Janet Jackson - The Best

One of my guiltiest music pleasures has always been Janet Jackson. I say guilty because a lot of people tend to dismiss her as a novelty act or a strange curiosity. The fact is, any sibling of Michael Jackson is going to have a pretty rough time of it, but that never seemed to stop his younger sister from crafting some of the best soul-pop in recent times. From the spiky funk of Control (1986), to the awareness-raising power-pop of Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989), to the sexy grooves of Janet (1993), and the painful autobiography of The Velvet Rope (1997), Janet has consistently eked out brilliant pop songs with the help of main collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Recent albums have failed to recapture the same early brilliance of her first decade of pop, with albums like All For You (2001), 20 Y.O. (2006), and Discipline (2008) treading pretty much the same ground, with perhaps only the critically acclaimed Damita Jo (2004) marking a true return to form. Since Michael Jackson's death earlier this year, and the fact that Janet is mostly remembered these days for flashing a boob at the Superbowl, now is perhaps a good time to remind everyone that she has had ten albums and almost sixty - yes 6.0. - singles under her belt. Her greatest hits, The Best (being released as Number Ones in the US) is released this month, and here is a rather wonderful teaser to get you in the mood.