Several years after Control she also was ahead of the game with the pop mining Black Panther imagery via the still rockin’ (and risky for rock elements at the time) “Black Cat” single. Yes, Jackson would go on to beat Beyoncé to the Super Bowl Controversy punch via that really inconsequential nip slip that got way too much press. Seriously, y’all… stop jockin’ Ye and go listen to some Ratking or FKA Twigs or something fresher. The simmering “Nasty Boys” flirtation with almost clanging industrial textures reminds that Yeezus is one of Kanye’s best lucid moments but really it is way less original than he thinks (like most things he does). The album was sexy and funky and fun, but if you were too nasty you had to call her “Ms. Jackson would become one of the world’s biggest pop stars, predating current day reigning queen Beyonce with sly humor (the opening girl talk skit to fiercely confrontational, funky and dismissive “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”) and via hyper-analytical pop as a reflection of woman’s spirit, social standing, and ability to seize attention in a less objective way. There is not the same stormcloud pathos of Prince’s testy years fighting Warner Brothers, rather sheer joy through most of the record. Control is a masterpiece of self-worth-themed contextual pop that proves our nation’s shame forever downgrading her to the status of “wardrobe malfunction”. “This is a story about control… and this time I’m gonna do it my way”, the album’s spoken intro promised.

Roaring in with a softly stated yet commanding declaration of intent, Jackson was free of her father and manager, Joseph, and with a fresh marriage annulment, was poised to take over the world and help change music forever. The segue ways on the album are also as great or better than almost any album in history (seriously, “The Pleasure Principle” riding out into the sudden sparse light funk of “When I Think of You” is pure genius, a song that not only had one of the best grooves but also offered one among the funniest ensemble videos of the times). Jackson gets major style points for her bright color palette, very pop looks, and her effortless charm during this period. Personally, I think it is unquestionably the most coherent and powerful full album statement from any female solo pop artist during much of the ’80s, some of Kate Bush’s more eccentric triumphs that decade notwithstanding. Luke/Ke$ha controversy and when pop is often less and less a reflection of the actual artist performing it and more of a pantomime for corporate interests, Janet Jackson‘s Control is worth reconsidering as, perhaps boldly, one of the top three or four pop records of the ’80s. In a time when artistic freedom, boundaries, and self-worth have been thrust back onto the national debate stage via the high profile Sony/Dr.

Janet jackson full album