Customer Reviews

Damita Jo

5 star:		(671)
4 star:		(158)
3 star:		(99)
2 star:		(63)
1 star:		(112)

 

 

To those who:

1) Thought she would tone down after the OVERLY EXAGGERATED super bowl incident
2) Was trying to do something "shocking" so she could promote a mediocre album and remind the world she's still exists (think Madonna @ the VMA's & "American Life")
3) Think the album is nothing but explicit, extreme, almost fetish sexual themes

...You're all in for a surprise

Yes, there are some sexual themes, but it isn't as drastic or excessive as some critics perceive it to be (it isn't anything different from the raunchiest lyrics by D'Angelo or Maxwell). It's actually a little unfair and hypocritical because had the accident NOT happen, people would've dubbed this album to be "sexy" and "exotic" or something. But the accident did happen, and now the same people are dubbing this album to be "trashy" and "cheap".

The songs on the album vary, ranging from slow ballads to upbeat club songs; "Spending Time With You" and "My Baby (featuring Kanye West)" have extremely catchy hooks. The fusion of rock and synthesizers in "Sexhibition" works well. The smoothness in "Warmth" is very appealing while the hypnotic flow of "All Nite (Don't Stop)" gets very addictive with each listen (just the way she sings the line "this rhythm just makes me high" leaves me yearning for more). But above it all, the song that got my immediate approval when I first listened was the old school R&B sound of "R&B Junkie". Though most of the songs on the album are good, there are those few things that I have a problem with: I don't understand what's so great about "Strawberry Bounce". The song is lacking; the lyrics are mediocre and the beat is too simple (it consists of Jay-Z in the background saying "bounce", handclaps, and "la-la-la" loops. It sounds more like little girls playing double-dutch jump rope). For some reason, the lead single (although it failed to get any airplay) "Just A Little While" sounds like a jingle for Pepsi (I don't know why, it just does). The main thing that seems to be bothering everyone is the interludes. Now, I don't mind interludes; I actually enjoy some... but many of her interludes aren't needed and some just don't make sense. Janet shares gems like "Country":

"J... Jo... Dunk? Booty... Damita Jo...isn't that like a country name -Damita Jo? It is isn't it? The "Damita" I don't think is country, but it's the "Jo" that's country, which just happens to be my father's name. Well my mother is from the south... so...Damita Jo..."

Wow! That was deep...

Anyway... In general, this album is decent enough to listen. This album starts off strong but then towards the end, it falls flat, leaving a shaky last appeal. The thing is that there aren't enough top quality songs to call this album "Excellent". Still, listening to the diversity of songs in "Damita Jo" was refreshing. When "it all comes down" to it, this album is pretty good.

I absolutely LOVE every song on this album! I give this album a 10! And it's not just cuz Janet and I share the same first name, Lol, but because Janet Jackson surely put out another good album yet again! Big WOOT for her! All the songs have a special meaning to me!

1. Looking For Love - Interlude:~
I like this track cuz it is so true... we're all so different, and there are so many contradictions between us... but in the end all of us are looking for the same thing, and that makes us all so similar no matter how different we are... because in the end, we're all looking for Love.

2. Damita Jo:~ (SCORE 9)
I like this song. I like the beat and its kinda hip-hop like. The song basically talks bout who she is, and asking everyone... do you like me just for what you see? Do you really think I'm that person you see on TV?

3. Sexhibition:~ (SCORE 10)
I LOVE this song. Prolly like my third favorite on this album. It just makes me wanna get up and dance Lol. It's got like a danceable rock/pop beat to it... What's this song about? ummmm sex. Lol

4. Strawberry Bounce:~ (SCORE 7)
I like this song, but I kinda scroll past this track when I hear this album unless I really wanna hear it. It's has an addictive hook and all, but it is not one of my favorites on this album.

5. My Baby (featuring Kanye West):~ (SCORE 8)
I like this song, but just like Strawberry Bounce, I'm never really in the mood to hear it all the time. I read many reviews and everyone seems to LOVE it, and I do too, but it is not one of my favorites for some reason. I like what it says though... it's about her love for her babay Lol.

6. The Islands- Interlude:~
I like this interlude cuz she's talking about her favorite things, and that is being on an island with her baby just curling up reading a good book. Ummm, that is sooo me too! Lol.

7. Spending Time With You:~ (SCORE 9)
I LOVE this song and I can't help but listen to it all the time. I love the music. It's slow and has a good beat. I love the lyrics though. It's about her saying how much she loves spending time with the one she loves and how that's all she wants to do. Me too!

8. The Magic Hour- Interlude:~
I like this track cuz she talks about her favorite time: when it's almost dark, and the sun has gone down, and there is still that little bit of light left... and yes, that is beautiful to see!

9: Island Life:~ (SCORE 10!)
I ADORE this song! My absolute favorite song on this album! I love the music, I love the lyrics, and I love everything about it! I think I play this track over and over again cuz I just love it so much! I just can't help but sing to this song out really loud and blast it whenever it comes on. Lol.

10. All Nite (Don't Stop):~ (SCORE 10)
I LOVE this song. This is probably my second favorite track on this album. I like this track a LOT because I just can't help but get up and dance every time I hear it. It has an awesome dance beat that you just can't get outta your head and can't help but dance to.

11. R&B Junkie:~ (SCORE 8)
I like this song. It has a old-school dance beat to it and it's kinda addictive. I like this song, although it is not one of my favorites on the album.

12. I Want You:~ (SCORE 9.5)
This song is the reason why I bought this album after seeing the music video. I love this song a lot. I love the lyrics. The song is about how much she wants to be with the one she loves, and how much she wishes it would be him who would be with her, and not anyone else. This song is one of my favorites on the album.

13. Like You Don't Love Me:~ (SCORE 7)
I like this song, but it is probably one of my least favorite songs I like in the album. It's a good song, but not one of the ones I am eager to hear all the time.

14. Thinking About my Ex:~ (SCORE 9.5)
This song almost made me wanna cry. This is a VERY beautiful song and it was very beautifully written. The song is about her not trying to break the heart of the one she is currently with, but as much as she doesn't wanna break his heart, she admits that she can't help but think about her ex. The music is very slow jam-like, and I love listening to it. This song is one of my favorites on the album.

15. Warmth:~ (SCORE 7.5)
I like this song... but then I heard the lyrics. Lol. This is one of Janet Jackson's most sexually explicit songs ever! I like the song all in all, but they aren't necessarily my favorite lyrics at all.

16. Moist:~ (SCORE 9)
I really like the music to this song. But of course, the lyrics to this song are quite sexual and explicit. This song appears to be a continuation to the previous song, but less sexually extreme than the previous song.

17. It All Comes Down To Love- Interlude:~
I like this interlude, but it doesn't bare a great deal of significance on the album. This feels just like an add in to fill up the album.

18. Truly:~ (SCORE 8)
This song is very nice and I like it. It's slow and the lyrics describe how much she loves the one she loves.

19. The One- Interlude:~
I like this interlude. This interlude appears to be like a continuation to the first interlude "Looking for Love".

20. SloLove:~ (SCORE 10)
I love this song! This is one of my favorites in the whole album. I would say it ties in third place with "Sexhibition". This song also makes me wanna get up and dance. The beat is very upbeat and almost a little disco like in the good sense.

21. Country- Interlude:~
This interlude is basically about Janet's name "Damita Jo" and how it sounds like a country name.

22. Just A Little While:~ (SCORE 10)
I LOVE this song! This song has a little bit of a rock beat to it, and it makes you wanna get up and dance. This song is defintely one of my favorites on the album. The song is about how much she likes the one she is interested in, and how she hopes that he will be interested in her too.

As you can see, I love this whole album!! I like every song on this album and I love listening to it. I strongly recommend it even if you're not a Janet Jackson fan, because I can guarentee you'll like at least one song in it.~

Janet Jackson is letting it all hang out on her fabulously down-and-dirty "Damita Jo." On this CD, Jackson's raunchy lyrics, which appear on a number of these songs, leave almost nothing to the imagination, exploring sexual themes that pick up where her last three albums left off. If the parental advisory sticker isn't a sufficient warning, then take a cursory look at the tracklisting: titles like "Warmth," "Moist," "Sexhibition," and "Strawberry Bounce." But there's so much more to "Damita Jo" than its eye-opening lyrics. While she faithfully reunites with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, she also branches out and works with other hitmakers like Kayne West, Babyface, and Dallas Austin. The result is her most diverse-sounding album to date. The flavor is still r&b, but with some new welcome kicks. Janet sets a romantic tone in the sweet "Spending Time With You," hooks up with Kayne West on the slammin' "My Baby," and collaborates with Babyface on "Thinking of My Ex," a killer ballad that should make current beau Jermaine Dupri nervous. Clubheads and DJs will salivate over the disco glitter of "Slolove," and "R&B Junkie" outright steals the hook off Evelyn Champagne King's "I'm in Love" and runs with it. As with Janet's last few discs, "Damita Jo" has its share of interludes, and their abundance threatens the flow and overall quality of the disc. One day, Janet will hopefully be confident enough to do away with the interludes and let the music speak for itself. And the weak "Just a Little While" was a poor choice for a debut single. That aside, "Damita Jo" stands tall on its merits and looks poised to be a solid hit during the spring and summer.

Let's be honest. Janet Jackson made her best albums while she was still on A&M Records. With the exception of 1993's janet, the quality of her records on Virgin has been slowly decreasing. And I saw a number of reviewers state that this album, Damita Jo, has been getting bad press because of the Super Bowl incident. I personally think this album has been getting bad press because, well, it ain't that hot. In fact, some people have been arguing over whether this is better or worse than All For You, and I can't really comment on that aspect because all I heard from All For You were the singles (and "Would You Mind"); all I can say it that this album wasn't doin' it for me.

Maybe "bad" wouldn't be the best word to describe this album. Basically, this album is really uninteresting; a shame considering it has 22 tracks on it. And all the 2 to 3-star reviews for this album are pretty accurate (although I don't agree with the people that said The Velvet Rope was a classic album).

On the one hand, this album has way too many interludes, and in them Janet is pretty much talking about nothing. This is especially evident at the beginning of the album, where tracks 1 and 2 are both interludes [the same thing happened on Chapter II by Ashanti, who doesn't look much different than Janet Jackson (ironic?)]. But the full-length songs aren't that great either.

The only song I really like on here is "Truly". There are some tolerable songs like "I Want You" and "Just a Little While", but everything else leaves a LOT to be desired. And this is painful, considering that a majority of these tracks were written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis! Since when do they write bad songs??? Anyway, there are a lot of lazy contributions, like "R&B Junkie", "Spending Time With You" and "Strawberry Bounce" (which contains a sample of Jay-Z saying "bounce" from "Can I Get A..."). There's also the bizarre "Thinkin' Bout My Ex"; and after all the acclaim he's been getting lately, it's rather disappointing to hear Kanye West giving an uninspiring performance on the already lame "My Baby".

As another reviewer said, it's also difficult to hear what Janet is saying in some of these songs, as evidenced by "All Nite (Don't Stop)" and "SloLove". And when Janet decided to explore her sexual side in the past like on "Any Time, Any Place", for example, it really turned you on. Here, it's just annoying; just listen to "Moist" and "Warmth".

In the end, this album is nothing special. I think Janet (as well as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis) lowered their standards for some reason to put this album out. Maybe the executive producer realized that in the end, because there?s no such credit anywhere to be found on the album (Alan Smithee, anyone?). I don?t know what crowd Damita Jo is supposed to cater to, but it sure didn?t hit home with ME.

Anthony Rupert

Janet,what happened? Even though this is a much better album than that load of you know what "All For You" was,it's still not in the same league as "Control","Rhythm Nation 1814","Janet" or "The Velvet Rope".Janet,the sex thing has been done more effectively already so let it go.Put some clothes on and put out another GREAT album worthy of your best four.

P.S.: Jam & Lewis it's time to let someone else produce a JJ album.The magic isn't there anymore.I know that you two have given JJ her biggest hits and best albums.After 19 years,The Jam/Lewis,Jackson connection has grown stale.

we all have aspects of our personality that coincide with nicknames, middle names or pet names... and janet's middle name "damita jo" is no exception, but the album is exceptional.

with an interlude start, janet sets the stage for a provacative and sensual album, and she delivers. the aspect of her "character" damita jo gives the listener plenty to dance to..but also evokes a romantic tenderness with it's breathy ballads.

standout songs are the funky and booty shakin' "all nite (don't stop) - this song MAKES you dance. it's one of her BEST dance songs ever, with a great hook and an infectious beat. "i want you" - the second single from her album is a smooth r&b ballad with great harmonies. janet's voice on this song is melodic and captivating.

those are just two of the songs that will snap out at you, but i guarantee all of them will make you grateful for the talents of miss jackson and the voice of "damita jo".

this album is a MUST have for any one who enjoys great modern music.

Janet Jackson finally reveals to the public her middle name. This album is 13 minutes less and has one track more than 2001's ALL FOR YOU. This album contains interview excerpts. JJ recalled in one that when she was a kid,after school she would retreat to her bedroom,turn on the radio and do her homework. She listened to music almost every day of her life. Hey,she comes from a musical family(siblings Michael and Jermaine have had solo careers also). She even says her mother Katherine is partially southern. Like ALL FOR YOU,this album contains some profanity. Great album!

i really don't think janet needs any more reviews. whatever else anyone has to say, she's gonna be fine. but after seeing some of these "reviews", i must make some notes missing from just about all of 'em:
1. first and foremost: people, janet is not 15 or even 21 anymore! the woman is pushing 40! personally i am proud of her for just being who she is and not folding to what's "popular" or "expected".
2. very important: if you don't care for r 'n b, you most likely will not like this cd.
3. there are comments/referrals/comparisons to her early work (rn and control and even janet.). again, i think most people who know music as well as the fans who grew up with janet (such as myself) will appreciate her obvious growth as a person and as an entertainer, and still a darn good one!
4. uhh, the girl never had a "strong voice". never will. why is it a problem now? lol, where did y'all come from?!
one final note: as noted with the 4 rating, i love this cd. it has received constant play in all my cd players since i got it last tuesday (highlight on "spending time" and "island life"). i would have given it a 5 but i rarely go past track #16. and i'm not sure what's going on with #20. but next to tvr, i think this is her best work yet. to me afy was a great disappointment. but not everyone in this world has my musical taste, and that's kool!! everyone is still entitled to an opinion. but could we at least try to keep it objective! *peace*

Damita Jo is not my favorite Janet CD, in fact I think it's one of her weakest releases to date.. and that's why I don't understand why two of the best songs are only found on this very expensive Japanese version.
She should have dropped some of the boring ballads such as the embarrising and unsexy "Warmth" and "Moist" and put these pretty little songs on the CD instead.
I hope her next project sounds more original and fresh because I'm not buying ONE more Janet CD about sex. Enough is enough!

Janet Jackson's "Damita Jo" is one of the best albums of 2004.

It has Charisma, Soul, A Lot of Effort and Talent mixed in one CD at the same time. I Really don't understand why this album is so underrated, it has great tracks and lots of standouts, Janet should be proud of her work.

This Is A Review of the tracks of "Damita Jo":

Looking for Love / Damita Jo / Sexhibition :

"Looking For Love" was the perfect song to start the album, followed by Damita Jo & the Brilliant "Sexhibition". Those tracks put me in the Janet Mood. The Only problem is that those songs are very Short.

Strawberry Bounce / My Baby: Upbeat Songs, Very Good Ones.

Jay Z is featured in Strawberry Bounce, making a great but again, Short song. My Baby is more like my style, on this track is featured Kanye West, the Rapper and R&B producer of the moment in the states.

The Islands / Spending Time With You / The Magic Hour / Island Life:

One Of My Favorite parts of "Damita Jo". "The Islands" is an Interlude, a very relaxing interlude. Followed by "Spending Time with You" an Amazing R&B Track, Deliciously performed by Janet. After this "The Magic Hour" starts, this is another relaxing interlude with Janet's Voice. To Finish with this part of the album is "Island Life", an Upbeat R&B Janet track.

All Nite (Don't Stop) / R&B Junkie / I Want You:

All Nite is one of my favorite singles of 2004, Janet simply puts all her soul in this track - Catchy, Seductively enough to atract the public. R&B Junkie is another Upbeat track, this song has a very Old School Feeling for a strange reason. I Want You is a R&B Ballad, very sweet and lovely, one of the singles from "Damita Jo"

Like You Don't Love Me / Thinkin' Bout My Ex:

Beautiful Janet Songs. This tracks now put me in the "Slow R&B" mood for the next couple of songs.

Warmth / Moist:

Sexy, Fresh & Great tracks. Perfect ones for those rainy days, Janet really mastered the art of the "R&B Slow tracks" and this songs shows that.

It All Comes Down to Love / Truly / One:

This Songs are Nothing Special in this album. Again, Janet is adding to the album Short Songs, We want more Janet !

Slolove / Country / Just a Little While:

Slo Love is my favorite song of the album, it's Very Catchy and Should be a Single, the best song of "Damita Jo". Country is a short Interlude that lead us to "Just A Little While", the last track on the album & the first single of "Damita Jo". I didn't liked "Just A Little While" at first, I must admit that It has grow on me a lot, but I still thinking that it was a mistake to release this track as the lead single of the album.

Overall, Damita Jo is one of the best R&B albums of the last years, I think it's better than "The Velvet Rope" and that says a lot. Buy It, I'm sure that you won't be dissapointed.

Thanks for Reading this Review =).