Jessica Sutta spent hours as a kid trying to dance like Janet Jackson. Now the former Pussycat Doll is singing the Janet song she’s loved most since childhood. Her new cover of “That’s the Way Love Goes,” produced by longtime collaborator Dave Audé, keeps the easy sway of the 1993 original and gives it a warm electronic R&B sheen. Sutta’s soft vocal fits right into that pocket, letting the groove do some of the flirting.
Janet Jackson introduced her 1993 album janet. with “That’s the Way Love Goes,” which she co-wrote with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It was a quietly bold choice for a lead single. Jackson sang with the intimacy of someone leaning in close, and the rhythm gave her room to linger. That slow groove held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, and the track went on to win the 1994 Grammy for Best R&B Song.
Sutta carries that intimacy into the music video, which she directed and produced herself. Filmed in a Nashville loft, it uses warm, soft lighting and subtle nods to Jackson’s original video. The most personal touch comes in the opening shot of a little girl. Sutta told Fame Magazine that the girl represents her inner child, a connection she began exploring after losing her mother. It gives the video a tender undercurrent, especially when you picture Sutta as a kid learning Janet’s moves and dreaming of a pop career of her own.
The cover follows “Don’t Take Much” and is set to appear on Sutta’s upcoming solo project, Sutta Pop. Play the two versions back to back and listen to how each singer settles into the beat. Jackson makes the original feel like a private invitation, and Sutta sounds right at home in the space it leaves her.
