Janet Covers Burt & Hal

[warbachavid]

Virgin Will Pay Stars to Play With Janet

Monday, March 22, 2004
By Roger Friedman
Janet Jackson | Arista Records, R.I.P. | Uncle Junior Soprano



Party With Janet ... Please

Next Monday could be your lucky day — if you're the right kind of celebrity. That's because Virgin Records is throwing a CD release party for Janet Jackson's new album, "Damita Jo," and they're offering incentives to certain stars who might want to show up.

In a first, I think, for a party, Virgin has sent out an offering to publicists to get their best clients to New York for the celebration. In a memo that went out last week, Virgin — via a P.R. firm called Flying Television — is baiting A-list attendees with the following:

• Limousine Service To and From the Event
• Celebrity Gift Basket Filled with Luxury Goods
• Designer Outfit Can Be Arranged
• First-Class Round-Trip Tickets and Accommodations Can Be Arranged (Call to Discuss)

Of course, not every celebrity who wants this stuff will get it. According to the memo, all swag will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Regular guests at the party, which will be held at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's hot-as-a-pistol Spice Market restaurant in the Meat-Packing District will not be receiving such doo-dads. They will get only hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.

It's hard to believe Jackson won't be able to stir up some celebs without paying their way. Certainly such a launch party could be populated by P Diddy, Wyclef Jean, Jay-Z and most of the local hip-hop crowd in New York, not to mention pop stars such as Carly Simon (whose "You're So Vain" was sampled by Janet on her previous album) and classic R&B legends who live in the area, like Valerie Ashford and Nick Simpson, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack.

"Damita Jo" (it's Janet's middle name, apparently) won't be released until next Tuesday, but already there's some concern about its sales future. Some of the album was produced by the talented Jimmy "Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis, but some of it was not, and that's what's making the folks at Virgin nervous.

According to Radio and Records magazine, one single, a Dallas Austin-penned number called "Just a Little While," which sounds like a rewrite of Hall & Oates's "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid," has already stiffed on pop radio.

The second single, a Kanye West special, is also having trouble at radio. West, taking a page from P Diddy, has become king of the samplers, taking old, obscure soul songs and updating them.

In this case, he took a Burt Bacharach/Hal David number, renamed it "I Want You" and turned it into a kind of throwback R&B shuffle. The only problem is that somewhere along the way West misplaced the song's hook. (It's like a good joke without a punchline.)

But "Damita Jo" will likely be a hit anyway, with many more opportunities for airplay.

Say

[EricMontreal22]

Which Bacharac/David song is I Want You a sample/cover of??

E

[warbachavid]

I think she samples Close To You.

[BurtsDaBomb]

Any idea whose version? I've heard the track but didn't recognize the samples!