20 Y.O.
| Janet Jackson
20 Y.O.
20 Y.O. is the ninth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. Released on September 20, 2006, by Virgin Records, the title makes reference to her third studio album Control which was released in 1986, a commemoration to its twentieth anniversary. 20 Y.O. represents the "celebration of the joyful liberation and history-making musical style" of Control. An R&B and dance album, Jackson enlisted a range of producers to work on material with, including LRoc, Manuel Seal, The Avila Brothers and No I.D., in addition to her longtime partners Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and then-boyfriend Jermaine Dupri.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Slant Magazine
September 24, 2006. But the saddest thing about 20 Y.O. is that Janet’s decision to hedge her bets on an album whose backbone is made up of terrible R&B instead of great dance music . . . .
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Rolling Stone
October 3, 2006. The title of Janet Jackson’s latest album refers to the two decades since she released her breakthrough, Control, with hits like “Nasty” and “What Have You Done for Me Lately.” If we were her, we wouldn’t make the comparison.
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Blog Critics
September 23, 2016. Janet Jackson’s ninth long player, 20 Y.O. (Virgin, 2006), was created to commemorate the distance of two decades from her junior offering, Control (A&M, 1986). The preceding album, and second creative apogee for Jackson, Damita Jo (Virgin, 2004) had seen her come home to her R&B roots. This trend continued with 20 Y.O.
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Plugged In
Janet's erotic fantasies, which might have seemed outrageous 20 years ago, simply echo today's libidinous status quo. That tired formula cheapens the artist and concocts a dangerous "norm" that young fans may feel the need to live up to.
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AllMusic
September 26, 2006. With only a few exceptions, 20 Y.O. provides further refinements of the fun, flirtatious, midtempo songs of her past several albums.
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NOW Toronto
You can definitely hear Dupri's input on 20 Y.O.; the production sounds more contemporary than it has for quite some time. On the downside, there's a little too much consistency across the album -- too few moments stand out, and too many of the hooks just blend together.
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Entertainment
October 2, 2006. But sharp production can’t mask the absence of any standouts likely to be remembered 20 months from now — a big minus when the title intends to remind you how well her ’86 break-out, Control, has held up after 20 years.
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Talk About Pop Music
November 17, 2006. “20 Y.O.” (2006) was intended as a celebration of 20 years since the release of “Control”, but met with mixed reviews. The involvement of Jermaine Dupri appeared to have changed the intended focus of the album, for which he would be criticised for subsequently.
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IGN
September 16, 2006. While certainly more musically succinct than her previous outing, Damita Jo, the 11 tracks contained within just don't pack the vocal punch that they should given Jackson's past musical legacy.
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Common Sense Media
Eleven songs and five spoken "interludes" portray Ms. Jackson as a sexy, honey-voiced performer with the clout to demand the best in terms of instrumentation and production. Every track is perfectly mixed and beautifully performed.
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fourfour
September 27, 2006. She's been making the same album (at least in structure) since janet., and so, if you like her, the Janetism (giggle, giggle!)-filled 20 Y.O. comes off as a variation on a theme. If you don't, it's repetition of the most indulgent sort (repetition as self-celebration as a lack of ideas).
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d1esel6
January 21, 2015. So the result is a try-hard album with no clear focus. It has it’s number of good songs, from “With U” to “Enjoy” to the aforementioned “Show Me” and “So Excited”, but it’s not a very cohesive album and ultimately it feels a little dull!
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Sound Opinions
Of course, 20 Y.O. isn‘t really about any of these things. Rather, it’s only about one thing: sex. . . . Boring production + boring lyrics + boring singing = a double Trash It for Ms. Jackson.
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Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews
There's nothing approaching a new idea: another dance track sampling Hancock ("So Excited"); another whispered seduction ("This Body" featuring some guy with marbles in his mouth); more seguerrhea ("20 Pt. 4"). But if she aims low, she doesn't miss the target either: the weakest cut here . . . is better than practically anything on Damita Jo, . . . .
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Discopop Directory: Instant Review
September 25, 2006. Given that the two singles have been pointless drivel, I'm not holding out much hope for the 12 new songs . . . .
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Robert Christgau
Dud.
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popdirt.com
October 4, 2006. And once it was played, it was clear that ’20 Y.O.’ amounted to just a handful of songs and a lot of filler.
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Soul In Stereo
One of Janet’s more overlooked releases, 20 Y.O. celebrated two decades of fame following her breakout Control. And it proved she still had gas in the tank.
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The Middle Eight
I am here to tell you that Miss Jackson has indeed reached rock bottom and continues to dig.
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Daily Vault Album Reviews
February 27, 2007. 20 Y.O. is not a dance album. It’s more like a groovy R&B atmospheric kind of disc, something you put on in a “That’s the Way Love Goes” situation. It’s also not any kind of real tribute to Control, an album which was like a window into a new world (Rhythm Nation?).
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