Rhythm Nation 1814

First half of the album had some good beats and interesting layering - New Jack Swing apparently. The second half was all ballad all the time, which I can do without.

Souns a lot like Michals music Intresting use of interludes Cretiv beats and drumsounds

Surprisingly enjoyable listen with good songs and infectious rhythms. Her singing is frankly nondescript for me and given this genre perhaps below par but the songs are what's important to me. 3.5 🌟

Maybe its nostalgia but I enjoyed this album.

Favs: Love Will Never Do (Without You), Escapade, Rhythm Nation Mehs: All the Interludes Janet Jackson sounds happy on this album, and that makes me happy. Fun tween bop pop. I'm not sure I'd have it on this list, but I did enjoy listening to it again.

Een paar goeie nummers, de rest is maar 'meh'

Good stuff, almost a 4

dated, naive, but pretty brave for its time and some catchy tunes. i won't go back but enjoyed. 3

Surprisingly enjoyable listen. 3.5 🌟

Not the best Jackson, not even in the top 5.

Too long !

classic RnB

It just makes me want to live in the 80s and drink Pepsi. I wish there was more of a sense of humor or irony to it. It's just very straightforward.

Pretty nostalgic to listen to the album. Never was much of a fan, but was kind of fun to re-live some of the 90s

Its another Michael Jackson Álbum. It shouldn't be in this list. Uniform and nice fade between Songs.

Ne visi a mano stilius, bet funky efektukai

I actually enjoyed this album a bit more than most of the others I've rated 3. Standout songs were Livin' In A World & Alright real rating 3.5/5

Love an album with a bit of social commentary. A lot of the themes in this are still very relevant today. The album definitely has a very distinct 80s sound but I liked it. As with a lot of these albums it was just too long for me not to start losing interest.

I've not listened to Janet that much. It sounded a bit like Michael, but she added her own flair. Good album and good sound. Not quite my cup of tea but I could listen to it occasionally.

It was a nice enough R&B album without ever really having a wow moment. Its way too long too like a lot of albums from Genre. 3/5

"Not to say that I'm in love with you But who's to say that I'm not" (Miss you much) "The people we learn from Forge the ideas we become" (Livin' in a wolrd) Me ha resultado muy interesante 1. cómo está montado todo el disco como un continuo 2. que sea un disco tan reivindicativo desde el primer segundo. La verdad es que no conocía mucho de la música de Janet Jackson y ahora me da pena.

This is a really late 80s /early 90s Janet Jackson album. There is a good amount of songs that are catchy and “radio friendly” and other songs that have more meaning and emotion. It’s easy to listen to and several I remember listening to back in those days.

Meh

another snapshot of its time. i'm not sure i really liked it, or that i ever really cared for janet - but boy, did her producers work hard on this one! overall, not for me, but her talent is easy to spot.

Interesting and very socially aware for a pop album, but that also makes songs like "Escapade" stand out as off-key. Not bad but a weird one overall.

Album contains a couple of Janet Jackson's top hits. The album contains many songs but many are forgettable. That being said many songs are linked to the previous song.

I know she's supposed to be the proto-Beyonce or whatever, but...meh. Best track: Miss You Much

Не могу сказать что что-то зацепило в этом альбоме. Обычный средний поп/р'н'б альбом 80х. Даже не нашел для себя какого-то запоминающегося хита

Eh. Not really my thing. Any time she did kinda get smooth with it, the 80s drums would kick in and also kick my ass

It's.... not very good. If you look past the cheesy synth drums plaguing every song, you will find a legitimately well-produced album, a fair bit more intricate than anything else I've heard from this era. It's just unfortunate that it goes all-in on a sound that's aged like milk since then. The end result is a weirdly novel-yet-dated experience, though not one I really want to revisit. Sorry Janet! Standouts: Miss You Much • Alright

Never really been that into Janet and this just reaffirmed that.

Each song could really be about 45 seconds long. They stop developing after that point. The drum sound is obnoxious. The interludes should've been cut. She does have a great voice.

Ok

Not really my thing. It wasn’t as awful as I thought it might have been, though it did sound weirdly like MJ in the 80s. It was strange that it was political in the interludes, then largely apolitical in the tracks. Clearly she wanted to say something but I am guessing that they didn’t want it to impact upon radio play so all the songs veer towards generic tales of love and lust.

Great production, but mostly kinda whatever song wise

Fine.

OK. 2/5

Fine

I can definitely hear how this became a blueprint for a lot of the female pop artists who came along in the late 90s and early 2000s. The hard dance beats, stacked vocals, choreography-ready production, even the more serious social messaging all feel like things that got recycled over and over later. I can respect the influence. I just don’t particularly enjoy listening to it. The bigger problem is that it’s still loaded with the exact kind of late 80s synth-pop production that usually drives me nuts. Drum machines, glossy keyboards, electronic effects everywhere. Janet has plenty of attitude, but 64 minutes of this sound was exhausting. About four minutes of Janet Jackson is plenty for me, so you can imagine how the other hour went.

There is credit due to Janet for attempting a fully realised pop rnb album when that was the domain of (largely male) rock crowd. Would we have Brat without Janet? That said, it’s a little bland when compared to Raw Like Sushi or Boomania. Beats haven’t aged well.

mediocre with some bangers. meh like lock in Janet. sooo boring icl

Kompetent men otroligt tråkigt.

Кажется что носитель такой знаковой и говорящей фамилии не может написать плохой поп альбом, и в целом так оно и оказалось Сами по себе песни офигенные, припевы заедают в голове, но альбом длинный, от него устаёшь, и к сожалению, качество песен сильно скачет, но самый большой минус для меня, это звучание альбома, он звучит очень устаревше, эти барабаны и драм машины..это сильно мешает наслаждаться песнями

One long drum machine occasionally interspersed with a melody

Nice of this project to throw something in for the American listeners.

A really poor album full of lyrics seemingly written by an 8 year old, very basic musical structure and vocals lost in the mix. Somewhat saved by the more upbeat songs.

Well the title track and opener had a vibe and you can see it’s importance in influencing many many artists that followed. The rest of it though, by Christ it got worse and more painfully dated as it went on.

3 - BAD

silky smooth and an interesting mix of pop and dance. not my taste, though.

4/10

I really wanted to like this, but I didn’t.

High 2, I don't want to dance to the woes of the world

Ну не знаю. Наверное не моё

2-5 ok very cheesy

some definite bops on here, but album construction is questionable. not sure why most of the interludes couldn’t just be song intros? also backloading all the slower songs instead of distributing throughout the album was a weird choice

More than others, this is an album of its time. All art is of its time in that it takes place in a contemporary context, but great art has an ability to transcend time and place. This doesn't do that. It is rooted in late eighties America, enough so, that it just feels incredibly dated, even though at the time it was considered to be a great album. Once was enough for me.

2.5 Too long and ultimately not especially memorable for me. It was cool to have this right after "Stripped" though, similar vibes.

didn't leave an impression, sorry janet

A few great hits. Lost me in the second half. The r&b songs were slow and repetitive sounding to me. Good sentiment in the songs that spoke of the state of the world.

I was predisposed favourably, but the music is too far from my taste, yet another album painful to listen to.

This was on track for an enjoyable three star. But the last three tracks were so bad that it left a bad taste in my mouth. Ultimately a 2.5 rounded down to 2.

neupecatljivo skroz.. nije za mn jebiga

Disco traz um pop medíocre e sem atratividade. Os piores momentos são as baladas. “Black Cat”, tem uma guitarra interessante.

Average album saddled with non-stop interludes.

Fine. Casey said if he doesn’t care for it much, it’s just background noise. Told a story that I don’t know what it is. Some fun beats to dance to.

oy. ok so 9 tracks on here are 5-6min long. tone it down girl..you don't have THAT much to say (lol). i remember how we thought she was suuuuch a badass, but the reality is that almost every track has the SAME DAMN BEAT - hadn't listened to this album in decades- found myself noticing how I could sing 'Alright with me' from Alright with almost all the other 7 top 5 singles she had w this record. the sound is SO 80s to me I can't get past it - like acid washed jeans, too dated & sthg I do not miss. although rhythm nation was a massive success Alright and Escapade are the only really good ones - and they sound like they should be on Control, not RN1812. 2.5 sorry maybe that's mean. my hubby said as soon as he heard me listening to Janet: 'I've always wondered if there's any talent there, or if it's just a fem version of her brother-it all sounds the same'

feels like a miss to only listen to a Janet Jackson album when her true talent lies in dancing. regardless, this is a lot of the same Janet music that we all know and love. very dance-able. I don't like the interludes though. kind of ruins the flow for me.

Absolutely not my cup of tea and very much of it's time I'm guessing

Not offensive just didn’t do a lot for me.

Something doesn't sit right with me hearing someone with a net worth of $180,000,000 singing about people who "don't have enough to eat". And doing a choreographed dance along with it. Take away the family name and would this be notable enough to set it apart from the other pop records from the late eighties? Possibly not.

This could not sound anymore 80s. Couple songs had me bumping my shoulders but it’s like as soon as the length constraints of vinyl were no longer an issue everyone decided to include a bunch of crap on every album.

2/5 not my type of pop

Rhythm Nation

It seems pretty ambitious with all the interludes and what not. Too bad the music is terrible

Even though it was released in 1989 this felt very much like a 90s pop album. It had great production (if overproduced) and is very much a product of its time. It wasn't bad but I didn't find it particularly engaging either.

I was quite surprised and somehow excited having a Janet Jackson- album popping up. But this one hasn't aged well. Sounds like Michael Jackson but without any hits. favourite: "Black Cat" (because of the guitar) 2,5

It’s ok, but nothing special here - goid voice

Alright I have a hot take on this album. Which is; this album is just too much. Not like I hated it, it’s just too much extra shit. Like how many fucking interludes do you need? There’s a ton on this album. It doesn’t help that a lot of the interludes have the same sort of energy/message. I did genuinely LOVE 4 songs on this album, those being “Rhythm Nation”, State of the World”, “Escapade”, and my top favorite song, “ miss you much”. I’ve had that damn ear worm stuck in my head for DAYS! It’s so catchy and fun. Most of this album wasn’t really for me and didn’t do anything for me. But here’s my hottest take yet that I will gladly defend to my death, Janet is was better than Micheal. Not to mention the obvious, but she’s also way more talented and I wish she didn’t have to live in his nasty shadow.

I've never really liked JJ's music and this has not changed my view. The 80's Prince lite production is not my bag and I don't think she has a particular good voice. The interludes are annoying and sermonizing felt performative rather than heart felt. A very low 2.

Robotic dance pop with interminable breakbeats. It's the side of the Jacksons' music that is less appealing. Listening to the title track I'm left wondering who influenced whom between bro and sis, and that's the real surprise. This basically sets the template for Michael's syncopated and soulless dance tracks of the 90s; and indeed Mike and Jan's superior 'Scream' duet in 1995. At least 'Scream' had a good chorus, whereas much of this is just electro-marching, to infinity and beyond. 'Escapade' is trying to be Prince, but coming off second-rate. Who's heard of '1999'? Everybody. Who's heard of 'Escapade'? Me now, unfortunately. Janet does inject a seam of social consciousness here. That includes the arresting moment of school gunshots on the otherwise terrible 'Livin' in a World'. The song itself is like the equally drab Lonely' or 'Come Back to Me' which have that sort of electro wooden-block sound, which must be held to account for giving Toni Braxton ideas. It's fair to say the album careens off a cliff with these final tracks, going from robo-bland to neo-soul. The album has had the most top 10 hits from any single album ever (in the US). Three of those were hits across three different years. For such a soulless album it beggars belief. I can only assume the popularity was because this was of the Jackson franchise. It doesn't elicit Pantera-levels of opprobrium, but it's reasonably close.

I'm more of a Control guy

Every song sounded the same to me. Not for me.

Best Track - "Escapade"

Lots of it sounds like 80s don't do drugs raps

She loves an interlude

A good escapade, just not my escapade (2.5)

I had to listen two. I listened to Pearl jam's Ten half way through for a breather. Way too samey but not awful .

Okay for what it is.. Lyrically heavy handed and nothing particularly memorable.

She’s always pissing in the wind due to her brother being on a different level but it was awrite

Sounded like a knock off Michael Jackson album at times. Didn’t hate it but didn’t like it. 2/5

Hard hitting synths with mechanical 80s beats. The sound is repetitive but this concept album from Ms Jackson spreads a good message. There's probably an accompanying dance move for each bland song. 2/5

Too boring

Miss You Much and Escapade stood out. The production takes away from the lyrics throughout most of it. Not an R&B fan, but the album did grow on me. 2/5

Didn't care about this much as I'm not huge fan of this type of pop music anyways.

Not for me. Bit boring & samey.

There’s a fairly hard cap on how much I’m going to enjoy mega-produced pop music, especially this deep into the torture of the list. I will say, this one has a bit more going on than the average comparable. I could imagine liking it a lot more as a live performance with a slightly loose band.

Nice dumb pop nothing spectacular not near her Bro

Aside from a couple bangers, this is pretty boring.

80's barf, mixed with way too many interludes. Probably could have cut this one down to 30-40 minutes MAX.

This is not the kind of music I pick for myself, especially in the last half of the album where it gets cheesy. But I have to admit the first few tracks and even up to about the halfway point had me grooving and enjoying the energy and percussiveness of some of the melodies.

FTL: Yeah… not my taste. But not horrible music, good voice.

The lyrics felt so corny for such serious subject matter. She does have a great voice and the music sounded cool. I just couldn’t get over those lyrics 4/10

Way way way too long. The whole thing started to become boring and repetitive after about 15 minutes.

I don't feel like finishing this one haha I'm at #160 and I usually finish these thing, but I've been through alot... I just don't see any reason to go on. I understand what this is, it's not bad, but I really want it to stop, I just wanna listen to Mark E. SMITH spit limericks and stuff right now.

It's not bad, but it feels like a pastiche of what r&b sounds like in the late 80s. Like, I don't know, maybe this is a case of setting a standard that became stale? It's tough to know without more context that I don't have. It feels so shallow and namby pamby

All I heard was the same electronic drum machine best on every single song.

I remember back when this came out. To me, it already sounded dated at the time. More programmed than performed. Not a terrible album, but not particularly good either, and that's too bad - Janet is a talent.

i really don't think this will help my already shitty day at the office, but we shall see. i've heard "rhythm nation" before. "state of the world" makes me nostalgic. it sounds like the soundtrack of every movie in the late 80's early 90's. If you bet me it was used in "sister act" and at least one "beverly hills cop" i'd believe it.

Very 80/90s pop. Nothing really groundbreaking for me again. Didn't dislike it, but really can't understand why it's on this list over other things.

Not for me

i didn’t finish it

Not bad, though not my cup of tea

Ehmmm, pues al principio me animó y luego... pues menos

I’ve never listened to a Janet album but there’s something off putting about this to me. On the surface it’s a good album, but something really bugs me about the production here. For one, it sounds like it never escaped the 80’s/early 90’s. I can’t stand this particular production style. Janet is signing like this should be a dance album, but the production feels so much darker and trance like at times. Maybe that’s the pull? Either way I’m not a big fan. It’s the same ick I get with later queen music.

I don't really like criticising albums for being "dated", but that's pretty much the main reason why I'm not a fan. I'm sure I would have liked this had I been alive in 1989, but it just doesn't hold up anymore. The beats are decent but they get old quickly. The album as a whole is too repetitive and too long. It's a shame really, as there is some hard-hitting moments and topics that are still very much relevant. Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make) is a moving one, but then the song immediately after goes back to the disco-industrial beats that completely juxtapose the moment you just had with that song. I don't really understand the aim of this. Probably my harshest 2 yet.

I was all set to give this the standard inoffensive 3-star rating. Then Livin’ in a World (They Didn’t Make) came on. Such cringy, over wrought lyrics meant I had to knock another star off

Glossy, emotionless and hyper-produced. Twenty minutes longer than necessary and I did not care for it at all.

Didn’t care for it.

I know she's an icon and it was nice to pull an album that I could have on in the car with my wife for once, but this was really really not for me.

Rhythm does not fit me.

Rich person singing about troubles. Album was about 20 minutes too long as most songs began sounding the same

Who's the psycho who thought I want to hear happy poppy music while bringing up images of starving children? Musically safe and productionally over polished, everything about this album screams commerical product, not a work of art. I'm not interested in this side of the axis.

This sounded far too manufactured and false. Sure, I hear your social concerns. But it's hardly What's Going On, sung from the heart. The Jam and Lewis production never fails, no matter the artist. But I wanted a little more soul and meaning. I wanted authenticity, and not album sales.

To be perfectly clear from the outset, listening to this album was a real challenge for me. The driving sounds of the drum machine, the synthetic sound, the agitated vocals—all of it got on my nerves terribly. Janet Jackson was an unparalleled artificial construct, a product of her time. Whether she's still relevant today, I have no idea. "Rhythm Nation" is, in my opinion, totally overproduced; nothing sounds genuine, except for her ballads. I find "Livin' in a World," "Lonely," and "Someday Is Tonight" quite listenable, but definitely not every day. I'm glad I listened to the whole album, and now I have to stop. Janet Jackson—not really my cup of tea.

Idc about this

There are a few really good, solid songs on here. Then some real clunkers in my mind --

And 80's R&B/pop album is gonna be skating uphill with me at the best of times, and this one did not overcome my biases. The songs are well-crafted, and she's a talented singer, but it's just not for me.

Not my thing at all. Glad when it ended

I just can’t get past the production and the annoying electronic snare. It’s still very MJ era sounds but just not as good as the MJ songs. Not my cup of tea

More influential in music video styles than in the music itself, but all over the charts for a really long time. Dance-Pop meh, it does almost nothing for me now and didn't do much for me at the time.

Me not liking Janet Jackson might be one of my more controversial music opinions

A few hits of note, but not my cup of tea.

Sounds that defined the 90s and an era of cartoon themes. Personally, it's not my cuppa tea. 4/10

an album speaking to the issues of society .... done quite poorly. i enjoyed the musicality of the album to an extent. however the surface level mentioning of a wide variety of issues makes the album seem performative - "prejudice. no....bigotry. no". well duh... but give us some more insight. not overly surprised considering the artist.

everything sounds the same also, that one review is WILD and it made me not like her so...

The production is excellent, most of the song writing is simple, but it was an easy listen.

The latter half of the album was sooo much better than the first half, but by that point I was too annoyed to care! The lyrics were so awful

The more 'soul' songs at the end were nice. Everything else kind of sucked. Very 'after school special' written by someone in a completely different class than their listening demographics

Standouts Rhythm Nation

As much as I liked the Jackson 5, I've just never been huge on their solo careers. This album, when it came out, was pretty much elevator music to me and that's still where I place it. Its odd because I consider myself a pop fan today, but dear god did 80s pop sound like bland crap. Some of the songs, Like "Miss you Much" and "Escapade" I could see liking with a different arrangement/production but as it is I couldn't even make it to the end in one sitting.

She’s a talented vocalist who sings about worthwhile subject matter, but I can’t get into this style of music

Seriously disappointing. Songs aren't catchy and sounds are irritatingly repetitive.

Some albums must be stayed in the era they were made, and Rhythm Nation is one of them. It's an extremely dated sounding 80s new jack swing/pop album, very overproduced. Janet sings about societal issues but the sound overpowers everything, including the message of the album. Some songs are ok, but the album is quite long and overstays its welcome by a couple of songs. I understand this was a cool album in the late 1980s but it isn't one in 2026.

As expected, there are a lot of sonic and stylistic elements here that I'm really not into. However, I dug the first part of this record a bit more than I expected. In addition to her strong sense of melody, Janet's social messaging is quite prescient and powerful. Even if I don't really love the overall style, some of these tracks are among my favorites I've heard in this vein, especially "Rhythm Nation". Unfortunately, the ending trio of slow jams reeeeally sunk it for me; I have yet to develop the patience for or understanding of this particular type of R&B. 2.5/5

It’s ok… not my favorite.

Meh 🥱

Ju mer maskinellt det låter desto bättre. Lite Prince utan hans finess och låtskrivargeni Snuddar vid trean

Låter väldigt daterat. New jack swing är väldigt präglat av den tidens syntar och trummaskiner. Överlag för många och för långa låtar. Black cat är fruktansvärd. Ok pop i övrigt.

Pretty meh and got worse.

A few songs were ok but overall too boring.

What do you do to follow up your breakout smash hit album? Hire the same producers and do it again….but this time turn everything up to 11. Lean into the CD format and put out 65 minutes of content! Bought this on the day of release having already bought the preview single (Miss You Much) as well. Was a massive fan of Control and was excited to hear the follow up. The thing is…..more isn’t better with this album. Control was a tight set of songs and worked well. But this is an overblown bloated mess in comparison imho. It’s all just trying way too hard. There are still good moments in here (usually when they calm down a bit on the preaching and the production), but it’s telling that I haven’t listened to this album in 20+ years since it got filed into the collection. Listening again now, I’m surprised it made this list tbh. I guess the 80s had to have a quota….but Control is a better JJ album. 2

1.9 2x some catchy and fun songs, but not my thing

80s pop gold

Getting strong late 80s vibes here. Sounds like Paula Abdul and others, especially State of the World. Anyway, the album sounds well produced and everything. Not that I would ever listen to it again. I don't even recognize the hits here.

This one is time-stamped hard. The only thing that could possibly make this appealing today is performing it at a halftime show and then having her boob pop out right after.

A good pop album from a really good singer. I really dislike all the Interlude tracks however. Doing an album a day is for me a chance to listen to the albums from start to finish, how most were intended to be listened to. But to me the interlude takes away more than it adds from the experience.

oh brother so many damned interludes what is this a fucking symphony what is an interlude wait this is actually epic okay turns out only the interludes are good

This is just a female version of her brother's album "Bad," but without the hits.

# Album Name: Rhythm Nation 1814 # Artist: Janet Jackson # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Such a boring album. All blended into one piece of steaming turd. # Top Tunes: ? # Would I listen to it again? No

a ver, es la mama Jackson pero se me ha hecho increíblemente repetitivo, no distinguía el final del comienzo de las canciones.

Started ok but got a bit boring toward the end

Overall better than TLC but the hits were worse. I was waiting for Scream but never got it.

“Shit, that girl wider than all outsides. Talking about she looks like Janet Jackson.” “Oooooo, she didn’t go there” “Yeah. Bitch got out the car looking more like Freddy Jackson” I guess it’s a fine early 90’s R&B album 2.5⭐️

this was not a fun experience for me really. There was one track - Escapade. 48 million plays on Spotify, seems like they spent their entire production budget on making this one track sound good. Also her voice... HER VOICE! If this didn't pre-date the technology I would have sworn this was auto-tuned. Her voice sounds perfect. It's kind of unreal. The rest of the record was not fun though. One in my listening group said that listening to this record felt like chewing aluminum haha. That heavy synth-oriented soundscape feels noisy and crazy but also thin and weak at the same time.

Wooo Yeah Wooo Yeah. Literally every song in 1989. No.

Don't get the hype for this one, seems like typical late 80s pop fare.

Listens: 0.9 Standout tracks: none Ugh. Not for me. From some cursory research, it seems like Janet Jackson is being genuine in her concerns she's raised in this concept album about a variety of social topics, but it still comes across as preachy, sterile and vapid.

What's the deal with 80s and 90s hip hop albums and the 'interlude'. Why did anybody think this was necessary? Some of the songs seem a bit preachy and not sure how much she backed this up with actions in her life? Happy to be proven wrong on this. The tracks where she was more 'Prince-y' and less preachy were far better. But why not just listen to a Prince album? A lot of the production is very similar and that can be a bit of a drag.

very busy. clattering percussion everywhere, all the sounds are harsh and demanding - cavernous drums, clanking bass synths - no light and shade

Not good.

The album started very well. I liked the beats and the vocals and lyricism, but this is one of those albums that could have been a lot shorter to its benefit. Having 6 minute long slow songs makes it go on forever and it did no favors here. I appreciate it, but not my thing.

Sounds like Michael Jackson to me. Added few songs which deserved 2nd chance.

Ambitious effort tackling some big social issues in a concept album peppered with confrontational "interludes", but ultimately it comes across as pretentious. It's hard to take anything here seriously when it's presented with synthesised drums.

Standout Songs: Rhythm Nation Love Will Never Do (Without You) Alright Black Cat Not really my style, but a couple songs I knew from the radio

I did not like it, but for no particular reason. Maybe too cheesy.

A few tracks I may return for, but nothing I plan on seeking out. Perfectly fine music to listen to in a department store

And I’m the skinniest jacksooooo00000nnnnn. Interesting choice for a Janet album. It's very '89, and not in a way I really appreciate. Her other albums are bangers though.

Best Song: Rhythm Nation. Steel drums and a danceable rhythm counts for something. Worst Song: Livin' In A World. Who are these cheesy ballads for? When would I want to listen to this? Were people in the 80s just looking through rain-speckled windows, feeling heavy emotions? Overall: This feels like a distillation of late 80s pop. Nothing really sticks out. It all just reads as a continuous panache of big 80s production. Some might say too big. I am some. I didn't like this.

This album has been made over and over and the world is still a shithole in the brink of demise. Consciousness is music can be cool, but there is a fine line and the 80s wasn’t it.

Ha, I had this record when I was like 11. I listened to it somewhat regularly until I discovered Poison and Motley Crue, and I don’t think I’ve ever come back to it until now. Sometimes it’s interesting when you remember your 11-year-old self’s understanding of something and compare it to your 47-year-old’s understanding of the same thing. For instance, at 11, I understood that this was supposed to be some kind of important record where Janet took on some of the day’s hot-button issues with her singing and dancing, but finding myself pretty much unmoved about the issues of poverty and education. I remember that it had a handful of songs that I preferred to the songs in between that handful of songs. I remember thinking that Janet was easy on the eyes. At 47, I think the reason I was unmoved by these critical issues of the day is because most of these songs are really pretty dumb surface-level treatments of the topics; 11-year-old me must have understood that. I still think there are a handful of decent songs on here, but the filler is really pretty bad (and now I understand why none of those songs stick out to me now…I fast-forwarded 80% of this record when I was a kid). This record absolutely did not have any business being an hour and 4 minutes long; the fact that it takes this much time to get through is a testament to Janet’s ability to take herself too seriously. I still think 1989-era Janet is pretty easy to look at though. The funniest bit about this record for me though is realizing that some music is truly timeless. But this isn’t that kind of music. You can tell some producers and engineers put in a ton of work on this record, but it sounds like a distillation of the lamest parts of 1989 slick studio production. I’m not sure there’s a real drum anywhere on this record, the samples are multilayered and ubiquitous, and the synthesizers are out of control. Janet can sing, but less would have been more here as far as everything else is concerned. I appreciated the walk down memory lane here. But I also understand so well why 11-year-old me found other musical avenues to explore. I guess I can say that I appreciate Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 because it was pivotal in my discovery of better music. 2.5/5

Always loved Rhythm Nation as a song, but this album is just a little too long for me and no other song delivers the way RN does

5/10 Enjoyed the synth bass on the first couple of tracks but then it became stale very quickly. Highlights: State of the World Miss You Much

Phuuu mir isch das zu vill. Wie de michi (wo mir wu nöd so pässlet) aber mit biz weniger banger potential. 2 banditos für die 2 jacksons

Didn't like It. For one, a lot of the content seems preachy and shallow, and a touch insincere. Something about the mega-label pop machine putting out a melodramatic album like this rubs me the wrong way. Ultimately, I feel like singing about the world’s problems like this ultimately creates more distance between the public and those problems. It drives a wedge between the artist + the listeners and the problems. “They”, the children with the problems, are different from “we”, the famous pop star and contemporary music listeners. I much prefer music that unifies the listener with the problems since, after all, most of us are closer than we think to a dark path. Art and music are about sharing and understanding different perspectives that can’t be captured with simple language, and the best of this helps expand your mind to understand those lives that are different than yours. And maybe once we understand those that are different at such an intimate level, we can truly empathize and understand how to make those problems a little better.

Everything she does sounds the same to me. Fine for what it is, not my cup of tea, and certainly no where near as talented as her brother.

Girl power comin' on strong

The super outdated 80s production made this a tough listen

I fully appreciate the intention behind this album, and I can tell how much effort was put behind it. However, it suffers from some of the worst cliches from the 80's. I guess for people that were around that time it must have been groundbreaking, but sadly I think it has stayed on its time.

this did not hit

Say what you will about Michael Jackson, but one thing is clear: there were two helpings of talent bestowed upon the Jackson family. Michael got one whole helping plus a half and his siblings shared the other half helping. Listening to Janet feels like listening to a Michael impersonator that bluffed their way into a recording contract only to find themselves in a studio with Jellybean Johnson but without a clue about what to do next. On the whole, it's too disjointed and erratic. Some see things as a plus, but it's just not for me.

Not really my thing - but enjoyed it

не особо впечатлило, ничего почти не запомнилось немного awkward на томных вздохах и стонах в некоторых песнях, в общем не прочувствовала

Not my favorite but a, nice time capsule of the late 80s.

It's just pop, not a big fan.

Please, educate me on the burdens of the poor. I echo reviewer sentiments about the production. To me, for being so overwrought it sounds kinda flat.

Vocals on point. Lyrics not. Production not. Felt abrasive at times; probably shouldn’t have listened to this one on headphones. I liked ‘Escapade’, but not the heavy stuff.

Very slick. Great voice. Great songwriter. She’s a very talented musician. But, the production is just too over-produced for my tastes.

nije mi ovaj arembi+world s generičnim porukama nešto

Meh

Some nice tight pop sound that you could expect with access to Michael Jackson and his sound. It definitely hits a sound of a decade.

2/5

Llegas y te dicen, puedes comer todos los días en este local de completos gratis. Piensas, oye pero que buena onda. El primer día te comes un completo italiano, ves los puestos vacíos y te preguntas por qué no hay más gente ahí. Todos los días es lo mismo, los juguitos de relleno con mensajes pseudo políticos entre medio no son suficiente para pasar la acidez que te da la combinación del pan y la salchicha que hace un tiempo atrás amabas.

I find it very bland.

This almost feels like a 1 but I didn't HATE it. I struggled and it was a chore to get through. Just not catchy enough for a revisit and just not feeling it.

Justin did her dirty, but this is so very 80s and hasn't aged well for my ears. So cheesy and artificial, couldn't wait for it to end, 2*

Couldn't get past the pushy political/sappy save the children lyrics to give this a fair shot, and then I did and was sexually assaulted at the end. What a twist. Giving this a two because someone worked hard on the beats and those were at least fun at times.

I find this album okay for a song or two and then I am completely bored of it. 2 stars or D+.

It may have had its time, but at this point, it just reminds me everything I dislike about late 80s/early 90s top 40 music. Good riddance.

Feeling like Cassie from Skins when she says “wow”.

I appreciate the musicianship and the talent...just not my thang

But I don’t want to listen to Janet Jackson

Sorry but I don’t really care for it, Michael might be a creep but he’s sure a better musical artist than Janet and always was 2/5

Very uneven album. Starts off really strong and socially charged, then almost forgets itself and morphs into a very generic pop album; very tonally inconsistent. Also has some of the most egregious filler tracks usage I've ever seen. Definitely needed stronger editing in the studio. Top tracks: Rhythm Nation, State Of The World

liked songs: Black Cat Vocals were good. Otherwise, rather long and same-y with the drum machine used getting very repetitive. 2.25

This vibe isn't mine

Esquisito, errático. Essas são as palavras que eu escolhi pra descrever e resumir este álbum. Completamente estranho do começo ao fim. E não o tipo bom de estranho. Tematicamente, ele é desordenado demais. Em tese, era pra ser um álbum conceito sobre o sofrimento das pessoas nos tempos modernos e blá blá blá… Já seria um tema tosco se fosse propriamente implementado. É dissonante demais uma diva pop cantando sobre o que açoita as classes baixas, não curto. Ela definitivamente não é um Marvin Gaye. Mas, dito isso, não é como se o conceito do álbum importasse, visto que, ela completamente abandona o tema lá pela metade do disco, e começa a fazer canções mais genéricas sobre amor e separação. A produção do disco também complementa a estranheza que senti o ouvindo nesta manhã de domingo. Algumas faixas aqui parecem que saíram de um Sega Genesis, ou de um Mastersystem, ou talvez até mesmo de um Playstation 1. Pelo que já ouvi, parece ser um tema sônico (hehe) comum para Janet, e também foi uma via sonora explorada pelo Michael em alguns dos seus álbuns posteriores. Na verdade, por este álbum ser de 1989, podemos até dizer que Janet estava levemente à frente do seu irmão mais velho nesse estilo de produção. Em alguns momentos essa estética sonora funciona muito bem, em outros não. É inconsistente. E claro, pra completar o combo de coisas que me agravam plenamente, temos a duração inflada, e também uma quantidade absurda de interludes. Pior que já está ficando chato eu sempre reclamar de interludes, mas fazer o que?! A maioria dos álbuns que os utilizam fazem isso de forma porca. Consigo pensar sim em interludes que gosto, como por exemplo, Fitter Happier no OKC. Aquele é um bom interlude. Os daqui são inconsequentes e desnecessários, como de costume neste meio. Em suma, um disco cansativo de se ouvir, com uma temática besta que é rapidamente abandonada, produção esquizotípica que as vezes é legal mas outras vezes não, e uma duração exagerada. Só sendo muito fã da Janet pra aguentar esse álbum inteiro do começo ao fim mais de uma vez. Dito isso, algumas canções aqui são interessantes e agradáveis, então não é como se o projeto inteiro fosse irreparável. 2/5

2.5

2.17

I did not like this one. First, I think Janet has a good voice, and the beats are good. However, the first problem is with the beats because they all sound alike. Also, the interludes make me dislike the album even more. They are very preachy and make Janet seem out of touch, especially as a celebrity who was pretty much born into the industry. I still think her brother Michael is a better musician.

Quite boring pop

Damp lyrics and modest funk - not my scene.

I never really clocked how many of these songs sound exactly the same as each other.

Forgettable.

Just a fun pop album. Nothing too deep at all, but my toddler liked dancing to it with me.

Wayyyyy too long for the level of craft here.

Not for me

Leaning on interludes to make your album cohesive feels very... artificial, I guess? It's hard to explain why I'm not a fan of interlude tracks, but I'm not. They take up runtime and drag album flow to a halt in most cases, including on this album. Are they trying to tell a story? Continue the riveting plot of the preceding tracks (which don't seem to have any storyline in common to begin with)? And in this case, 8 out of 20 tracks are interludes. Pretty bad. Fortunately, they don't take up much of the 64-minute runtime. And a good few of the full-length numbers are actually pretty good. The backing vocals and thick bass part in Miss You Much make it a highlight, though some effect is placed onto the vocals that mar them significantly. Same problem for Escapade: the backing vocals are great on paper, but they have this metallic filter that makes the sound a heck of a lot less appealing. Rhythm Nation 1864 is a slightly tough listen because it's overproduced. Jackson throws the whole kitchen sink into the percussion and SFX, and it's more distracting than it is particularly exciting. The high-pitched "whoo" in Alright is the best example of this, but distracting SFX show up everywhere on this record. I understand how this might have appealed to audiences from back in the day, but it comes across as extremely dated even relative to other 80s entries. The only track that (for the most part) dodges the terrible 80s sound is Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make), making it easily one of the highlights. Black Cat has a pretty sweet electric guitar part, including an excellent solo, so it ekes out a spot in my key tracks. 2/5 Key tracks: Miss You Much, Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make), Black Cat

Heard the title track before (banger). I think I just find late 80s sound boring because listening to this I can tell it's a well produced album but... nah. I think the fact that there was an interlude between almost every song didn't help 2/5

She wasnt Michael. Kinda sucky

mu jing swack

not for me

2.5

ik vond het vrij vervelend en saai... een beetje het gevoel van eerste keer op een familiefeest te zitten nadat je 10 jaar niet geweest was... het is druk, er is niks dat je interesseert, en je kijkt meer op je horloge dan je lief is

Most songs sound quite similar And it being a long album Doesn't bode well But then black cat comes along Great song

I guess fine, not the album for me tho Will I listen to again: 1%

This album marched so I could run… away.

Has the ‘1814’ always been there??? Please stop messing with me. I have no firm feelings on this. The hits are hits.

not my thing

Meh.

Not without merit but I don't want to listen to it.

janet cooked mutta ei ansaitse aplodeja..

Forgettable at best, cringy and fake deep at worst

All similar vibes. Girl pop. Interlude between almost every song for some reason?

Not it

This is like going to a school dance in 1987. 60% of the music you would have heard sounds like this album. I was not eager to go back there. I'm not eager to revisit it again anytime soon either.

C'est comme Michael Jackson, mais en pas ouf et répétitif.

Her voice is great but this album does nothing for me.

Не

I want to love it, but it's all just too samey. The first one is the best but I'm also biased because of its featuring in Moulin Rouge. Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make), Alright and Interlude: No Acid are stand outs.

Just couldn't get into it...

I didn't really care for this one much, and it felt overly long. I wouldn't say that it's bad; it's just not for me. Favorite track: "Black Cat"

Not for me

2.2 Incredibly 80s and not in a great way. It hasn't aged well in my opinion, a lot of good music from decades gone by sounds timeless, this on the other hand would go down like a lead balloon if it came out today. Other than for reason of nostalgia for some people I can't really see why it's included on this list.

Meh. Not my thing.

I think I would have enjoyed this album if it was shorter with less ballads. I can enjoy the nostalgia of the 80s pop, especially with a social commentary but but not enough to make me like the whole album.

A fairly pointless and effort that's at least 20 mins too long and a representation of some of the shite getting trotted out at the time. At least Abdul had a cartoon cat.

The same song 10 times with 10 skits in between. Stand-out: Alright

I really can’t stand this style of 80s/90s pop. Far too much fake drum noise. The social commentary is all well and good, but this is a bad album that only exists because of nepotism. Actually no, the social commentary is pretty bad too e.g. “Prejudice (no) Ignorance (no) Bigotry (no) Illiteracy (no)” Inspiring stuff… This avoids a 1 by the skin of its teeth mainly because the ballads at the end aren’t as annoying as the rest of the album. The interludes can fuck right off though.

You can instantly tell that this album is from the late '80s. Did I enjoy it? No. Was it terrible? I've definitely heard worse. However, I wouldn't consider myself a part of the Rhythm Nation. Additionally, the interludes really pissed me off. If it had been shorter, I might have given it a higher score.

Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: 🔳📸🕳️ Production: 🧼😐🤷‍♂️ Music: 🧼💃+🌎🕊️=🙄 Rating: 🫧(🫧)/5

Pretty boring pop R&B.

I wanted so badly to clarify my rating on this album that I'm leaving a note, which is not something I have usually done. Janet sounds great, and I thought the concept of addressing social issues through "We Are the World" style songs was pretty decent until she completely loses the plot halfway through the album and devolves into generic tenderhearted romantic mush. Fine on a different record, but playing the wide-eyed virgin really does a poor job of selling the idea that you are concerned with empowerment, liberation, and all the other social crises you mentioned five tracks ago. That being said the production on this album is great - I don't care what any of the other reviewers say. Everything snaps, pops, and grooves just the way you want an 80's album to, and if this was 100% instrumental it would get at least 4 stars from me.

How does an album begin with an Interlude? In fact by track count, this album is 40% interlude. Guess needed to get that track count up? The interludes get sparser on the back-half, at least, but it's overkill. The production is overkill as well. There is way too much going on in each song. How many vocal tracks does a song with a single vocalist need? I feel the Jackson connection is shoved in your face too. A lot of Michael style 'wooh's' and 'ahs' sampled in the mix. The hits hit ok, but the rest of the album is weak sauce. OK ending on an interlude is an even more ridiculous choice than starting on one. This wasn't as bad as albums I've given 1 star though, even if the 2nd last track was utterly dreadful.

A lot of the reviews say it's overproduced. I think it was fine and I believe this was the norm for Pop music back in the day. For me, there wasn't a lot that I liked about this album. Just a personal taste, really.

Hmmm, I’d say if you need a Janet Jackson album before you die, the one with “Nasty” and “What Have You Done For Me Lately” from a couple years before is the one with cultural impact. The video for the title track was better than the song.

I dont understand why this record is on the list instead of Control, the superior JJ album in my opinion. Production has not aged well, and I'm glad the 80s/90s hip hop trope of having skits or collage intros between tracks has died. While some of the singles on this are ones I remember (title track, black cat, escapade), theres also sincere but maudlin tracks like "Livin’ in a World (They Didn’t Make)" that I found embarrassing. "School shootings are bad" is not exactly a bold hot take. I looked at the singles fron Control (nasty, when I think of you, what have you done for me lately) and it just made me want to listen to that record instead.

This is not my thing - at all. Everything sounds fake, except her voice.

This album is the epitome of the sound from the 80s/90s that I hate. The synths. The distorted drums. Weird bass. Clearly JJ is an artist and I can appreciate the strong song writing. I think I would have enjoyed the acoustic version. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

2 sterne

Too 80s for today 2 with regret

Not for me.

Hoo boy is this album earnest. It sometimes feels more like an after school special than music. I appreciate the effort, ultimately. Not really for me, but I sort of love how dorky it is at a lot of moments.

The lyrics really aren't that deep... like REALLY cmon... makes me think chat gpt existed back then The only thing I sorta liked was the electric guitar in Black Cat... but ehh the guitar felt muted

Some albums age like a fine wine. This one definitely doesn't. Just overproduced boring disco/pop. Kudos for "Black cat".

Unsurprisingly, from a shit Michael Jackson, it sounds like a shit Michael Jackson album

This is the most 1989 sounding record.

I put this one off until later, and later became months. Probably should've waited longer because I'm still not ready to listen to this. New jack soul, whatever, my god the artificial snap of the drums had me twitching by track 3. And those synth stabs! Ugh. Janet can sing, no question, but this isn't a great album. Didn't like the singles in 1989, and I'm not a fan of the rest of it decades later.

big meh

Some good songs but got boring pretty quick

80s pop with a heavy social change theme. The beats are pretty catchy, but the lyrics just feel extremely cheesy to me because they're so simple and generally vague. I think the issues aren’t as noticeable listening to a single song, but listening to the full album makes it obvious how generic each song is.

jokaseen väliin interluudia heh jaahas janetti. olet niin sievä ja fiksu janetti.. oi janetti kiitos tästä.. akolaadeja akolaadeja.. lisää ja lisää.. syntetisoitua perkussioneja. unbeliveable influential.. pump tsika pum pump... huonompi prinssi..prinsessa.. prinsessa janetti hyvin menee.. Luin ja kuvittelin jääväni eläkkeelle, kun tämä soi taustalla. Musiikin eloisuus piti ajatukseni virralla. Kiitos! hyvät kansalaiset....... olemme........ elämme käännekohdassa.... elämme käännekkohtaa.. kansalaiset......hyvät....... hetket ovat nyt käsillämme..... käsillämme on hetket, jotka tulevat raikumaan tulevaisuuden railoissa...... hyvät kansalaiset...... nyt on aika........ nyt on hyvät kansalaiset aika toimia...... miss you much

Not bad. Very like MJ, oddly enough!

Might give this another spin, cause I was listening while at the gym, but it didn’t really hit for me. Production is good but really painfully 80s in both the more uptempo dance songs and slower ballads. Janet can sing but many of the lyrics are way too on the nose about all the problems in the world, “save the children” etc. Also Black Cat specifically sounded like a much weaker version of Beat It. Couldn’t help comparing her to Michael and this albums mostly pales in comparison to his best work

I'm sorry, this kind of pop music just didn't age well. Even if we forget about who her brother was, this is just pablum.

I don’t care much for the politically fueled tracks, and the interludes seem unnecessary to me. But, there are some strong vocal performances and groovy beats.

I do not want to be a part of rhythm nation. I actually made it through 5 songs but this is a tough album and it does not hold up well. Songs sound very similar and there's not much enjoyable with them. 3/10 (1.5/5)

It was ok, not really my thing

Fine, but not my style

All the slick production of her brother's music, without any of the emotional hook and general interesting song choices

Bara för man har berömda syskon så blir det inte bra per automatik.

Disappointed I didn’t like this more. Was only really interested in 2-3 songs

No soporto las baladas de esta época (finales de los 80 y 90). Además, tiene un sonido sobreproducido en general, tambien tipico de este género. No le pongo un uno porque algunas canciones son pegadizas. 2 bajo

2 Stars (5/15)

Long. Samey.

Kind of a snooze fest and a long one at that. Very typical pop beats that I would expect out of the early 90s where it is moving away from the 80's "cheese", but not completely leaving it in the rearview as it still has bits of that.

Holy 80s cheese. The electronic drums and noises that were going on were quite terrible. Did not enjoy how much Janet wanted to change the world with some of her messages too. Was still some catchy music at points, but please get this album far away from me.

Not a fan of the “pop diva” genre, although “Black Cat” was a banger.

This was fine but I wasn't super into it. As much as I listened to Michael Jackson as a kid, I didn't get into much other similar sounding pop and R&B.

2.5/5

I made sure to listen very closely and was definitely able to realize why it was on list this, but that’s kind of wear my praise ends. It wasn’t super musical, which is what my ears were yearning for. I could get behind what she was saying… but I didn’t get a lot of singing and I was uninterested by the end.