Stay awake: The return of Janet has officially begun.
It’s been a long time coming, to say the least: Seven years after her last original studio album (2008’s Discipline) and six years after her last single (“Make Me” — deeply underrated! — and don’t forget “Nothing,” either), Miss Jackson-If-Ya-Nasty has at long last unveiled the first taste of new tunes from her forthcoming record — and she’s coming at us with that SloLove All Nite Long (REFERENCE).
“No Sleeep” — three E’s, I guess, because someone fell asleep on the keyboard, or maybe because Janet’s back, like “EEE!” — is a classic Jackson bedroom fantasy, crafted by her legendary collaborators, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It plays like a perfect, silky fit between janet. (“That’s The Way Love Goes”) and The Velvet Rope, as she tenderly whispers those warm, unsubtle references to carnal pleasure.
“You’re missing me, I’m missing you / Wherever we meet, we ain’t gonna get no sleep.”
No dance breakdowns or thumpibng beats — this is purely a breathy bedroom banga by the self-proclaimed Queen Of Insomnia. And, as a person who has trouble sleeping regularly, I find it quite comforting to think that Miss Jackson is wide awake somewhere out there too, just like me. (Granted, she’s probably busy getting laid while I’m out here blogging like the fucking nerd I am, but still. We’re syncopated in sleeplessness.)
Is “No Sleeep” the massive comeback single Janet needed to return to radio? No, and she certainly won’t with this song — nor do I think necessarily she wanted that. Could it be a ‘buzz single’? Perhaps. Some fans might be a little irked by the lack of energy in her first offering in years, but one thing’s for certain: Janet is still firmly in control, and she’s decided to keep things cool, calm and collected with this comeback. (So far, anyway.)
“No Sleeep” is a R&B sex dream. Now, here’s hoping this is only aural foreplay. Welcome back, Miss Janet.
