For 17 years, Janet Jackson has
been spinning gangbuster hits with veteran producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Their
recent #1 smash with Jackson, "All for You" (a revamp of the early '80s song
"The Glow of Love" by Change), won this year's Grammy for Best Dance Recording.
For Jam the victory was especially sweet, because it validated his belief in a song he's
loved for decades.
"When I deejayed, one of my favorite songs was 'The Glow of Love,' " he said
from the press room before the Grammy Awards telecast. "I always wanted to redo that
song, update it. And Janet was the perfect person to do it. It's nice to take a song that
was once a hit and bring it back 20 years later and have it be a hit for a whole new
generation."
Jam said he cherishes his relationship with Jackson because he and Lewis have learned
exactly how she operates and she knows precisely what she'll get from them.
"There's a magic that happens when we work together," he said. "We can
always be honest with each other, and if a song isn't working we can just say, 'It's not
working. It's a terrible idea.' "
While Jackson is Jam and Lewis' current calling card, the duo have many other production
projects in the works. Over the next two months they will work with TLC, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men,
"AIDA" star Heather Headley, Deborah Cox, one-time New Kid on the Block Jordan
Knight and a new 16-year-old pop hopeful named Nodesha whom Jam praised as the next Janet.
"That's just what we're doing in the next six to seven weeks. The rest of the year
we're gonna hit the golf course," joked Jam.
As thrilled as they are about the new young diva, whose LP is slated to drop June 25,
they're especially enthused about working on the next Houston record, her first in four
years. It will mark the first time the pair will work with the singer.
"Whitney's been living a very happy married life and raising her daughter and is
anxious to get back to music," Jam said. " And we're just as happy to help her
get back in."
—Jon Wiederhorn
