Damita Jo received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised its production but were dismissive of its excessive sexual content and its overlong duration.

[2][3] Its title track became the first song by a female artist in the decade to reach number one in the United States, where it remained for seven weeks, becoming her second-longest single to stay at the top.

Her longtime collaborator, Jimmy Jam, stated that they "talked about a million different possible things to do and finally decided to do a brand-new album", as the singer was "itching to get back in the studio", hoping to release it in early 2003.

[9][14] During its initial sessions, Jam described its musical direction as "all over the place", from Jackson's usual house songs to "guitar-flavored things", as well as some having "a definite sort of ambient quality to them".

[9] Additionally, collaborations with Richard X and Basement Jaxx were announced, although they did not happen; the former recorded a backing track that she was supposed to write lyrics to, but "that meet-up disappeared in a puff of smoke", he recalled.

[23][24] Other sessions with producers such as duo Dre & Vidal and 7 Aurelius took place, with the former revealing that he and Jackson had made "cutting edge, hard-hitting dance music" for Damita Jo.

[32] Rob Tannenbaum wrote in an article for Blender that the latter identity represents "a time when she doesn't need to be the polite, professional Janet, and can turn into raw, unrestrained Strawberry".

[34] Jackson deciphers society's unification within the desire for affection in a breathy tone over a spatial and "dreamy" electronic backing: "So many different characters live within us – all looking for love".

[35] Thematically, the singer describes her alter persona as being "Sexy, quiet / Shy but down for a good time" but also asserting that "There's another side, that I don't hide, but might never show".

[38] In the lyrics, Jackson again sings from the point of view of "Damita Jo", in "intermittent vocal bubbles" to discuss the pleasures she intends to provide; she states "Relax, it's just sex", at the song's closing.

[39][40] "My Baby" features guest vocals from Kanye West over an acoustic-flavoured hip-hop production, as Jackson delivers the chorus in a reassuring manner, described as a "sotto voce purr".

[31][45] "All Nite (Don't Stop)", the album's third single and tenth track, contains elements of electro-funk and house,[42][48] with influences of samba, grime, and Latin percussion.

On the cover, Jackson appears topless, wearing only low-rise jeans, with her arms wrapped around her shadow-bathed breasts, visually representing the record's intimate and sensual theme.

[73] In March 2004, Billboard reported that Jackson would embark on an extensive promotional tour for Damita Jo, comprising regions such as North America, Europe, and Japan.

[96] In November 2003, Jackson's official website confirmed that a world concert tour in support of Damita Jo would take place in summer 2004, following the album's release.

[107][108][109] For the second release, radio stations had shown interest in several potential singles, including "Sexhibition", "Island Life", "Thinkin' 'Bout My Ex", and "My Baby", which Jackson said was "a nice problem to have".

[127] Blender critic Ann Powers considered the record "artfully structured, unapologetically explicit", as well as "erotica at its friendliest and most well-balanced", and noted that it "even erases the memory of Jackson's clunky Super Bowl breast-baring".

[38] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice noted that the album "starts off bold", but as the record proceeds, "it gets realer, mostly whispered softcore by the second half even when it's love songs per se.

"[128] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said it featured "a slew of the gooey, structureless sex ballads that have become Janet's staple", and although Jackson recruited new producers, "she doesn't really create a new sound for herself here".

Music UK, although praising several tracks, the album was "just the next record in a smutty line stretching back a decade", as "Janet has been talking dirty for years".

[31] For Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, Jackson "disappears into the productions" on the album, "becoming part of the arrangement instead of standing in front of it", considering the singer's "sexual obsession" as "tired" and "embarrassing" by this point.

[123] The Globe and Mail's Robert Everett-Green panned Damita Jo for its excessive sexual content, although he complimented "Just a Little While" and "I Want You"; he also pointed out that, "other good tracks seem to have been constructed with the perverse aim of pushing the star's erotic disembodiment to the limit".

[125] In its year-end review of albums released in 2004, Blender ranked Damita Jo at number 50, noting: "From 2004's most notorious flasher, mature, sexy R&B; that is hotter than a Super Bowl halftime show".

[132] Retrospectively, Damita Jo was considered one of the 120 Essential Pop Albums by The Daily Telegraph, with journalist Ben Thompson writing: "Listening to Michael's sister's luscious lost 2004 classic is like dining on a seven-course meal comprised entirely of melted marshmallows".

[32] Rolling Stone's Daniel Kreps disclosed that the boycott was a result of CBS and Viacom being reportedly angered that the performance had caused their ban from producing future halftime shows, and that "thanks to the radio and music television blacklist, the LP underperforms compared to Janet's previous releases".

Although lead single "Just a Little While" was initially predicted by journalists to be successful,[38][41][157] its performance shifted when the blacklist was commenced, virtually disappearing from airplay "without much fanfare" less than two months after its release.

[159] Allan Raible of ABC News expressed that "had the Super Bowl incident not happened, I have a feeling the rock-edged 'Just a Little While' and the Kanye West assisted 'Strawberry Bounce' would have been enough to make the album more of a success".

[161] Several critics observed that the theme of Damita Jo has influenced artists when using similar concepts of alternate identities within album campaigns, regarding Jackson as the trendsetter in which singers "declare themselves in possession of multiple personalities".

The Sydney Morning Herald's Bernard Zuel pointed out that similarly to Jackson's concept, Beyoncé had a persona who "takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created kind of protects me and who I really am".

[162] Eric R. Danton of the Hartford Courant commented, "her musical forebear Janet Jackson is occasionally known as Damita Jo, so why shouldn't Beyoncé have an alter-ego, too?".