Unbreakable
| Janet Jackson
Unbreakable
Unbreakable is the eleventh studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It was released on October 2, 2015, and is the first album released under her independent label Rhythm Nation, distributed by BMG Rights Management through a partnership with the singer. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming Jackson's seventh album to top the chart in the United States. This made her the third act in the history of the chart to have a number one album in each of the last four decades.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Slant Magazine
October 15, 2015. Janet has calculatedly played the humble-grateful card countless times in her career, but Unbreakable, a ready-made collection of deep cuts, is one of the first times she’s given a fully convincing performance.
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Pitchfork
October 6, 2015. Unbreakable is Janet Jackson's first album since Michael Jackson’s death in 2009 and the dissolution of her relationship with Jermaine Dupri. It's a synthesis of ideas she's collected and tested throughout her career. These are giddy, grateful grown-woman songs; like Janet, they are timeless.
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Consequence of Sound
October 7, 2015. The album’s movements flow like natural metamorphosis rather than wild swings thanks to Jackson’s voice. Unbreakable finds her continuously rediscovering new crevices in her vocal range
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Billboard
October 6, 2015. There’s nothing like a sure hit here, just expert adult-contemporary R&B, front to back. Unbreakable is the mature album, free of commercial ambition, her all-too-breakable brother never made.
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New York Times
September 30, 2015. Meet a sweeter, more chaste Janet Jackson. . . . Through 17 songs, Ms. Jackson sings about love, loyalty and compassion, and about memories as well as anticipation. The word “sex” never appears in the lyrics.
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The Guardian
October 4, 2015. Janet Jackson’s confident comeback album is a sprawling 17-track blast from the past. . . . .There’s plenty of straight-up R&B . . . but Lessons Learned, for one, is a country-leaning guitar ballad, one of a large handful of songs about hard-won maturity and making the world a better place that play more to the Oprah demographic.
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The Guardian
October 1, 2015. Unbreakable review – sunny serenity on reflective 11th album . . . Unbreakable’s highlights are low-key moments of reflection and nostalgia . . . .
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SPIN
October 2, 2015. Janet Jackson’s Making Sexier Music Than Ever on ‘Unbreakable’.
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The Boston Globe
October 1, 2015. . . . it relies, as much of her new millennium output has, on rhythm and vibe. But “Unbreakable” is much closer in sound and spirit to her peak self, and her most solid release in years.
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PopMatters
October 4, 2015. Musically, the album feels lively and fresh, as the reunited-at-last trifecta of Jackson, Jam and Lewis eschew trendy EDM stylings in favor of more "classic" Janet characteristics, building pleasing, easily-accessible grooves out of the Minneapolis Sound-indebted template that Jam and Lewis have used for most of their lives.
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AV Music
October 2, 2015. . . . Unbreakable is overall Jackson’s strongest album in a decade, a mature and nuanced career progression that sounds effortless.
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The Telegraph
October 2, 2015. Janet Jackson, Unbreakable, review: 'classy, subtle and inventive'.
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The Quietus
October 20th, 2015. All-in-all, Janet has made an album that is sophisticated and personal, but carrying that trademark carefree, freewheeling atmosphere that makes her so wonderful.
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HipHopDX
October 23, 2015. Unbreakable is truly a reflective body of work in which Janet refuses to succumb to trends but remains true to what feels and sounds right.
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The Atlantic
October 2, 2015. Her first album in seven years is a moving, self-aware plea for a better world.
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Chicago Tribune
October 2, 2015. Janet Jackson makes low-key return on 'Unbreakable'.
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Exclaim!
October 6, 2015. We're happy to report that Jackson is back with something that appeals to old fans while giving new ones something to savour, too.
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Newsday
October 1, 2015. Whether or not "Unbreakable" returns Jackson to the upper reaches of the pop world doesn't really matter. She has returned to making music, on her own terms, for the fans who still believe in her.
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Entertainment
October 1, 2015. Unlike contemporaries like Mariah Carey, Janet strikes a solid balance between innovation and dependability, bridging past and future better than most—including her legendary sibling.
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Idolator
October 2, 2015. One thing is for certain: Unbreakable is a project full of pretty decent jams that won’t break a legend, so the album has already lived up to its name.
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Established in 1997.
October 10, 2015. Janet Jackson’s ‘Unbreakable’ is a subtle reminder of her musical genius.
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Crack Magazine
Not the most refined comeback record but good enough to polish a crown.
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Complex
October 2, 2015. Janet Jackson Is Self-Assured and Reflective on 'Unbreakable'.
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Metro Weekly
October 22, 2015. Unbreakable is a welcome return -- and return to form -- for Janet Jackson.
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Treble Zine
October 7, 2015. If there’s one through line in Unbreakable it’s Jackson’s desire for peace and bliss, both for herself and for everyone else.
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YouKnowIGotSoul.com
October 2, 2015. Regardless, Janet’s reunion with longtime partners Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis is a rousing success, and a credit to their musical dexterity. From the sweaty funk of “Gon B Alright” to infectious groove of “Take Me Away,” Unbreakable is a showcase of the evolution of pop and R&B.
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The Boombox
October 12, 2015. Teaming up with her tried-and-true producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jackson creates a fresh body of work that solidifies her knack for staying on the pulse of music.
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AllMusic
October 2, 2015. While the album is unrelentingly positive and clean-cut -- a relief for listeners who winced at the lurid content laced through Discipline and certain earlier points in the discography -- it's a little erratic in style and quality.
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Evening Standard
October 2, 2015. Unbreakable, album review: 'hangs together surprisingly well'. R&B legend makes up for lost time in first new album for seven years.
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MuuMuse
October 2, 2015. With hints of the introspection of The Velvet Rope and the socially conscious Rhythm Nation 1814, Unbreakable is one of the most message-driven, insightful records of Janet’s career.
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Vulture
October 2, 2015. Janet Jackson Embraces Michael’s Influence on Unbreakable, Her Best Album in 15 Years.
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SoulTracks
She's just getting back in the saddle again as a musician and offering some new material for her loyalists. Having said that, Unbreakable doesn't break any new creative or cultural ground, but it will remind her devout fans of the good ol’ days, just not any reconfiguration of it.
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The Bulletin
October 16, 2015. “Unbreakable” focuses on love outside the bedroom Through 17 songs, Jackson sings about love, loyalty and compassion, and about memories as well as anticipation.
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Bearded Gentlemen Music
October 1, 2015. Jackson may or may not be made for modern times, but if anything, Unbreakable is an attempt to make her relevant in 2015—and it’s working.
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NOW Magazine
October 17, 2015. Unbreakable is largely about the empathy and perspective that come with age, and her long-time collaborators, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, mirror her introspective lyrics with tons of Janety production quirks that make the album feel like a career summation of sorts . . . .
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THe Urban Twist
October 8, 2015. Janet is certainly tugging on the nostalgia heartstrings with this record. It is clear that she wasn’t aiming for mainstream hits with this album unlike past releases, This is a full body of work with little to no filler.
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Djrobblog.com
October 11, 2015. . . . she’s back, and arguably with one of the best quality albums of her career. In this album, Janet comes across as more self-assured, both lyrically and musically.
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Financial Times
October 2, 2015. It is a nicely judged maturation of her old style, and would be even better if it hadn’t been allowed, with customary superstar inflation, to sprawl over 17 tracks; a duration that makes a mockery of the conceit that the songs are structured as a vinyl record, split into sides one and two.
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Courier-Journal
. . . Jackson’s album, “Unbreakable,” is a reminder that dance music is more than fast, loud electronic beats pounding to the floor. This 17-track set . . . is full of soulful, electro and addictive tracks that will inspire dancing and thinking in equal measure.
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Afrodelik
October 4, 2015. I think that if you let go of what she’s done in the past and realize that she is on a new journey in her life…this album will speak to you. It’s a much more mellow, mature and smooth album.
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PressPlay OK
October 1, 2015. . . . the experience of hearing Janet Jackson sing again, that too in such an ostensibly content place, is a delightful one; it may not be a completely unbreakable piece of work, but the cracks are worn with such candour that it’s difficult not to love.
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Lipstick Alley
October 8, 2015. This is the Janet Jackson album we've been waiting for. Unbreakable is undoubtedly Miss Jackson's most cohesive concept album since The Velvet Rope, elevated by the fact that she's a pillar in the pop sphere who has nothing to prove.
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BeatRoute Magazine
November 6, 2015. Sorry, Ms. Jackson. Looks like all you’re entitled to this time is the retirement/severance package edition review. . . . . Unbreakable sums up much of Janet’s bedazzled, distinguishing lifetime happenstances, from breakthroughs to relinquishments via upbeat, yet mostly down-tempo, adult contemporary R&B.
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News Advance - The Burg
October 14, 2015. Janet Jackson reasserts her place in modern pop with 'Unbreakable'
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Idientry
November 9, 2015. Most of Janet Jackson’s music is pop-based, and her most recent release, Unbreakable, is no different.
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The National
October 5, 2015. Janet Jackson seems at peace with lavish new album. Both Janet Jackson's public grief and private joy are touched upon in Unbreakable. However, don’t expect any angry missives or too many gooey lyrics.
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Spectrum Culture
October 14, 2015. Unbreakable feels like Jackson’s most timeless album, and it’s also one of her most easy to listen to.
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Parle Magazine
October 5, 2015. Unbreakable is an explanation from Janet herself of her journeys through triumph, heartache and what she’s learned along the way.
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Purposely Awakend
October 2, 2015. So what makes Unbreakable different from other Janet albums? It’s her testimony. She really breaks down her life story and her childhood on it.
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The Feminist Wire
October 7, 2015. It’s her most introspective, thoughtful, conscious, and daring effort since 1997’s The Velvet Rope, and perhaps her wisest. Unbreakable embodies the kind of fearlessness that comes with wisdom, which leads to liberation.
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Michigan Daily
October 4, 2015. “Unbreakable” might not break out of the mold, but at least it’s the mold Jackson created herself.
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ISU Student Media
November 13, 2015. In short, Ms. Jackson returned with a big bang! She has been missed and she delivered a big treat for her fans with this album. This album is one to listen to at any moment of the day –the vibe, up tempo beat, and ballads come together and make for the perfect mood.
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Kel & Mel Reviews
October 5, 2015. If there is one word that comes to mind when listening to this album it maturity. Janet Jackson has managed to craft something with Unbreakable shows that she has grown as a person and yet still is just as full of hope for the future and her fellow man as something that she would have put out in her idealistic twenties.
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ymmwt.com
October 3, 2015. Overall “Unbreakable” is simply a masterpiece with of an artist like Janet Jackson, has it finds her once again showcasing new layers to her, everything sounds so rich from the production to the songwriting and I have to say I have never heard her sing the way she does on this album, she has grown stronger as a vocalist.
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Watercooler Convos
October 12, 2015. On Janet’s comeback album Unbreakable, it is all about delivering classic Janet in every way.
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SB Independent
October 18, 2015. Jackson’s soft voice sings atop harmonies and dance-beat bass that reminisces of what contemporary R&B and Hip-Hop was built on. The title track, “Unbreakable,” opens to the album the way any good comeback album should begin, with a song dedicated to her fans.
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hot107.3JAMZ
October 12, 2015. Her 11th album has just enough of the snap, crackle and pop needed to kick start the day. Similar to the album's breakout single, "No Sleeep" featuring J. Cole, it's nothing to snooze on -- no matter what Khia says. While there are moments where the 17-track album plateaus, The Velvet Rope creator makes up for it with rocking jams and alluring melodies.
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alliuthephoenix
October 5, 2015. Janet has always been about a stripped down, somewhat vulnerable sound that made her seem mature beyond her years when she had lived little of her life. After marital issues, the death of a loved one and career controversies she seems even more appropriately placed to wax lyrical on topics of substance.
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uinterview
October 19, 2015. With eclectic influences taking control of the album including the gospel-infused “Gon’B Alright,” it shows that Jackson has officially awoken from her shell and is ready to take on the pop world again and keep it in her grasp.
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Trini Trent
October 6, 2015. . . . the record stands as the strongest effort by the singer since 1997’s The Velvet Rope with very little filler and a clear message that she is finally ready to transcend pop music trends.
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sac cultural hub
October 2, 2015. Janet Jackson Proves She’s Unbreakable, Delivers Her Best Album In Almost 20 Years.
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The Music Box
October 11, 2015. ‘Unbreakable’ is concrete verification that Jackson is back to regain her status as the Queen of Pop. A rich fusion of genres with compelling production by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it’s her most substantial album since 2001’s ‘All For You’. A triumphant return.
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The Gizzle Review
October 6, 2015. For the most part, ‘Unbreakable’ is a reflective album and it’s in these quieter moments that Jackson’s softer side emerges, with a vocal laden with emotional weight. ‘Unbreakable’ neatly ties together her past, proving her indomitable spirit and solidifying the building blocks of her career and reputation.
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POP CRUSH
October 2, 2015. Unbreakable is a buoyant and worthy re-entry into the current pop landscape for Jackson, with production that takes cues from what's on-trend without sounding like it's glomming on in order to attract younger, hipper listeners.
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TOYA'Z WORLD
October 6, 2015. However, this is her strongest body of work in a long time and although it may be lacking in obvious hits, the project is very consistent.
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POP! BLERD
October 4, 2015. I’m very happy to say that Unbreakable exceeded my expectations and serves as a high-water mark when it comes to recent music by the icons of my youth. Job well done, guys. I hope the “conversation” that Janet keeps alluding to has more to offer in years to come.
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All About Music
March 4, 2016. "Unbreakable" deserves to be highlighted by putting Janet once again with the producers who have drawn their best, and of course, to put the singer back in front of the compositions and productions of the album's songs, while at the same time signaling that she knows exactly what who is doing with the album, satisfying fans of her quieter, sexier, and of course, danceable songs, by being up to date with modern beats but without losing her identity.
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