Janet + Summer = Strawberry Smash (“No Sleeep” Single Review)

Janet Jackson – “No Sleeep”
Single Review
by A. Scott Galloway

Janet’s “No Sleeep,” the lead single from a forthcoming project potentially to be titled Conversations in a Café, is a sensual, laid back, easy-on-the-ears groove – something she does very well and that her writing/production partners Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis make to seem effortless. It’s a smooth summer song (think “…And On and On..,” “That’s The Way Love Goes”) and Jam & Lewis did an excellent job of creating an aural space for Janet’s singular sound. This “sound” has been gone for a while – 7 years – so many will welcome it with open ears and heart. Plus, Jacksons, in general, never drop their “hottest” joints first. “No Sleeep” was crafted to usher the lady back to the spotlight with classy style, sex appeal and mood. While the musician in me would have liked to hear a Patrice Rushen Rhodes solo or a Clare Fischer strings break in the middle (I know…DREAM ON in these radio days…maybe for the Scotty G “Extended Remix”), “No Sleeep” is timeless and quietly hooky in a jazzy way, will grow on naysayers, and will be lapped up by Jan Fans `round the globe like strawberry Bomb Pop juice this summer. It’s her season.

by A. Scott Galloway
Music Editor
The Urban Music Scene
June 22, 2015