Spears released "Boys" as a single in remix form with Pharrell Williams, referencing Jackson's hit "Nasty" during several lines and citing it as her favorite song to perform.

[19] The album intended to feature a house and hip hop direction during its early stages, with other potential collaborators including Dallas Austin, Swizz Beatz, Diddy, Missy Elliott, Teddy Riley, Kandi Burruss, and Darrell "Delite" Allamby.

"[26] While recording, Jackson listened to artists such as St. Germain, Buena Vista Social Club, Thievery Corporation, Basement Jaxx, Outkast and Papa Roach.

[31] It uses piston-like rhythms, drum machines and synthesizers; its production likened to "a thick sci-fi stomp that suggests a Gary Glitter glam-rock anthem crossed with the soundtrack from Blade Runner.

[31] Jackson had written the song about her own prior identity in another time, in which she was told to be the daughter of an emperor in love with a warrior, unable to sustain relations when forced to marry into royalty.

[36] "Love Scene (Ooh Baby)" is an ambient ballad incorporating flourishes of electronica and guitars, performed in a falsetto to "exquisitely carnal effect.

"[20] "Would You Mind" depicts Janet confessing a graphic list of myriad sexual desires, conducting a heavy-breathing seminar followed by a risqué "performance evaluation" over a "spacey electro thump.

[34] Released as the theme for Jackson's second film The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, it features an alternate introduction and instrumental breakdown not included in the single edit.

[46] Promotional ads for the special depicted Jackson's music, videos, and sexuality shocking conservative audiences and families, using the tagline "The world wasn't always ready for Janet.

It was considered an influence to many of her followers, adding "Jackson remains one of this generation's most exciting performers in concert, easily triumphing over the likes of young upstarts Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Destiny's Child.

The Los Angeles Times stated, "Not only is Janet emulated by the type of show she puts on by the current teen-fab (that she made popular years ago), she still does it better than the 19-year-olds."

"[29] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a 'B' rating, saying, "Despite a few missteps, All for You is about as good as modern diva-pop gets, with a higher ratio of worthy-to-mediocre songs than might be expected... it adds up to a lot more than most female singers have done for us lately.

"[77] Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, declaring it "just as fresh, familiar and appealing as you've come to expect from Jackson, and that's no small achievement.

"[76] Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated, "Ms. Jackson luxuriates in textures as dizzying as a new infatuation," commended the album as containing "songs so baroquely sumptuous that they're virtually experimental."

Pareles added, "Boudoir ballads undulate in torrid slow motion while Ms. Jackson moans like a phone-sex operator, and uptempo tunes hark back to disco, splice mock-operetta to hard rock or, in Better Days, conjure an easy-listening 1960's-pop apotheosis."

[98][99] All for You was a commercial success internationally, debuting within the top three of Australia,[100] Belgium,[101][102] France,[103] Germany,[104] Greece,[105] South Korea,[106] Switzerland,[107] and the United Kingdom.

[136]On Janet Jackson's latest disc, All for You – the follow-up to her 1997 hit disc, The Velvet Rope – the wispy-voiced singer is sailing uncharted waters for female pop, acting flirty, talking dirty and leaving the blond chicks in the dust... And that's the beauty of this album and Jackson as an artist – there is a clear willingness to experiment.The album achieved several chart records, attaining the second highest first-week sales for a female artist in SoundScan history at the time.

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that the album's signature hits "All for You" and "Doesn't Really Matter" uphold "Janet, Jam, and Lewis' reputation as the leading lights of contemporary urban soul.

All For You finds Jackson in predatory mode, keen to reclaim both in the boudoir and on the dancefloor territory which is today dominated by pneumatic mini-Janets like Britney, Christina and J-Lo.

With a new generation of dance-pop divas following in her fancy footsteps, the baby Jackson shows who is still in control with this all-encompassing album that bounces from hip-hop to rock to classical—even during the same song—without missing a funky beat.

"[142] Dennis Kelly of The Morning Call added, "If imitators such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, et al., are quiet the next few months, it's because the Queen of Pop has sent them back to class with new material to study.

The Sun Sentinel stated, "Before Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, there was Janet Jackson, with her choreographed songs and trendsetting fashion," with the special intended as a "star-studded salute to the singer-songwriter-actress.

"[149] Entertainment journalist Kelley L. Carter regarded it among "the most influential albums to be released since 2000," declaring it "set the tone for much of what we're hearing on the radio from current female pop stars.

Its fusion of "old-school pop sounds" with rhythmic influences are thought to be frequently emulated; adding "She sang about female empowerment, even though hers is a voice that is lightweight, and it demanded that you take listen to it.

[8] Rihanna's fifth studio album Loud and single "Only Girl (In the World)" drew several comparisons to All for You, with critics noting its sonic transition to an upbeat dance sound from prior release Rated R in a similar vein to Jackson's contrast from the darker tone of The Velvet Rope.

[157] Record producer Rockwilder revealed Jackson to be his first pop collaboration and an essential part of his career, leading him to work with Christina Aguilera for the singles "Lady Marmalade" and "Dirrty.

[159] Sal Cinquemani of Slant observed several songs on Usher's 8701 to recall "bona fide Janet Jackson tracks" similar to the album.

[162] Following All for You being reissued with a Parental Advisory warning and clean edition, Jennifer Lopez's sophomore album J.Lo received a similar treatment by Epic Records, thought to be influenced by Jackson's decision after media emphasis was placed on its explicit language and content.

Erotic Revolutionaries author Shayne Lee called the song "a bold and proactive sexual maneuver for even a twenty-first century woman," adding, "she tells her man she's going to kiss, touch, lick, taste, bathe, ride, and feel him deep insider her.

"[168] "Trust a Try" also received critical focus for its innovation, called a "bold musical move" which "begins with the intricacies of a string quartet before falling into metal attack"; thought to be "within spitting distance of the avant-garde.