AMG Review of Number Ones

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

Number Ones replaces Design of a Decade, released 14 years prior. Excepting the new song "Make Me" (hard neo-disco/funk excellence), each song here was indeed a number one hit on Billboard's various charts, though "Got 'Til It's Gone" sneaks through a side door via the Japanese charts. One number one, oddly, is missing: "So Excited," a perfectly fine, 2006 single which topped the club chart. This set is more thorough with 1986-1996, too, adding Herb Alpert's "Diamonds" -- which would not have been out of place on Control, given Jam & Lewis' production and Janet's precedence over Alpert's trumpet -- as well as "The Best Things in Life Are Free" (with Luther Vandross) -- all the smashes off janet., and "Scream" (with her brother). Say what you want about Janet peaking with Jam & Lewis during the latter half of the '80s -- to be fair, the argument is valid -- but she did rack up a career's worth of solid hits during the years that followed. Even if they were not as sonically innovative and lacked the same amount of pop appeal of the Control/Rhythm Nation-era singles, they clearly made a significant impact and have aged well. Four of the songs first compiled on Design of a Decade appear in slightly different forms, which could make a minor difference for the fans that are most hardcore. This includes the 7" video version of "Alright," the album version of "Control," the "short solo single version" of "Black Cat," and what is likely the single edit of "Rhythm Nation."