The lovers win every time

As producers of and songwriters for Cherrelle, the S.O.S. Band, the Human League, Alexander O'Neal, Karyn White, New Edition, Mary J. Blige and, of course, their greatest collaborator Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis would probably make my list as the best creators of chartbound pop music of the last 20-odd years.

Stylus Magazine had dedicated the whole week to Jam & Lewis, beginning yesterday with Thomas Inskeep's fine omnibus essay and Jeff Siegel and Mallory O'Donnell's takes on Janet Jackson's "Nasty" and New Edition's magnificent "If It Isn't Love." Today I re-assess Jam-Lewis' work on Human League's misbegotten Crash.

Tomorrow: two very different analyses (by Justin Cober-Lake and myself) of Jam-Lewis' greatest non-Janet Jackson opus: Alexander O'Neal's Hearsay. Look for: a panel review of assorted Jam-Lewis goodies, a comprehensive study of their association with Janet, their post-Janet highlights; and, on Friday, the English perspective, by Marcello Carlin.