"That's the Way Love Goes" (Janet Jackson)

Of all the mainstream pop acts of the late 80s/early 90s, Janet Jackson probably was my favorite.  Even though she was the little sister of arguably the most famous man on the planet, she wasn't just coasting on her family name.  She had real talent, singing and dancing her way through a string of hits that she'd helped write with former members of The Time, James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis.  Yet, even when she became a megastar, she always seemed a little more humble and real than some of her contemporaries (exhibit A: Madonna).  Which is why I liked her.

I'd been a Jackson fan ever since I saw her tear through a performance of "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" on a 1986 episode of American Bandstand.  I'd worn out my copies of the Prince-flavored Control and the eclectic/epic Rhythm Nation.  But when the single "That's the Way Love Goes" dropped to herald the release of her 1993 album, simply titled janet., it seemed to come from a completely different galaxy.  It was funky yet smooth, sweet yet sultry, and brimming with cool confidence.  Anchored by a tasteful sample of James Brown's "Papa Don't Take No Mess, Pt. 1," its jazz fusion-meets-hip hop vibe were a breath of fresh air at a time when R&B was kind of turning into a cheesy, oversexed parody of itself (exhibits B & C: Color Me Badd and Silk).  And even though I've seen the song classified as New Jack Swing, I'd contend it was the first Neo-soul track of the decade, opening the door for acts like D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Maxwell to take R&B in a more jazz-inflected, soulful direction by the close of the 90s.