This lavish two-hour concert special, originally produced for HBO, offers ample proof of Janet Jackson's fierce ambitions. Whitney, Celine and Mariah can run circles around her small, sweet voice, but Janet brings a tough, muscular power to her live performances that none of those peers can approach, storming through myriad set and costume changes, and sustaining an aerobic pace through elaborate dance routines. As captured during this Madison Square Garden presentation of her Velvet Rope tour, Janet Jackson is, ahem, very buff indeed, not just in her well-toned physical health, but in her vocal attack.
