Janet Jackson - No Sleeep

My pop goddess of choice is back today with her first new material in years. I'm super excited because I'll be seeing her live for the second time in Vancouver when her world tour kicks off at the tail end of August. The fact that there'll be a new album to celebrate alongside her many, many classics will be absolutely awesome and unexpected. No Sleeep, I'm predicting, is acting as a sort of buzz single before the inevitably dance-heavy track is unleashed on radio to promote the album. I say "buzz single" because the song, while gorgeous and timeless, sounds more like a "second half of the album track" than traditional single. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since Janet's voice and harmonies coupled with that classic Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production makes anything sound good. I'll honestly be surprised if this resonates heavily beyond her fan base, but I'd rather have her cater to those of us that adore her than chase some stupid trends to pander to radio. The fact that we're even getting a new album in a couple of months is probably the happiest musical surprise of the year.