The two most critical factors on any project are selecting material and choosing the right producer. I don’t know if she’s on a label now or recording independently; that’s sometimes a factor in how much latitude an artist has with songs and production.

If there’s not pressure from a marketing department to record familiar (read: overdone) hymns, this could be a perfect opportunity to explore the hidden gems of hymnody. How satisfying artistically would it be to explore fresh ground, not only the richness of the lyrics but the opportunity to place them in orchestral settings that would complement both the words and Janet’s voice?

Of course, by that point most artists and label execs start to freak out about sales and what could be a good piece of art is reduced to another schlocky album.

Having the right producer is critical. She has worked with several with, in my opinion, mixed results. Some producers have such a strong imprint that the artist becomes more a part of their ’sound’ than the other way around. Others work with near transparent results.

Like a beautiful jewel in the perfect setting, Janet is best presented when the production is transparent and those tangible and intangible aspects of her voice and personality can shine through. That’s the ‘magic’ that happens when everything on a project comes together. I hope it does for her.

You’re last sentence is a fragment. It is a dependent clause that should be attached to the sentence before it.

Try to do better next time.