Damita Jo Tracklist
Damita Jo is the eighth studio album by Janet Jackson, released on March 30, 2004, via Virgin Records. The album title is derived from Jackson’s middle name, Damita Jo. The album fuses a wide range of genres, such as R&B, dance-pop, and rock. Lyrically, the album explores themes such as intimacy and monogamy.
Commercially, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, ending Jackson’s number-one album streak. The era’s singles “Just a Little While,” “I Want You,” “All Nite (Don’t Stop)” and “R&B Junkie” were not as commercially successful, compared to the previous single releases. This was likely due to her singles being blacklisted by many TV and radio stations after Jackson’s breast was exposed at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.
The album received Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary R&B Album,” and has sold more than two million copies worldwide.
“Damita Jo” Q&A
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What have the album producers said about the album?
“Damita Jo” album co-producer Jimmy Jam:
“The record is really in its infancy, which means that we’ve done probably six or seven songs,” Jam said of the album last week. “There is no distinct musical style yet. It’s all over the place, from songs that I would call classic Janet songs, meaning that they could’ve been on any of her [earlier] albums. Some of the songs have a definite sort of ambient quality to them. We’ve been listening to a lot of everything from Zero 7 to Télépopmusik, [so] there’s a little bit of that. There’s some house stuff, which there always is [on her albums]. There is going to be some more guitar-flavored things.
–via MTV (2003)
Producer 7:
Expect the unexpected, man. Really, she’s totally an amazing artist, and I love the fresh, envelope-pushing vibe she brings to the table. She’s just really on some cutting edge, hard-hitting dance music, and I think you are going to be really surprised. You should be excited. It’s going to be crazy.
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What approach was taken for the recording of the album?
“Damita Jo” album co-producer Jimmy Jam:
“The approach we’re taking is that we’re trying to write really good songs and worry about the production later,” Jam said, “because production is one of those things you want to be up-to-date [on], cutting edge. The way we produce a record now isn’t necessarily how we’ll produce a record six months from now. That’s how fast things change. But the song, if [the lyrics are] great, is gonna be timeless and work.”
–via MTV (2003)
