This review covers the pop track Janet Jackson – Escapade.
This track was released in 1990 as a single.
The track starts with some chime elements along with some synth strings. Shortly after, a drum kit is brought in. The drum kit alters somewhat before the vocals come in. There are brief bits of synth that comes in and out in this part. At the end of this section, some additional elements are brought in.
When the main chorus comes in. The backing elements are largely the same as the verse save for some additional backup vocals at the beginning. On the later part, some additional elements are brought in. This drops off again by the end of the main chorus. This is capped off with an instrumental section.
From here, the main chorus repeats.
The track ends with the vocals of the main chorus repeating as other elements fade out.
For me, one of the only redeeming factors in this track is that it has an upbeat sound to it. The backup vocals and some of the other elements really help accentuate this mood nicely. Beyond this, unfortunately, there are very few redeeming elements to be had here.
One of the pitfalls of this track is that the lyrics are almost exclusively main chorus. Once you get past the intro, this track is almost all main chorus with very little outside of this. While I will give credit that there is an instrumental section breaking the track up a little, I’m not convinced that this is enough to give this track much flow.
Another problem I have with this track is the somewhat mismatched themes going on here. With the overall sound of this track, you would think that the track would be about walking happily down the sidewalk. What the actual lyrics talk about is exactly what it says on the title. An escapade is supposed to be daring or doing something adventurous. While you can make the argument that an escapade is also about excitement, this does bend the meaning a little in the context of the overall mood portrayed in the track. This is why I say there is a mismatch in themes here.
Generally speaking, this is far from the greatest track I’ve ever heard. There is a bit of a mismatch in themes and the lyrics have little depth. While the upbeat sound is certainly noteworthy for being a positive thing, this track has few redeeming factors. So, for me, this track is a swing and a miss.
Score
6/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
