When a pop star releases an album after a long period of time, it often does not meet the expectations of the public. That is not the case with Janet Jackson. After a seven year hiatus, she has proven that she is unbreakable. From the death of her brother Michael Jackson to her most recent marriage, she faces both the good times and the bad in “Unbreakable.”
The first song off of the album is “Unbreakable.” It has the slow tempo of the vocals paired with fast-paced hip-hop beats, which is reminiscent of 90s R&B. Jackson admitted to the mistakes that she made in the past, but concluded that they have only made her stronger and less susceptible to pain. The song is mastered well, but the one downfall is that she layers her voice too much, making it difficult to hear what she is singing.
One of the best songs on the album is “Burnitup” featuring Missy Elliot, which could be a Zumba workout anthem. With fast-paced beats, disco elements and Missy Elliot’s wacky rapping, all one wants to do while listening to the song is jump up and start doing squats.
In “The Great Forever,” Jackson uses similar beats and instruments to those that Michael Jackson would use. Even as she sings, she sounds exactly like her brother. It is terrifyingly amazing.
In “Shoulda Known Better,” Jackson sings about her failure to protect a loved one from a tragedy, which could be her alluding to her niece’s attempted suicide. In this song, she incorporates EDM elements, which helps her open up her voice, proving she is a great vocalist. On the other hand, “Night” has more 70s disco elements with influence from Diana Ross, which makes one want to throw on a beautiful sequin dress and dance into the wee hours of the morning.
One of the final songs on the album, “Well Traveled,” reflects on all the experiences Jackson has had in the past seven years, and how she realizes that they made her stronger and wiser. Listening to this album collectively gives one a sense of hope about the future. All the songs are different from each other, but they have various sounds that bring this album together. Jackson takes the listener on a journey throughout this album, and listeners can feel both her happiness and her pain.