Unlike her peers, Jackson doesn’t fear slow-burn R&B. Instead of charging into the record with a grand statement (see “Control,” “Rhythm Nation”), she opens with a stroll, a tender, sincere love letter to her fans. “Hello, it’s been a while, lots to talk about, I’m glad you’re still here,” Jackson coos at the close of the title track, which opens the LP. Now, seven years since her last release, Jackson has reunited with Jam and Lewis for “Unbreakable.” Jackson and her team began chasing the sounds of a younger artist or rehashing styles that hadn’t been innovative (or interesting) in a decade. The trio’s inventions took Jackson from forgettable kid sister to icon, from 1986’s “What Have You Done for Me Lately” to 2001’s “All For You.” Then came the inevitable slide. To add variety, they split the difference between hard and soft with detours into new jack swing or Paisley Park grooves.
When the tracks became too tough, the triumvirate vented tension, finding something between Jacko’s humanistic ballads and Madge’s breathy torch songs. Teaming with Janet Jackson, Jam and Lewis carefully constructed club jams at the intersection of Michael’s hard-edged dance funk and Madonna’s sexy, feminist pop. In 1986, producers and songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis imagined an aesthetic between PG-rated Michael Jackson and R-rated Madonna. Janet Jackson back in control on ‘Unbreakable’
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