TOGETHER AGAIN: JANET JACKSON
January 19, 2008

CLOVER HOPE

Breezing past a table of talking suits, Janet Jackson makes her way to the not-entirely-private backroom of New York's Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar, with her chef, Cheo, in tow. The narrow rectangular wooden area boasts two slits for doors, and a bench lines one wall. Jackson sits with her back facing the entrance.

On this brisk January afternoon, a charcoal gray peacoat keeps her cozy and black thigh-high Yves Saint Laurent platform boots keep her chic. As is her custom, she has slimmed down quite stunningly (and rapidly) in time for the release of her 10th studio disc, "Discipline," her first project since defecting to Island Def Jam (IDJ) from Virgin last summer.

You could call it a you-know-what. But don't.

"I think a comeback is when you leave and then you . . . come back," Jackson says with a laugh, requesting a few packets of Splenda from the waiter for her green tea. "People are always quick to use that word 'comeback,' but I never went anywhere, really."

Arriving Feb. 26, "Discipline," Jackson insists, does not put her in the same camp as Mary J. Blige or Mariah Carey--it's not her "Breakthrough," nor her "Emancipation." But given the commercially disappointing sales of her preceding Virgin sets—2004's "Damita Jo" moved 999,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and 2006's "20 Y.O." stalled at 648,000--there was a vanishing act of sorts that warrants all the comeback talk.

"There's a great anticipation for the record," says IDJ chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid, who executive-produced "Discipline" with Jackson. "I feel that there's a welcoming from people in general, whether it be in the radio community or in the media. We would be wrong not to note that there's a different level of excitement going on with Janet right now."

The excitement comes courtesy of her new Rodney Jerkins-produced lead single, "Feedback." After a round of underwhelming singles from her past two albums, the song has been gaining momentum at urban and pop formats, thanks to its robotic bassline and voice-modulated effect tailor-made for the clubs. It debuts this week at No. 42 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart with 44,000 downloads and at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100.

" 'Feedback' is reminiscent of the drum pattern of 'Rhythm Nation' but it doesn't sound like it. It's a 2008 version," says Def Jam A&R director Shakir Stewart, who worked on "Discipline."

The record was leaked to blogs in late December, after which radio quickly picked up the scent. "Janet is one of those timeless artists. She's capable of making songs for a wide variety of audiences," says Deon Cole, music director of urban WPEG Charlotte, N.C. "I think this single kind of takes you back to what Janet normally does. She's an artist that can make those songs that can make you dance. This song is definitely one of those feel-good, make-you-get-up-out-your-seat, maybe dance-on-the-table-a-little-bit type songs."

This is exactly the reaction that IDJ was banking on. "When you look at blogs and critics that didn't favor her previously, they're loving her now, citing the return of Janet," IDJ VP of marketing Ashaunna Ayars says. "We're getting adds at top 40 urban and rhythmic stations without even sending out a physical piece of product."

If "Feedback" breaks into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, it will be Jackson's first such hit in that region of the chart since 2001's "Someone to Call My Lover" peaked at No. 3. "Nothing sells music better than good music, so I think 'Feedback' has done a good job getting people's attention. And then she looks amazing, so that visual's been helping," says Ayars, whose marketing team followed up the Internet chatter with photos of Jackson looking as svelte as ever in a futuristic black latex catsuit. "Dancing is a popular thing and she's the architect of that, so we've given fans a song that they can dance to. They can create their own choreography."

Heavier on dance tracks than seductive jams (Jackson's other forte), "Discipline" is classic Janet. The title track is one of her typical frisky bedroom cuts, featuring lyrics like, "I need some discipline tonight/I've been very bad" and "Daddy, make me cry."

Yet, there is an air of newness to the album that is partly the result of Jackson creatively straying from her longtime go-to production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

"I was hoping we could do something together, but sometimes you have to explore and kind of kick yourself out of the nest," Jackson says of her decision to escape her production comfort zone. "It was something that I needed to do for myself, but I think [Jam and Lewis] felt it coming, too, 'cause I kept working with a different producer here or there."

Stewart agrees that Jackson was in need of a fresh direction. "She's made a career of going to the same two producers and whatever environment she's been going to, it's become routine," Stewart says. "More than anything, I was excited that she was open to working with people that she hasn't worked with. The producers have come together and taken it retro, but also fast forward to the future."

In addition to production by Jackson's longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, Island's head of urban music, "Discipline" also features tracks by newcomers the-Dream and Tricky Stewart ("Umbrella," "Bed"), Lil Jon, Stargate and songwriters Ne-Yo and Johnta Austin. The beats and lyrics that these contributors initially presented to Jackson were, serendipitously, true to her choreography-based roots.

"I never had to tell them, 'No, this is what it should be,' " says Jackson, who stopped rehearsing for a tour in support of "20 Y.O." to focus on the album. She was also in the middle of shooting her third starring film role, in Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?," which opened at No. 1 at the box office last year. "I felt like they really did their homework and whatever they felt a Janet song was—rock, pop or urban—they hit it right on the nose."

"It sounds like songs that were written for her, and I think that's a beautiful thing," Dupri says. "You could tell that these records were made for Janet."

With "Discipline," the aim was to innovate without totally reinventing the wheel. "There's so much that I've done, from 'Black Cat' to 'I Get Lonely' to 'That's the Way Love Goes' to 'Together Again.' I have never stuck to one style of music ever," Jackson says. "There are some things that maybe I'll try for right now and some things I'll wait later on to try. It's [about] sticking to who I am. Even lyrically, something that I've experienced or someone that I know has experienced, it has to relate to my life and myself."

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

Starting her musical career at age 16, Jackson released her first five albums through A&M, including her self-titled 1982 debut and her 1986 breakthrough "Control," on which she first started collaborating with Jam and Lewis. But it wasn't until 1989's "Rhythm Nation 1814" that multiplatinum sales started becoming a norm. For 1993's "janet.," which has sold more than 7 million copies, Jackson relocated to Virgin and revealed a sexier image, with more sensual music to boot. The reinvention yielded her most successful single, "That's the Way Love Goes," which topped the Hot 100 for eight straight weeks. Subsequent albums "The Velvet Rope" and "All for You" each sold more than 3 million units.

While Jackson's record sales have gradually declined through the years, the most drastic dip occurred in the aftermath of her infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. This is, of course, another hurdle--perhaps the hurdle--from which Jackson has been struggling to recover.

Though the incident is a bygone, it is still the elephant in every room she enters. Its aftershocks were felt not only in the FCC's crackdown on censorship, but also in her album sales.

Despite bowing at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, "Damita Jo" was largely overshadowed by the Super Bowl fiasco. According to Jackson, the project was poorly handled.

"Not to badmouth Virgin, 'cause it was my family for a very long time, but they kind of just lost touch," she says. "To only have support of the urban department and for [those two albums] to sell what they did, there's a lot to say for that. [At Island] they all come together, and one department knows what the other department is doing. You need that to really move forward. It's teamwork, and that's what Virgin lost."

Back when Dupri was president of urban music at the label, he'd expressed similar sentiments of nonsupport, which was part of the reason he left once the dust of "20 Y.O." had settled. According to him, the label felt it was the music that was the barrier. "It was described to me that the music wasn't appropriate and that's what was making these outlets or certain places that usually would support her not willing to play the record," Dupri says. "I know better than that. In the music business, you at least get a shot."

But sources close to "20 Y.O." note that since Dupri was president of Virgin's urban department at the time of the album's release, he controlled virtually every aspect of the marketing and promotion of the project. (Virgin did not respond to a request for comment by press time.)

Regardless, in February 2007, when Dupri was appointed to head IDJ's urban music department, Jackson followed close behind. But while Dupri and Reid worked together on "Discipline," Dupri, who executive-produced "Damita Jo" and "20 Y.O.," willingly loosened the reins this time around, although he ended up producing all the vocals for the album.

"It's a crazy role for me, because I want the right things for her as my girl. I also want the right things for her as a label, but I also am the label president," Dupri says. "So, I had to kind of let this be L.A.'s situation, because there's so many different ways I could get caught up in this project. I also wanted her to feel the love from a real record company and a whole bunch of people other than myself giving her the yeses, so I kind of stood back so she could get a vibe of what she used to have when she first signed to Virgin."

Two years ago, Dupri masterminded Mariah Carey's comeback effort, "The Emancipation of Mimi." Beforehand, Carey was in the throes of flat-lining sales, an abysmal movie endeavor and an emotional breakdown following her IDJ debut, "Charmbracelet." With Jackson, a similar opportunity presents itself.

"Janet is one of the few forever artists in the business," Reid says. "I felt that if she was inspired and if she felt excited and if there was some adventure, along with the magic of working with the right people, that we should have a good shot of having success."

Def Jam COO Steve Bartels thinks the key is to reinvigorate Jackson's fan base through an arsenal of diverse urban and crossover records rather than targeting one lane. "Her appeal was to everybody when she was at her height, and I think that the people out there still want that from her," Bartels says. "On the last few albums, something had changed."

Despite inheriting another reputable vet, Stewart is realistic about the challenge of overturning the results of Jackson's last two efforts. "Any time you work with a superstar, there's pressure, especially when they've had such an illustrious career," he says. "It was important that we deliver to her fans classic music to make them fall back in love with Janet."

"I never put pressure on myself," Jackson adds. "It's just, to me, about going in the studio, having fun, enjoy what you're doing and do it to the best of your ability. You have to be happy with the work that you do."

As with "20 Y.O.," where fans got to design their own album covers, Jackson is offering another DIY promotional campaign for "Discipline." In January, her official Web site (janetjackson.com) launched a contest for fans to create their own homemade videos for "Feedback" and post them on her YouTube channel, Destination Discipline.

In mid- to late summer, Jackson hopes to tour in support of "Discipline." She continues to avoid endorsement deals, instead using acting to supplement her musical pursuits.

"I like more the creative aspect of things as opposed to coming home with a headache every night with stress up to here," Jackson says. "It feels great, because I still love what I do, and I'm not about to stop. It's nice to be able to do it but even nicer that the people still yearn for you after 20-plus years--that they still want to know what's to come."

Some random thoughts.

-- the next single needs to have a distinct pop hook, stronger than "Feedback" which is strong in itself, but this next one needs a hook a la "Thats the way love goes" or "all for you." period.

-- come to think of it, a laid back mid tempo jam like "thats the way love goes" ( but NOT in the vain of "Call on Me" ) with that strong hook would be good so that it can fit on both urban and pop formats

-- i dont know how well "Feedback" will ULTIMATELY do on Urban formats. I think it may peter out and has a much stronger chance on pop radio. However, she is kind of biting the hand that fed her and was the only format that supported her on the last two albums (urban radio)

-- how "with u" wasn't at least a smash on r&B radio I have no idear

-- bullshit on not pushing damita jo well enough. the first single was shit. "i want you" while a great track and one of my all time janet faves was not appropriate either. contrary to popular belief here on this board, i don't think "all nite" would have been a big no 1 hit had it been first either. there was NO GOOD CHOICE for a lead single on that album, though i love about half of it. NONE. the closest would have been "like you don't love me"

Midtempo is too risky. Especially with the stench of Call on Me still in the air. I am confident she will go with an uptempo jam that hits even harder than Feedback. The point is to remind people what they loved about Janet, which is above all else her dance hits.

This is doing very well at Urban (nearly Top 40 on that format), which supports basically anything Janet releases. Urban tends to play tracks by black artists that do extremely well on CHR/Pop - it just takes a little longer for them to catch on. Her bullets are +392 at Pop, +275 at Rhythmic and +111 at Urban. I think you will see the Urban bullet start to pick up soon, especially with Rhythmic accepting this track with open arms.

With U was released in late December, 2006. If you release a track just before the holidays, and it is not exceptionally strong like Feedback, it will not survive the month due to Christmas music play and end-of-year countdowns. Didn't help that Virgin pulled all promo (what little they had) at the end of the year.

I dont really think anyone besides die hards even remember Call on Me. Maybe I'm wrong.

I think she also needs a song strictly for the clubs (read: GAYS - is that politically incorrect? I don't mean it in a derogatory way). More "Together Again" than "Feedback" - more of a classic disco sensibility, I Mean - maybe that should be the next one up.

Correct me if I am wrong but wasnt "We Belong Together" released around the holidays in late 2004? Or was that not out till 05...I guess not. I still thought no matter the timing or no matter how much Virgin dropped the ball per usual the QUALITY of that song and its chorus and beats would save it no matter what (and the whole album for that matter). bummer...

I think they ain't gonna let JD have his way at all. You can tell he's not even a main producer of the album (everyone else is on her shit, lol).

I think IDJ realize (I hope anyway) that Mariah appeals to the mid-tempo crowd, Janet's main hits (most of 'em) have been uptempo. Least that's my look on it. The second single will be uptempo.

You can tell he's still smarting about "20 Y.O." not doing blockbuster numbers as he thought they would.

Yes. You have to wonder, though, what sort of numbers Damita Jo and 20 Y.O. would have done if they weren't on Virgin. EMI can't sell anything worth a damn. Rumour has it Kylie will be leaving them this year.

I really have no idea. EMI (Janet's European company) didn't do her well in Europe at all (Wikipedia said she's with Polydor Records in the UK now, lol). But they'd probably had done better records outside of Virgin.

I want to hear the original version of Damita Jo, before Virgin insisted the tracklisting be altered following the SuperBowl.

We probably have to wait a while before that can actually happen but then again Virgin isn't like Motown so I dunno, lol.

We probably have to wait a while before that can actually happen but then again Virgin isn't like Motown so I dunno, lol.

It will never happen.

Are we sure there was an 'original version' pre Super Bowl with a different tracklisting? I thought the album wasnt even finished at that point and that it was rush released to try to capitalize on the hype and the press of the SB. No?

The b sides from DJ are excellent. "Put your Hands On" is phenomenal, that track gets more play on my iPod than any other song period. I'm also glad I got to hear "Could This Be Love" - sounds like the sister song to "like you dont love me."

It will never happen.

I'm happy she is trying uptempo singles for this new album for a change. I think most people like her for her dance hits.