I took a first time listen to Dream Street and let me tell you:
This is arguably Janet's most underrated album. I was bopping to so many songs on the album. It seems that the executives decided to try to up the tempo from the first album and I felt to paid off. It has less ballads and they aren't as strong (Two to the Power of Love is quite bad). But the dance number are definite bangers. Highlights for me are Can't Stand Another Chance, Pretty Boy and All my Love to You.
Dream Street is definitely not worthy of being a punchline. It's better than a lot of the urban contemporary music of that time, and it definitely showed strong potential. It would put it 7th, above Damita Jo, 20YO, Discipline, the debut. There was at least somewhat of a concept that the executives committed to.