The Velvet Rope
Janet Jackson
Q-Tip, Vanessa-Mae, Joni Mitchell
Engineer: Steve Hodge
Virgin Records (USA), 1997
1 CD
Catalogue #: 44762
EAN: 0724384476229
UPC: 724384476229
You save: 25%
Personnel includes: Janet Jackson (vocals); Q-Tip (rap vocals); Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis (various instruments); Mike Scott, Dave Barry, O. Nicholas Raths (guitar); Vanessa Mae, Hanley Daws, Brenda Mickens, Michael Sobieski, Elizabeth Sobieski, Carolyn Daws, Leslie Shank, Daria Tedeschi, Jan Chong (violin); Alice Preves, Myrna Rain, Glen Donnellen, Charles Gray (viola); Josh Koestenbaum, Daryl Skobba, Dale Newton, Camilla Heller (cello); Ken Holmen (flute, clarinet, saxophone); Lynne Erickson (trumpet); James "Big Jim" Wright (organ, keyboards, background vocals); Gary Raynor (bass); Alex Richbourg (drum programming, background vocals); Xavier Smith (drum programming); The United Children's Choir (background vocals); Joni Mitchell.
Producers: Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Janet Jackson.
Recorded at Flyte Tyme Studios, Edina, Minnesota.
"I Get Lonely" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In her most personal and emotionally revealing album to date, Janet Jackson tackles subjects close to her heart, including homophobia, abusive relationships, AIDS, and sexuality. THE VELVET ROPE is deftly produced by longtime Jackson collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who have a knack for injecting heavy, emotionally charged themes into musically flawless, stylistically innovative settings. The understated "Got 'Til It's Gone" features A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and a sample of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi." "What About," an edgy narrative from the perspective of an abused woman, contrasts a romantic, moonlit beach scene with memories of abuse. "Free Xone," highlights Jackson's open-minded perspective on sexuality: "Free to be/Who you really are/One rule/No rules." It is this expansiveness that marks THE VELVET ROPE as more than just another mainstream pop record.
Tracklist
Janet Jackson
In the wake of Michael Jackson's monster success with THRILLER, most of his brothers and sisters tried their hands at launching similarly styled solo careers, with varying degrees of success. But the only one to become a major recording figure on her own (and achieve staying power) was Michael's youngest sister, Janet Jackson, who became one of the biggest and most successful recording artists of the 1980s/'90s thanks to such albums as CONTROL and THE VELVET ROPE. Following the somewhat lackluster sales of 2004's DAMITA JO album and her now-infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at that year's Super Bowl halftime show, Jackson kept a relatively low profile for a few years, but returned strong in 2006 with 20 Y.O.
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell emerged as a darling of the late 1960s folk scene as a lyrically gifted songwriter and honey-voiced golden girl. In the '70s, she went on to incorporate jazz and confessional pop-rock into her musical vision, ultimately creating a poetic, earthy brand of art song that earned her a legion of admirers. While she has drifted in and out of fashion in her later career, she's among the most talented artists of her generation, and more than a few performers have her to thank for their careers.
Related links:
Janet JacksonQ-Tip
Vanessa-Mae
Joni Mitchell
Contemporary R&B
R&B
Virgin Records (USA)
