Janet Jackson – Discipline
I grew up with Janet Jackson in my ear. I’ve always appreciated her work but until her hook-up, literally, with my man Jermaine Dupri – who I really grew up with (how many of you learned about Kriss Kross in school?) – I never was a fan. Since the days of “Someone to Call My Lover [So So Def Remix]”, it seemed I always appreciated her more at face-value; for her singles, candid articles and acting roles than for the depth of the icon that she is. It worked for me. Now on her 10th studio album, and with J.D. taking a back seat, I was curious to find out how much influence Janet Jackson had on me liking her music.
On this disc, Janet sticks to what she knows best. It’s laced with hot dance beats and great melodies. Her second single “Feedback” is the just the updated Janet track we’ve all come to expect, from “All for You” to “So Excited”. Give her credit though, Janet knows how to evolve: she’s a staple for my generation, the generation before me and hopefully the generation after me. Later in the CD, she puts a very Euro twist on “Rock with U” – a different flavored track stamping Janet 2k8.
I love the tracks “Luv” and “Rollercoaster” because they are both super fresh. The latter has a hypnotic tune and beat that work together to perfectly optimize Janet’s soft voice.
You make me up and down through emotions, like a rollercoaster,
Spin like a Ferris wheel
Ah, you take me upside down with no feelings, and I know the reason,
Your love is so real
“Greatest X” comes close to being a good song, (talking about her ex) but Janet really missed the mark by not invoking any pain or emotion into her singing. Most find similar fault in her acting and I was pretty disappointed after the first minute when the potential for a unique twist on a breakup song fell wayside. Janet continued to struggle with any sort of depth in material throughout her CD and when she fell short, she humorously tried to compensate with the blaring of an electric guitar.
Overall, if you can get passed the annoying interludes of Janet Jackson talking to her computer, Kyoko, it’s a decent dance CD. Jermaine Dupri and Missy Elliot each do lend help on individual tracks but seemingly could only salvage so much, and both fell short of anything hot.
To her credit, Janet went out with a bang. Beware: “Discipline” is one freaky track. That said, it’s also one of the best tracks on the album…just be prepared as you may want to immediately hop in the shower after listening to it.
Favorite Songs: “Feedback”, “Luv”, “Rollercoaster”, “Rock with you” & “Curtains”.
Final Review: It definitely got interesting at the end but I’d still rather listen to my favorites and her older productions with J.D. You can do better.
