With the mischievous Adam Lambert dominating the next-day headlines thanks to his over-the-top/engineered-to-shock closing performance on Sunday’s 2009 American Music Awards, the show’s opening act, Janet Jackson, barely merited a mention. Of course, the veteran performer might be the first to say that 1500 protest calls to ABC isn’t much of a fury, especially when compared to her own experience as something of a post-modern Hester Prynne following that infamous wardrobe malfunction during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.

But the ensuing mini-hysteria over Lambert’s “lewd” act(s) in the days that followed meant less time praising what Janet brought to the stage of the Nokia Theatre. Following an hour-long TV interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts just a few days before, the singer’s choreographed tour through her 20+ years of hits on the AMAs was quite the corker, an in-your-face reminder of just how brilliant a career Janet has enjoyed thus far (Miss Jackson, if you’re nasty). It’s so worth a second viewing:

With her late brother Michael the focus of so much attention in the months since his death (with his songs hitting radio and charting all over again), his no-less-talented younger sibling’s impact on pop culture must also be celebrated, particularly because her sit-down interview and that fiery, confident AMA performance indicate that our Janet has got the fire again.

Evidence of her commitment to pop is all over her recently released hits set, Number Ones. Comprised of 34 tracks across two discs, Number Ones is a near-comprehensive collection arranged in chronological order. Things kick off with “What Have You Done For Me Lately” (the first single from Control, her 1986 declaration of independence), moving through to “Feedback” from 2008’s Discipline, before wrapping up nearly two and a half hours later with a delicious new track, “Make Me.”

Produced by Rodney Jerkins, the dancefloor groove even references Michael’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” as if to tell her brother that she’ll take it from here:

Purchase Janet Jackson – “Make Me” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.

One track that didn’t qualify for inclusion on Number Ones is “Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You).” The third single from 2001’s All For You debuted on the Billboard chart this week eight years ago, eventually reaching just #28, marking Janet’s first single since 1987’s “The Pleasure Principle” to miss the top ten.

“Son Of A Gun” samples Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” which the singer-songwriter graciously offered to re-sing for the project. The remix below, however, features less of Miss Simon to make room for contributions from the equally talented Missy Elliott:

Purchase Janet Jackson feat. Carly Simon & Missy Elliott – “Son Of A Gun (The Original Flyte Tyme Remix)” via iTunes.

I, for one, am gunning for Janet to explore the path previewed by “Make Me” and turn out the album of killer grooves her fans have been waiting far too long for.