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The Velvet Rope
R&B / Soul · 1997 · 22 tracks

The Velvet Rope

Janet Jackson

A sprawling, introspective masterpiece of 90s R&B. Dark trip-hop textures meet velvet-soft vocals to explore depression, sexuality, and the need to feel special.

October 4, 1997 · Virgin

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A deeply intimate and occasionally painful exploration of the self, wrapped in dark, luxurious R&B textures.

Tracklist · 22 Tracks
01
Interlude: Twisted Elegance
0:42
02
Velvet Rope
4:56
03
You
4:43
05
Interlude: Speaker Phone
0:54
06
My Need
3:44
07
Interlude: Fasten Your Seatbelts
0:19
08
Go Deep
4:42
09
Free Xone
4:57
10
Interlude: Memory
0:05
11
Together Again
5:01
12
Interlude: Online
0:19
13
Empty
4:33
14
Interlude: Full
0:13
15
What About
4:24
16
Every Time
4:17
17
Tonight’s the Night
5:08
18
I Get Lonely
5:18
19
Rope Burn
4:16
20
Anything
4:55
21
Interlude: Sad
0:11
22
Special
3:23
23
God's Stepchild
7:54
Moments Worth Listening For
The jarring transition from the aggressive industrial crunch of 'What About' into the soft acoustic vulnerability of 'Every Time'.
The way 'Empty' uses a cold drum machine to mirror the hollow feeling of a digital-only relationship.
The deep, distorted bass line of 'I Get Lonely' that feels like it's physically pulling the listener into the track's sadness.
Reviews
BBC Music
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inmusicwetrust.com
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AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does The Velvet Rope sound next to the rest of Janet Jackson's catalogue?

Vulnerable+4.0σ

Vulnerable saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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