This week’s From The Vault clip comes in form of Janet Jackson’s 1997 performance of ‘I Get Lonely’ on the Rosie O’ Donald Show. Though renown for her status as an all-round performer, this stripped-down rendition of the song, lifted from the critically praised ‘Velvet Rope LP’, serves as perhaps the rarest showing of Janet’s oft-underrated vocal ability. By no means the best vocalist, however Ms. Jackson can certainly hold her own LIVE. Check it out:
Great performance. It certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing if Janet were to put the headset down every now and then, to show the naysayers what she can really do.
Your thoughts?
28 COMMENTS
Pat
April 27, 2008 at 6:08 am
hey sam ,
glad u posted this up on ur site.
been watching dis vid 4 da past 1 week, just goes to show jj can sing
Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 7:25 am
she is very talented it was wonderful to hear that and she looks aaaaamazing
,thanx
Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 7:53 am
give them hell JANET!!! this was great! Thanks Sam for the post
ljohnblaze
April 27, 2008 at 8:51 am
Yes, she did the damn thing there. Very nice.
DEE
April 27, 2008 at 10:29 am
See people don’t think this woman can sing but as you can see she killed it
Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 10:41 am
this video was 10 years ago , a decade of course her voice was on point back then. she can still sing but she’s missing something that connection to her music she once had. she’s bared her soul in all her earleir albums and after velvet rope the transition to a fun album talking bout sex love and clubs is all to common with every artist in the game. she needs to release a album making a statement about something. she needs to bring back songs about racism, sexism, inequality, she needs to write her own damn songs on the next album thats for sure. being lazy like that hiring hot producers and writes didn’t help her at all. i hope she comes back with a vengeance and her tour is successful, i miss the old janet. i can tell sam is still reliving the high times of janets career lol is someone in denial? lol atleast Mariah is running big and owning 2008 for all the 90′s divas. i know janet’s time will come again. as Mariah said “you can’t wirte off talent” and janet will not be written off the books just yet she’s got too much to prove.
Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 10:55 am
I love love love Janet, but i dont think she can ever relive this era. TVR touched so many people, and came around at a time when a lot of her fans (including me) seemed to be going thru the same shit that she was, and her putting her heart and soul into those songs brought her closer to her fans than most other artists can.
Robert
April 27, 2008 at 11:57 am
When she sings live, she always sounds flawless, I’ve never heard a wrong note from her when she does take the time out to sing. I mean, it could be she has like, a 2 note range, lol, but whatever.
And whoever said that about her connection to her music, I totally agree.
Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 12:35 pm
If your voice isn’t at a high volume or in a high register then you’re considered a non-singer, but I disagree with that. Janet has a very soft tone and I think it works for her especially in this performance.
Luke
April 27, 2008 at 1:48 pm
“The Velvet Rope” remains one of my fave albums of all time. I didn’t like that she didn’t write anything on this album. Janet has written more hits than all the writers she hired for “Discipline” but I guess it was a change. Like Madonna, she always switches up her style and surprises me so I will ALWAYS anticipate the next album from Ms. Janet.
People say she has a strong voice but the test is if an artist sounds the same live as they do on record and Janet does.
Is that Jimmy Jam or Terry Lewis singing with her?
Luke
April 27, 2008 at 1:49 pm
* People say she has a weak voice
T
April 27, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I MISS JANET AND I WANT TO CRY BECAUSE I MISS HER!! she has a legacy and so much more to add to it but idk what is going on, something has to be missing for her to not be putting out singles and things that will equal SUCCESS these last 3 cd’s, COME BACK JANET!!
the video is great, she can sing, it may not be aretha but she sounds like the record and isn’t that what people say counts, for the most part!
T
April 27, 2008 at 2:06 pm
furthermore like Luke said, if you aren’t able to belt out a note your not considered a singer, everyone’s voice isn’t meant to be a powerhouse, her tone and softness of the voice handles that well, even when she does go a little higher, and the ending not @ the end was flawless, FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE!!
Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 3:01 pm
ONE OF MY FAVORITE JANET ERA’S I LOVED THE VELVET ROPE CONCERT AS WELL, KEEP YOUR HEAD UP JANET YOUR FANS STILL IS BY YOUR SIDE, CONGRATS ON YOUR GLAAD AWARD WELL DESERVED……LOVE THE GLAAD PICS ALSO………..
ND
April 27, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Backing singers are sick!!!!!!
I miss that Janet…
And that kinda R&B/Soul music, where the vocals were the focus!!!
Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 8:23 pm
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Anonymous
April 27, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I totally agree with you on “janet dropping the headset” every now and then.
Awesome performance. For some reason, everyone who sang on the Rosie show was flawless. Britney even sang live on there a couple times & sounded amazing.
JANET WHERE ARE YOU?!?!
Wayne
April 28, 2008 at 6:14 am
Wow at all these comments. I see alot of ppl still love Janet. As do I. I miss her too, she needs to get on the ball!!!!!
jjlova06
April 28, 2008 at 7:50 am
Man, everyone is saying the same thing and I agree with you all. I don’t think her voice sounds the same today. You can hear it on her album when she is trying to hold notes and sing, but that’s what happens with age and time apart from the studio. But I miss my old ms. Jackson. I know she has to grow and change up a bit, but I feel like she is disconnected from the music as someone else said.
jjlova06
April 28, 2008 at 7:53 am
Man, I just watched it again and she killed it. I mean she killed it. That song is the shit and she made it sound even better live. Man, I loved janet. And I still got love for her.
Anonymous
April 28, 2008 at 9:07 am
probably my favourite janet song. i agree that janets voice is often overlooked, she has great harmonies.
Anonymous
April 28, 2008 at 10:44 am
Everybody talking about, i miss the old janet, she needs to comeback. She never left. Janet can sing regardless. One of the best, no but yeah she can hold her own. The old Janet is the new Janet, DEAL WITH IT. If she was still doing the samething as she did 10years ago,everybody would be complaining, oh this is getting old, she needs to do something new. Now you got it, get used to it. She’s once for a change very happy in her life and enjoying it, and it shows in her music.
Anonymous
April 28, 2008 at 12:35 pm
this janet thing, not mariah beyonce could sing and convery this way it’s so jazzy. this is janet sound and we love her voice it’s more melodic than a powerhouse voice
bobby
April 28, 2008 at 2:55 pm
this rendition of ‘i gt lonely’ is amazing. thanks for taking us back!!
TERRELL
April 28, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I seen this vid on Janet Media a while back and this is my fav. live vid of Janet to date beside the tour DVDs but I love Janet and ur love towards Janet.
Anonymous
April 29, 2008 at 9:25 am
She definitely killed that performance… it brought me home….everything that the Janet today is missing.. The connection.
Anonymous
April 29, 2008 at 10:58 am
I have never heard/seen this performance. This is very rare. This song is in my Top 5 Janet songs of all time. Perfect Quiet Storm/Midnight Love music. She is proving the song is great even w/o the strip tease at the end. She should release a live album with acoustic smoothed out versions of her greatest hits, b/c this is great. I love the very end where the background broke it down too.
Anonymous
May 3, 2008 at 3:22 am
Love it!!! Keeping it simple and clear that’s what listeners want. All that computerize synthesizers aren’t needed, a piano, guitar, bg singers,, you go girl…
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