0094633041622. Pre-Owned: Good condition. CD. Janet is 40 years old but she has said that she feels half her age and her breakthrough as a pop phenomenon occurred in 1986 -- hence the title of her ninth album. 20 Y.O. is her safest and tamest work since 1984 s Dream Street not only because she couldn t have possibly taken her sexed-up confessional routine beyond the tidbits and techniques divulged throughout 2004 s Damita Jo. With only a few exceptions 20 Y.O. provides further refinements of the fun flirtatious midtempo songs of her past several albums. This is not a problem. Even when there are clear instances where Janet along with principal collaborators Jermaine Dupri Johnta Austin Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are taking an extended ride on the electro-nostalgia bandwagon -- So Excited samples Herbie Hancock s Rockit patches of Get It Out Me resemble Afrika Bambaataa s Looking for the Perfect Beat Show Me might not have happened without the existence of Ciara s Goodies -- they are too fresh and infectious to be considered knock-offs. There are crafty analogues and references to various points in Jackson s past: This Body s rock edge recalls Black Cat (though it s more of a strutter than a headbanger) Daybreak sparkles and glides like Runaway and Escapade and Take Care is a classic Janet ballad in the vein of Come Back to Me. The parallels are natural enough that they don t seem all that premeditated. Almost as significantly the album is roughly 20 minutes shorter than usual with only a handful of interludes so there s little meandering in turn making it easier to become familiar with the curves. What really differentiates the album from its predecessors is that there s almost no trace of tension to be heard. It s all about fooling around and being in love. Janet s gang of assistants is on top of its game and Janet herself has remembered that she doesn t have to be willfully explicit or eclectic to make a sexy and wholly enjoyable album. ~ Andy Kellman Rovi