Janet Jackson - Unbreakable

It was 2008 and Miss Janet had already done it all - she had recorded pop anthems, r'n'b classics, hip-hop/soul No 1 hits and Rhythm Nation milestones. And after an amazing 25-year-old career, she decided she had nothing more to say at that particular time. So she stopped making music, proving that a true artist knows when to take a fucking break. Wanna know what the smart thing is? She also knows when to start all over again and delivers one of the best albums of her career, as well as some of the best 90's-esque neo-soul tracks of the last 15 years.

Even though her first single, "No Sleeep", is a fine sample of her album's sound and many of us eventually compared the track to "That's The Way Love Goes", this effort is not "Janet" at all. The release finds her in a safe place, a mature state of mind and a creative mode, minus the desperate stress for a major hit. It's as sensual as "The Velvet Rope", as funky as "Janet", as pop as "Rhythm Nation" and as happy as "All For You".

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have produced the album, along with Janet herself. The approach is low-key and you cannot find a No 1 single for the Billboard charts in here, even if you count the Missy Elliott collaboration in ("Burnitup!"). And that's totally fine, just because this project reminds you her peak self almost 20 years ago, when she could dance her great butt off and still be considered a great musician.

The almost crunk&B "Dammn Baby", with its heavy bassline, can make your hips move like a real 90's bitch. "The Great Forever" and "Shoulda Known Better" have a gentle pop touch without being too independent, while "After You Fall" could be the lead single of a greatest-hits-baby-making album, which would contain at least another 5 or 6 Janet tracks. And then the "Night"comes, along with its obvious sexiness and you feel like opening a bottle of red wine on a Wednesday afternoon like it's Saturday night already.

"No Sleeep" is a great bridge to the low and mid-tempo songs of the second half of "Unbreakable", which serves as a conceptual continuity of the second half of "The Velvet Rope". And that's where you can hear Janet Jackson sing in and out of her comfort zone, asking for love and writing about her actual needs.

Janet has not always been true to herself and her music. She has recorded a couple of mediocre albums in the past and she tried to be hip and cool, when she didn't have to. But then again, she did know when to take a break, live and come back to write good stuff. So, please, let's give her some Grammy Awards in 2016. And let's also persuade Madonna to do the same at last. Someone has to remind her that she cannot be "Like A Virgin" again.

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10

Tinashe - Aquarius

There is no point to focus on a fresh r'n'b album, without ending up with comparisons with things you have listened to in the past twenty years. Let's be honest, there is no "new sound" in contemporary r'n'b, unless you are Janelle Monae or FKA Twigs or at least Miguel. The majority of all the neo-soul, post-dubstep, electronic-soul, rap-sung, hip-hop albums out there have probably the same 808 kicks and synth pads from the same laptop. So which is the x-factor that makes a Beyonce or a Jessie Ware album brilliant, but a Chris Brown or a Robin Thicke album simply boring?

That x-factor is called "personality". It's easy to state the obvious and say "But, come on, Rihanna has a big personality and does her own thing and does not give a fuck, blah, bluh, bleh...". That's true. But what have all these No 1 artists done so that they don't record the same tracks over and over again with different lyrics and tempo? How many of them have taken the leap of faith and risk their beauty or their voice or even their fanbase, in order to create something they can call their own and not the industry's? Well, to sum up, Tinashe could have been the new Ciara or the new Rihanna or even the new Christina. But she is not. Because she has taken that leap of faith, the same that Janelle and Jessie and Twigs have taken in the past few years. Plus, she is hot, but this is not the case.

"Aquarius" is an album that makes you dance, makes you have sex, makes you wet, makes you notice the production and the powerful Mariah-esque vocals, makes you push the "repeat" button, makes you addicted to it and its performer charms. Tinashe has mentioned that her favorite album of hers is "The Velvet Rope" by Janet Jackson. And this is actually the best comparison as far as this album is concerned. It's as old-fashioned as Janet's smooth and soulful music, but at the same time the singer embraces the new era, thus being edgy, angry, hip and 2015.

"Bet", probably the strongest mid-tempo song in the project, gives Beyonce and Solange a reason to sue Blood Orange for not delivering the demo to their managers. "2 on", the first single of the album, is as urban as it can be and a top-30 hit in the Billboard Hot 100. In "All hands on deck" Tinashe delivers a solid vocal performance, accompanied by a flute loop, a raw bassline and some killer synths, while "Far side of the moon" is a track that even the duo of Timbaland/Justin could be jealous of.

If you are a fan of the r'n'b genre, you will adore this album if you haven't already. Tinashe should be the biggest female act of 2015 if there's any music justice out there. And if there's not, oh well... let's count on the Universe's poetic one.

AnArtCalled... 9,5/10