track coming after a pause from 3mins 40s…

Whilst it’s absent from the CD artwork, the hidden track is called Can’t Be Stopped, and we’re back to a fully fledged track, giving us some more funky R&B, bass heavy track, with brass, and vocal layers. Here, Janet gives us a reminder of defiance and strength, and that pretty much sums up this album.

Janet Jackson’s lead single ‘Got ‘Til It’s Gone’ (1997).

Verdict

Over all, this album feels luxurious, cosy, and intimate, and I think that’s precisely what it set out to be.

Janet really shines here, and this feels like one of her most consistently slick albums of her career up to this point. She proves here that she can jump with great ease from tiny breathy sexualised vocals to raw and angry attitude, and on to vulnerable vocalist.

This diversity gives us some great songs for different reasons, with Together Again and Got ‘Til It’s Gone leading the way in different ways, but very closely followed by Free Xone’s funkiness, and Tonight’s The Night’s slickness. Where the album falters a bit is in Every Time (reflected perhaps in its UK chart position), You, and My Need, all of which have some nice sounding moments, but they feel just a bit weaker or generic.