Damita Jo (album)

In April 2001, Jackson released her seventh studio album All for You. It saw the singer working with new producers for the first time since Control (1986) while maintaining her partnership with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It debuted at number one in the United States, selling 605,128 copies on its first week, and had sold 3.1 million copies across the country as of September 2009, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its title track became the first song by a female artist in the decade to reach number one in the United States, where it remained for seven weeks, becoming her second-longest single to stay at the top. All for You received three nominations at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, eventually winning Best Dance Recording for the title track. Following the album's release, Jackson embarked on the All for You Tour, which grossed over US$40 million in ticket sales. Upon completion of the tour in 2002, Jackson started recording a new album. Her longtime collaborator, Jimmy Jam, stated that they "talked about a million different possible things to do and finally decided to do a brand-new album", as the singer was "itching to get back in the studio", hoping to release it in early 2003. As Jackson completed work on the album, she was featured as a performer on the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, which took place on February 1, 2004, in Houston. At the end of the performance, guest artist Justin Timberlake pulled off a part of Jackson's costume, which accidentally exposed her right breast. Although the costume tear was orchestrated, her breast's exposure was not the intended result. However, the singer suffered backlash from the media; a 2004 Associated Press report speculated that the incident was a publicity stunt for her then-upcoming album. ==Writing and recording==

Recording sessions for Damita Jo lasted for a total of 18 months, the longest Jackson had spent recording an album. He clarified that was not a clear direction at that moment; they would write songs and see what they liked or not, as part of the discovery process. Austin worked with Jackson in Atlanta from late 2003 until early 2004 before deciding which songs would make the final cut. Songwriter Sean Garrett described being "starstruck", calling the session an essential part of his early career. "I thought working with Janet would change my life and it definitely did. The record put another big name on my list, but that was a really cool experience". Several collaborations were considered during the album's recording sessions. Jam discussed potentially writing a duet with Timberlake for the album in its initial stages, but never came to fruition. Sessions with Daniel Bedingfield, Mario Winans, and Diddy were also planned but did not take place. Other sessions with producers such as duo Dre & Vidal and 7 Aurelius took place, with the former revealing that he and Jackson had made "cutting edge, hard-hitting dance music" for Damita Jo. However, the tracks did not appear on the final product. Like her previous releases, the concept for Damita Jo was influenced by Jackson's life and feelings at the time. Jam stated, "Her albums are always what she's thinking at the moment. [...] Her thoughts may change six months from now. Her biggest thing is to be honest with her fans. Whatever stuff she wants to talk about, it's coming from her heart". as nearly seven songs had not been completed by that point. ==Composition==

Themes Damita Jos lyrical content is divided between themes of love and romance, discussing lust and monogamous intimacy. An underlying theme of alternate personalities is explored, with Jackson's substitute personae "Damita Jo" and "Strawberry" appearing on several songs. Jackson explained that the record shows different characters of her personality which she displays at different moments in her life, as well as a "more private side" to her. Spliced between several songs are "mystifying" interludes, in which the singer attempts to intimately communicate her inner thoughts with the listener. Alternate identities presented include "Damita Jo", an aggressive persona mentioned during the album's title track and "Sexhibition", as well as "Strawberry", a lascivious performer who emerges on "Strawberry Bounce". Speaking about the personae, Jackson said, "She's another way to express and expose a deeper part of me". Jackson added, "It's not an everyday indulgence. Not even every week. But every now and then I like playing around in that mode." Music and lyrics The album's opening monologue, "Looking for Love", serves as a prelude to the album's content of romance and passion. Jackson deciphers society's unification within the desire for affection in a breathy tone over a spatial and "dreamy" electronic backing: "So many different characters live within us – all looking for love". The second song, "Damita Jo", is composed of hip-hop and brittle funk. Next track "Sexhibition" is an electro-infused funk song composed of "cleverly crafted" verbal puns, delivered with "saucy assertiveness". {{Listen The fourth track, "Strawberry Bounce", depicts Jackson method acting a sensual display as alter ego "Strawberry"; characterizing herself as a one-woman gentleman's club, Jackson asks her partner to "Let me be your playground". Fusing new-school hip-hop with pop music, she sings "watch the way I pump it, the way it works is gonna keep you comin'", in a "feverish pant". "My Baby" features guest vocals from Kanye West over an acoustic-flavoured hip-hop production, as Jackson delivers the chorus in a reassuring manner, described as a "sotto voce purr". It is a love song about butterflies in the protagonist's stomach. "The Islands" is a spoken-word segment in which the singer confesses her admiration for the island of Anguilla, the beach, and tropical humidity. with influences of samba, grime, and Latin percussion. The lyrics discuss being addicted to dancing in a club setting. Next track "R&B Junkie" is a salute to old school R&B, which transforms a brief sample from Evelyn King into a new composition. Built over a pitched-up sample of B. T. Express' "Close to You", "I Want You" is influenced by Motown music of the 1950s. Lyrically, she addresses at how her lover is "about to make the rain come down". The lyrics were described as being about "all-out love". The album's final track is lead single "Just a Little While", which combines new wave guitar and keyboards. ==Packaging and release==

The album's title, Damita Jo, was revealed following Jackson's performance at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show on February 1, 2004, through a press release; it was named after her middle name and one of her alternative personae portrayed by the singer on the album. Jackson had planned to use her middle name for an alternate project but decided to use the concept at that time rather than waiting. The singer previously desired to record an album which was a "complete departure" from what she was known for and title it after her middle name, as she "really didn't want anyone to know that it was me singing on the album"; however, she was convinced to use the title by Austin when they were sharing their own middle names during the recording sessions. A spokesperson for Jackson had initially denied the picture was for the album, claiming that the image was fabricated. A spokesperson for Virgin explained that the singer "wanted a simple and youthful picture that she felt people would like. It's beautiful, soft. So far, fans love it", adding that "web sites have been going crazy" over the photo. EMI Music Japan released Damita Jo in that country on March 22, 2004, with two bonus tracks: "I'm Here" and "Put Your Hands On". A week later, EMI distributed it in European countries, On that evening, Jackson was presented a diamond Damita Jo nameplate necklace by Virgin for the album's release, designed by Jacob the Jeweler. Due to its explicit sexual content, Damita Jo carries a Parental Advisory label; for this reason, a clean edition was released, editing five tracks due to its sexual content and omitting two songs entirely – "Warmth" and "Moist". "I'm Here" and "Spending Time with You" were made available for streaming on BET's website. ==Promotion==

In March 2004, Billboard reported that Jackson would embark on an extensive promotional tour for Damita Jo, comprising regions such as North America, Europe, and Japan. She first traveled to Europe, appearing on televised shows including TRL UK, Top of the Pops, and CD:UK. Upon returning to the United States, Jackson was interviewed on The Late Show with David Letterman, 106 & Park, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The singer was then a guest on Good Morning America and On Air with Ryan Seacrest, with the shows being aired with a five-second delay due to concerns in the aftermath of her Super Bowl performance. She was the host and performer on Saturday Night Live; the show's network, NBC, insisted that the show would be aired without any delays. She also appeared on several magazine covers in the United States, including Ebony, Upscale, and Essence. and MuchMoreMusic Live, Jackson made a brief return to her home country to perform at MSN Music's studios and at the Wango Tango concert before moving on to Japan, where she made an unannounced performance at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan and was the recipient of the "Inspiration Award". Following this, Jackson returned to Europe and was interviewed at Friday Night with Jonathan Ross before performing at Festivalbar in Italy, and on Gala Xacobeo in Spain, as well as appearing on a television special titled Janet hos Jarl, conducted by actor Jarl Friis-Mikkelsen. Upon returning to the United States, the singer made a surprise appearance on New York's Gay Pride March, and performed at the 2004 BET Awards; the awards show was televised without a delay, unlike most television shows which featured Jackson at the time. In November 2003, Jackson's official website confirmed that a world concert tour in support of Damita Jo would take place in summer 2004, following the album's release. Mario Winans was set to be one of the opening acts, but the tour never happened. Singles " on 2015―2016's Unbreakable World Tour; it became the only single from the album not to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. The single was released on February 2, 2004, after a premature leak. and sent to urban radio formats in the United States on March 1, quickly responding to their demand as there was no single planned for the format yet. It generated an audience impression of 21.1 million on formats able to play the song during its first week of release. In the US, "I Want You" reached number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while peaking at number 18 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming her 33rd consecutive top 40 hit on the chart. The single was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over 1,000,000 copies across the country. "All Nite (Don't Stop)" was sent to contemporary hit radios as the album's third single on the week of May 17, 2004, in the United States. The single only managed to reach number 19 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, an extension of the Billboard Hot 100, but topped the Dance Club Songs chart. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a double A-side with "I Want You", and reached number 19. Music Week initially confirmed "My Baby" as the album's fourth single, but its release never materialized. The album's title track and "My Baby" also charted on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart without being released as singles, peaking at number 17 and 9, respectively. ==Critical reception==

Upon its release, Damita Jo received mixed reviews from music critics. The album holds an average score of 53 based on 13 reviews on Metacritic. Steve Jones from USA Today observed that despite negative publicity surrounding the album, Jackson was not "sweating it musically", as she "freely pursues her sexual and love fantasies" on it, noting that "this is a happy, loving Jackson, as prone to romantic walks on the beach as to roadside quickies". For Jones, the singer's new collaborators induced a "freshening" effect while maintaining familiarity to her previous releases. Blender critic Ann Powers considered the record "artfully structured, unapologetically explicit", as well as "erotica at its friendliest and most well-balanced", and noted that it "even erases the memory of Jackson's clunky Super Bowl breast-baring". She added that "Jackson brings bliss back to a subject that too many dirty-mouthed hotties have made tedious through overexposure." Neil Strauss of Rolling Stone wrote that Damita Jo "smacks of trying too hard", as it "wants to be all things to all pop fans". He also observed that "if reduced to a quarter of its size (it's twenty-two tracks long), Damita Jo could be a great CD". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said it featured "a slew of the gooey, structureless sex ballads that have become Janet's staple", and although Jackson recruited new producers, "she doesn't really create a new sound for herself here". Cinquemani called the songs "Like You Don't Love Me" and "Moist", produced by Jam and Lewis, "two of the album's best". Entertainment Weeklys David Browne echoed those sentiments, observing that thematically, Damita Jo was "essentially the same record she's been making since 1993's 'janet.', her first overtly carnal work", and that "this time, Jackson's stab at a sexy album also lacks a certain va-va-vroom", and that while occasionally some tracks "stay with you", others "evaporate as you listen to them". For Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, Jackson "disappears into the productions" on the album, "becoming part of the arrangement instead of standing in front of it", considering the singer's "sexual obsession" as "tired" and "embarrassing" by this point. The Globe and Mails Robert Everett-Green panned Damita Jo for its excessive sexual content, although he complimented "Just a Little While" and "I Want You"; he also pointed out that, "other good tracks seem to have been constructed with the perverse aim of pushing the star's erotic disembodiment to the limit". == Accolades ==

In its year-end review of albums released in 2004, Blender ranked Damita Jo at number 50, noting: "From 2004's most notorious flasher, mature, sexy R&B; that is hotter than a Super Bowl halftime show". At the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album, while "I Want You" received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In addition, "All Nite (Don't Stop)" was recognized as the "Best Pop Song" at the 2005 BMI London Awards. Retrospectively, Damita Jo was considered one of the 120 Essential Pop Albums by The Daily Telegraph, with journalist Ben Thompson writing: "Listening to Michael's sister's luscious lost 2004 classic is like dining on a seven-course meal entirely of melted marshmallows". ==Commercial performance==

behind Usher's (pictured) Confessions. In the United States, Damita Jo was predicted to sell around 200,000 copies within its first week of release, Damita Jo sold 381,000 copies during its first week, debuting at number two on Billboard 200 behind Usher's Confessions. It became Jackson's first album not to reach number one in the US since Dream Street (1984); however, the album garnered Jackson's second-best sales week of her career since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. It remained inside the chart for 19 weeks. As of March 2009, Damita Jo has sold 1,002,000 copies in the United States. In Canada, Damita Jo debuted at number seven with sales of 9,100 units, and at number ten in Japan with 27,510 copies sold. It was certified platinum by Music Canada (MC) and gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for sales of 100,000 copies in each country. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association Singapore (RIAS) in June 2004 or even 3 million copies worldwide, which was considered a "disappointment" in the media compared to Jackson's previous efforts. LA Weeklys Ernest Hardy observed its first-week sales to be "far stronger than those of recent releases by Madonna, Britney, Whitney or J-Lo". Regarding the album's commercial performance, Jackson stated, "Of course everyone wants to sell records and be number one. And I think that's important. But for a lot of artists today, it's all about the money as opposed to the art. What happened to artists creating this wonderful body of music that touches people and changes their lives?". ==Commercial blacklist==

Following the incident at the Super Bowl halftime show performance, conglomerates involved with the broadcast were heavily fined by the FCC and taken to court for several years in proceedings that reached the Supreme Court. In retaliation, the aforementioned conglomerates—Viacom (including CBS; MTV, the halftime show's producer; and radio station group Infinity Broadcasting) and Clear Channel Communications— enforced a blacklist of Jackson's singles and music videos on many radio formats and music channels, as CBS's chairman Les Moonves deemed Jackson's apology as "insufficient". The boycott was placed into effect prior to the release of Damita Jo, affecting her subsequent albums, and ended with the release of Discipline (2008). Timberlake, who performed with Jackson during the incident, did not receive the same treatment. Although lead single "Just a Little While" was initially predicted by journalists to be successful, its performance shifted when the blacklist was commenced, virtually disappearing from airplay "without much fanfare" less than two months after its release. Allan Raible of ABC News expressed that "had the Super Bowl incident not happened, I have a feeling the rock-edged 'Just a Little While' and the Kanye West assisted 'Strawberry Bounce' would have been enough to make the album more of a success". Additionally, Doug Rule of the Metro Weekly pointed out that "the best tracks on Damita Jo are likely to be barred from commercial airtime" due to the blacklist, adding "in the case of first single 'Just A Little While,' never really [got] past go" as a reflection of the blacklist. Commenting on Jackson's absence on MTV after the Super Bowl performance, Jam said, "You can probably read between the lines with MTV. I would guess that if MTV wanted to play it, they would, but this is just speculation on my part. It certainly could raise a few questions if you have an investigative mind". Roger Friedman of Fox News ridiculed the decision, claiming Jackson was "being scapegoated for her Super Bowl 'wardrobe malfunction'" and adding: "Imagine that MTV, where illiteracy and lewdness thrive most of the day, would banish Janet's new video because of her 'reputation'. Who are they trying to kid? Of course, MTV is a corporate cousin of CBS, where the original snafu happened. But that's just a coincidence!" ==Influence==

Several critics observed that the theme of Damita Jo has influenced artists when using similar concepts of alternate identities within album campaigns, regarding Jackson as the trendsetter in which singers "declare themselves in possession of multiple personalities". Spears stated that an alternate persona Britney Jean lives inside her, in a similar means to Jackson expressing that Damita Jo was one of the characters that lives inside of her. She also appeared topless on its cover. Several critics observed Beyoncé's persona Sasha Fierce and her album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008) to be influenced by Damita Jo. The Sydney Morning Heralds Bernard Zuel pointed out that similarly to Jackson's concept, Beyoncé had a persona who "takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created kind of protects me and who I really am". Eric R. Danton of the Hartford Courant commented, "her musical forebear Janet Jackson is occasionally known as Damita Jo, so why shouldn't Beyoncé have an alter-ego, too?". ==Track listing==

;Notes • signifies a co-producer • On clean versions of the album, "Warmth" and "Moist" are not included due to explicit content and "Sexhibition" is re-titled as "Exhibition". • ;Sample credits • "Strawberry Bounce" contains elements from "Can I Get A..." by Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule. • "All Nite (Don't Stop)" contains elements from "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" by Herbie Hancock. • "R&B Junkie" contains elements from "I'm in Love" by Evelyn King. • "I Want You" contains elements of "Close to You" by B.T. Express. • "Put Your Hands On" contains replayed elements from "The Message" written by Edward Fletcher, Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover and Clifton Chase. ==Personnel==

Personnel adapted from the liner notes of Damita Jo. • Janet Jackson – vocals, backing vocals, producer • Dallas Austin – beats, keyboards, Line 6 guitar, producer • Bobby Ross Avila – bass, drums, co-producer, guitar, keyboards, Moog lead, nylon guitar, producer, Rhodes electric piano • Babyface – instrumentation, producer • BAG & Arnthor – arrangers, engineers, producers, programming • Miri Ben-Ari – violin, violin arranger, violin producer • Paul Boutin – engineer • Billy Brown – backing vocals • Henrik Brunberg – assistant engineer • Jason Carson – engineer • Fran Cooper – make-up • Ian Cross – engineer • Roger Davies – management • Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing • Freckles – backing vocals • Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering • Jon Gass – mixing • Serban Ghenea – mix assistant • Johnny Gill – guitar • Lee Groves – programming • Cesar Guevara – assistant engineer • Stephan Haeri – mixing • Rob Haggett – assistant programming • Doug Harms – assistant engineer • Terri Harris – personal assistant • Jeri Heiden – art direction, design • Steve Hodge – engineer, mixing, mix engineer • Keenan "Kee Note" Holloway – bass • Kameron Houff – engineer • Kevin Hunter – guitar • Jun Ishizeki – engineer • Iz – bass, co-producer, drums, electric guitar, guitar, horn stabs, Moog synthesizer, percussion, scratches • Jimmy Jam – drum programming, drums, keyboards, percussion, producer • Glenn Jeffery – guitar • Henrik Jonback – guitar • Goran Kajfes – horn • Brent Kolatalo – assistant engineer • Ken Lewis – instrumentation • Terry Lewis – producer • Wayne Scot Lukas – wardrobe • Matt Marrin – mix engineer • Manny Marroquin – mixing • Andrew MacPherson – photography • Glen Nakasako – art direction, design • Big Jon Platt – A&R • Ervin Pope – keyboards • Joni-Ayanna Portee – backing vocals • Magnum Coltrane Price – bass • Tony Reyes – backing vocals, bass, Line 6 guitar • Tim Roberts – mixing assistant • Lindsay Scott – management • Rick Sheppard – engineer, MIDI, sound design • Xavier Smith – assistant engineer • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing • Scott Storch – producer • Télépopmusik – producers • Tony "Prof T" Tolbert – backing vocals • David Treahearn – mixing assistant • Rabeka Tuinei – mixing assistant • Max Vadukul – photography • Kanye West – vocals, producer • Colin Wolfe – bass • Ghian Wright – assistant engineer, mixing assistant • Bradley Yost – assistant engineer • Janet Zeitoun – hair stylist, stylist ==Charts==

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications and sales==