20 Y.O.
by Janet Jackson
  • Record Label: Virgin
  • Release Date: Sep 26, 2006
Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. AllMusic
    80
    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.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    63
    Dupri exits the album halfway through, leaving the final five songs almost entirely to Jam-Lewis-Jackson. She seems hopelessly drawn to their old-school settings of strings, real pianos and quiet-storm drama.
  3. The New York Times
    60
    Janet is as crafty and poised as ever. Her flirtations are still a pleasure, but an overly familiar one.
  5. NOW Magazine
    60
    There's a little too much consistency across the album -- too few moments stand out, and too many of the hooks just blend together.
  6. E! Online
    58
    Dated songs like "So Excited" and "Do It 2 Me" end up sounding like they're, well, 20 years old.
  7. Entertainment Weekly
    58
    Sharp production can't mask the absence of any standouts likely to be remembered 20 months from now.
  8. Stylus Magazine
    58
    There’s precious little to get, well, excited about here.
  9. Slant Magazine
    50
    The saddest thing about 20 Y.O. is that Janet's decision to hedge her bets on an album whose backbone is made up of terrible R&B instead of great dance music.
  10. Blender
    50
    It's hard to catch much buzz off fun that sounds so much like work. [Dec 2006, p.170]
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  11. Dot Music
    40
    A record that surgically removes all trace of sensuality and replaces it with calculated, mechanical, by-numbers bump'n'grind action.
  12. Rolling Stone
    40
    Almost all of the tunes here (particularly "So Excited") try to replicate Jackson's early work, with diminishing returns.
  13. Village Voice
    40
    Sexuality doesn't sink 20 Y.O. as much as the beats do.
  14. Uncut
    40
    20 Y.O. is a lazy timewarp, not a retro treat. [Dec 2006, p.114]
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  15. Hartford Courant
    30
    It's a bland album that rarely shifts tempo and shows almost none of the personality Jackson used to have.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Discussed Album of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 98 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 98
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 98
  3. Negative: 30 out of 98
  1. All_ButTrU4
    Sep 28, 2022
    5
    Really fun dated 200's rnb pop that doesn't attempt to be many things beyond playful and sexy. It might not be amongst her best but it's amongReally fun dated 200's rnb pop that doesn't attempt to be many things beyond playful and sexy. It might not be amongst her best but it's among her most accessible and fun,like All For You it doesn't build itself around a narrative that would often anchor her older classics. It is mire air tight than All For You but none of the songs are as infectious as the latter's iconic title track. It's an average record but shouldn't be a disappointment fir fans or newcomers.… Full Review »
  2. someonewhocares
    Jul 2, 2022
    2
    20 Y.O. is full of barely any hits and just full of bland, tedious dance track fillers that add nothing to her career. All the songs are very20 Y.O. is full of barely any hits and just full of bland, tedious dance track fillers that add nothing to her career. All the songs are very loud, boring, and lacks in anything new and exciting. Lyrics aren't up to the standards of Janet at her peak, and her voice is the only highlight of all songs. Love 2 Love by far is the worst on the album! #ugh… Full Review »
  3. RodriMercado
    Aug 21, 2021
    4
    See, I find it curious that Janet has been trying to be authentic to herself with every album she makes, especially with Velvet Rope, but, nowSee, I find it curious that Janet has been trying to be authentic to herself with every album she makes, especially with Velvet Rope, but, now that I think about it, before All For You, she was trying to hop on hip-hop tracks and show her versatility, as always. But she was trying to make an album that represented how she was feeling at the time, so she made a pop album, All For You. After that, she did kind of do the hip-hop thing with Damita Jo, but the Super Bowl happened and sales didn't come through. So she had to make a generic and trendy album, 20 Y.O. By no means this album is bad, however, I just find it unoriginal and bland, with the exceptions of With U, Daybreak, Enjoy and Take Care. It's a well produced album, but it's uninspired lyrically and not very diverse or consistent in its sound. So yeah, not a bad album, but also not an album I would go back to.… Full Review »
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