Alright. My local newspaper, The Philadelphia Daily News, did a "review" of Janet's CD, Discipline.The person who did the review did a lot of comparisions to Michael and said one comment about him that did not serve me too well. TBH, I have no clue what the comment meant but I know it was negative. Anyway, everyone is talking about Janet. I read that she will be on LKL this Thursday and her performance on GMA was alright. She had a mic issue and I was like, "that sucks." LOL. I bought the CD formy sisters today at Walmart and I looked at all of the shelves. I do not think people realized or know that Janet has a new CD out today because there were so many CDs of Discipline that I was like, "Damn". LOL. Now, I have no clue what that means when there are so many CDs of Discipline and it seems that no one is buying it. I hope that changes.

It's Not a new MJ CD, but sis Janet's a thriller, too Page 29

by Johnathan Takiff
takiffj@phillynews.com

Been wishing for a new album from the King of Pop Michael Jackson? Not all that excited over the extended, 25th anniversary edition of Thriller? (Even though it was last week's second biggest selling CD?) Take a listen to the next best thing, sister Janet Jackson's Discipline (Island/Def Jam, B+), out today. (Yeah, the Jackson have always had great timing.) It percolates techno-pop flavors - imposed by producer/writer stylists such as Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri and NeYo - that really do suggest the sort of production sound MJ might concoct if he were making new music today. (Sidenote - MJ is in the studio, stupid). Michael fans also could connect to the album's underlying sci-fi thematic thread. A female voiced computer buddy name Kilico (side not: who? Janet fans, explain that to me) sets up several fantasy scenes that Janet inhabits in song, although they're a lot more explicity sexual thanany her bro would broadcast (intentionally) to the world. Most amazingly, when Janet moves her voice into its upper register, and the studio engineers tweak the processing machinery "just so" on songs like "Feedback", she sounds amazingly like Michael. You gotta wonder, have they gone to the same throat doctor as well as the same plastic surgeon? The warm and playful Jerkins-penned "LUV" is the PG-rated tune that should bring Ms. Jackson back to the charts. It's all about colliding with a guy,an accident of the heart "He hit me with his luv...he crushed it to my heart... Somebody call the cops. I should have stopped at the red light."How cute is that?

I finally got the album. I only got the standard edition (since it came with downloads for a lower price), but might pick up the deluxe edition as well.

I only listened to the album all the way through once and skipped around on my long drive to my parents but have a lot of opinions on it. As far as quality, it's better than "20 YO" but is not strong as "DJ" (and I must stress the Japanese edition). In many ways, it mirrors what was done on "20 YO", only this time the music (the lyrics, with the exception of "Feedback", which is good and fun in that sense, are about the same) is better because it has some variety and does not try to be a just an average un experimental R&B hip-hop album like "20 YO" was.

I don't know if this has been said or not but I'm not only starting to think JD pushed out Jimmy and Terry and is obvious reaping fanatical benefits from the album (as a producer and co-writer of the album, is it possible he has more to gain per album sold...I wonder what her deal was considering she just came off two unsuccessful albums?). It's not a joke and not a conspiracy...he is obviously going to do very well if this ablbum sells! Yet shockingly, this time around his tracks are better, even though the creep factor rises in the idea that he is writing love songs to himself!

I'm not sure if "Discipline" is a fitting or ironic title...or if I am using irony correctly! Much like "20 YO", there is nothing close resembling a theme other than loving JD! Perhaps the "Discipline" comes in the fact that she must restrain herself from the writing and production process...an album where Janet contributes nothing but vocals? I wonder what people think about that fact. Is it writing and produced exclusively by men? Oh Missy is on there...so it is written by only men! When listening to this, it is almost impossible not to think about this.

Let's get into the album. It's a good enough R&B album with dance pop hints....if this wasn't Janet who has done so much better and has to be capable of more. Again, a swing and a miss due to the fact that she has not quite gotten back into her comfort zone of dance pop and R&B and for some reason fails to write anything interesting (fails to write ANYTHING with the exception of "4 Words",an interlude where she maybe is allowed that many words to contribute).

Janet fans DO want this type of fun album but also want her writing and some social commentary (ESPECIALLY NOW...the woman has no opinion on Bush?), but when she gets into the JD odes, it has never been more obonuxious (and it was pretty dreadful on "20 YO"). All the front loaded dance tracks that start off the album are stronger than they were on "20 YO". All are good enough but nothing is "All Nite", that's for sure. "2Nite" is good but isn't quite the dance pop hit that everyone is implying and "Rollercoaster" lacks any Janet passion (if she wrote the lyrics, might have helped and been a stronger track). There is the strangest repeat of a good, orginal idea I have ever heard an artist do twice..."The Greatest X"...Didn't she do this much better 4 years ago when Babyface wrote "Thinkin Bout My Ex"? Even though the midtempo overall is a predictable bringdown the same way it was when she did it with "20 YO", the worst offender "Never Letchu Go", a case of JD writing a love song for himself, has a great melody and nice pharasing (and for some reason, I love her singing the dumb simple lyrics, "And if something is lost/Let me go and get it"...the song in general sort of sets back the women's movement, but still pleasant). Things get into "DJ" type experiments with "So Much Betta" (which is mercifully short, like strong DJ songs "Like You Don't Love Me") and the awful distorted voice that is probably meant to channel "Murphy's Law" or Prince's Camille but really channels garbage! Filler would be preferred but right now it's the one awful track on the album (only awful in that part, really) with the mediocrity of "The 1" not far behind (I love Missy but when she is featured here, it makes my eyes roll). "Curtains" helps to remede the album with a classic kind of Janet R&B and some nice use of horns. "Discipline" as the only strangely slow sex track comes off as a "Velvet Rope" rejected track, which isn't awful!

Is it good? Yes. Is it great or close to her heyday? Nobody can say that with a straight face. Janet not being a writer does affect this and I only hope for it to be a huge hit so maybe Janet CAN go her own way. Something tells me Janet's hands were very tied (again, possible reason for the title). But then again, I have been saying this after every album. After DJ, which I ended up really liking after getting the Japanese edition and Superboob, I figured the next album would deal that. OK, so she went super safe. But this time off, she has had two commercial flops, AND she "left" Virgin....and again it's all JD, not only as writer but as subject. I don't think it has to be Janet, Jimmy and Terry and to some degree, DJ and this album prove that...and shockingly as much as I want to criticize JD for the direction of this album and the fact that Janet has little or possibly no iput here, his actual tracks are strong. For the man that shouted "20 YO" needed to skew urban, there is a lot of pop appeal in "Rock With U" and "Never Letchu Go". We'll never really know what can happen if the album is a flop or success, but we can only hope that either way, Janet be allowed to do a Janet album next time! How can a woman who had a social consensus that shined so much on three of her albums ("RN1814", "janet." and "TVR") have less and less to say about not just the state of the world, but anything at all anymore? It can't be like this forever! This album might make a good point that Hector played such a large part in her songwriting (though AFY and to a lesser extent DJ disproves that...It is strong songwriting in structure and has good lyrics, IMHO).

Discipline is doing very well on iTunes, charting within the Top 40 in nearly all the territories it was released to.

#8 Top Albums - US
#6 Top Albums - Australia (HUGE considering how poorly 20 Y.O. did there)
#37 Top Albums - UK (again, HUGE considering 20 Y.O.'s chart placement)
#11 Top Albums - New Zealand
#4 Top Albums - Japan
#18 Top Albums - Sweden
#20 Top Albums - Switzerland
#10 Top Albums - Norway
#20 Top Albums - Netherlands
#20 Top Albums - Italy
#27 Top Albums - Ireland
#2 Top Albums - Greece
#30 Top Albums - France
#26 Top Albums - Spain
#45 Top Albums - Finland
#21 Top Albums - Denmark
#6 Top Albums - Belgium
[Edited 2/26/08 15:12pm]

GMA was a hot mess..but I don't mind the look.
The lighting was just really bad. In fact the whole production
sucked..That color background with those color outfits & lighting..
it doesn't work on camera..

Miss. J need 2 work out, she looked a lil' tired tryin 2 keep up..

ClassicBee said:

This is a "device" that sort of sets up a possible (which sort of feels at times abandoned?) theme of the album being Janet's mind being read by a machine and these are the results...a biography maybe? (although...she isn't a songwriter!). Kilcio speaks to Janet like a sort of friend. It's a weird and strikes me as something that would be very much from an MJ album. Frankly, with Rodney Jerkins being the writer of these (suggesting she had so little involvement in this she could not even set up with the album with interludes and someone had to do that for her!) this could be something he really inspired by or imagined for MJ? The album is her most MJ-esque.

Well now that I've listened to the entire CD its too bad its just so-so like her last 2 CD's. I really liked Feedback and Luv is by far the best track on the CD. I wish she'd stop doing the interludes between each song as it really takes away from the music.

Finally it appears the by ditching Jam & Lewis she has updated her sound but upon hearing the whole CD a few club and electronic sounds do nothing to help her cause.

Also, what is it with her stealing the sounds and vibe from Prince's Interactive period. Lame

5 outta 10

Awww...my bf just called me...he got a CD signed "To ____ and _____" from Janet, as well as a CD signed for him (yes, she signed 2 for him). He told her we met because of her. I'm so happy right now. He also took a pic with her. He's met her before, so she knew his name and everything.

VoicesCarry said:

yes...the cd signing was very personal this time around, she asked you your name and signed the cd to you, you got a personal moment with her, she signed my deluxe cd twice... the booklet inside and that blank spot in the middle

SMASHING at iTunes!

#2 Greece
#3 USA
#3 Australia (OMG)
#4 Japan
#5 Canada
#7 Belgium
#7 Spain
#7 Norway
#11 New Zealand
#20 Italy
#20 Switzerland
#20 Netherlands
#21 Denmark
#27 Ireland
#30 France
#37 UK
#45 Finland

banks said:

Is the booklet for the deluxe edition any different, or is it just the packaging (which I would prefer) and DVD?

VoicesCarry said:

How about "Feedback"? Did it end up doing better on the charts? Totally sucks you had to pre-buy "Discipline" to get the extra track....can't even listen to a sample?

VinnyM27 said:

Same booklet.

VinnyM27 said:

Feedback's digital sales have increased dramatically this past week. The single version was pulled from release today to make room for the album version of Feedback.

2020 said:

Yeah this is the very reason i haven't rushed out to buy it yet. I probably
will by friday. I like feedback. I also agree that luv is a nice track. Rock
with U does nothing for me. I was skeptical all along especially with the
timing of the cd. Janet usually takes 3 years off in between cd's. It's
almost like she's being pushed back out there so quickly after the disappointment of 20 Y.O. It's been 3 years since mariah's last release mainly
because of the success of the album. I love janet to death but i am just afraid
this cd will almost be a repeat of 20 Y.O but i am gonna give it a chance.

VoicesCarry said:

I'm doing my bit, just d/loaded @ Aussie itunes.

upto track 2 atm.

some of the tracks remind me of Off The Wall for sure with it's smoothness and melodies

I really think that the work rodney jerkins did with janet is what he could have done with michael, but we all know how that turned out. I wouldn't be surprised if the feedback video concept is something like what michael wanted to do for the unbreakable video. I used to imagine similar colour schemes and themes for unbreakable or threatened, though janet pulled it off way better.
[Edited 2/26/08 23:02pm]

Keeps moving UP at worldwide iTunes!

#2 Greece
#2 USA
#3 Australia
#3 Japan
#5 Canada
#6 Spain
#6 Finland
#6 Sweden
#7 Norway
#8 Belgium
#11 New Zealand
#13 Italy
#14 Denmark
#15 Netherlands
#15 France
#19 Switzerland
#24 Ireland
#27 UK
[Edited 2/27/08 5:01am]

I finally watched the GMA performance. You guys were NOT lying. That may be my least favorite Janet performance ever. Aside from appearance I really really dislike Gil’s style as a choreographer. I can’t believe he’s going to be doing her whole tour.

Janet's on The Steve Harvey Show RIGHT NOW!!!!!

here's my personal (and short) review of discipline:

feedback: powerful. right choice for single #1

luv: funny

rollercoaster: inane, boring, filler. one of her worst track ever recorded.

rock with u: generic, yet pleasant

2nite: the classic tastless song that you listen to today, and you'll forget tomorrow

can't b good: nice. the harmony, the pace and her vocal delivery makes it sound like something by her brother

never letchu go: a totally forgettable cross between a bad narada michael walden composition and a track off beverly hills 90120 soundtrack

greatest x: boring, predictable track

so much betta (feat. jordy): worst. janet. track. ever. and to think it took 3 guys to write this dog crap!

the 1: bah...

what's ur name: another (not-so-disturbing not-so-pleasant) michael-ish track

discipline: good one, but my question now is: how many times should we get the same rope-burn-when-we-ooh-would-you-mind-etc with a different title every time around? gosh! and btw: this kind of lyrics, especially sentences like "i've been very bad, make me cry" or "i misbehaved and my punishment should fit my crime daddy" (however, how juvenile!) better fit up-tempo rhythms, not ballad' ones

curtains: yeah, curtains... down right now please!

let's recap:
best tracks: feedback, luv, rock with u, discipline
worst tracks: rollercoaster, so much betta

i personally can't really get to understand all this hype about this album when 20yo was way better, warmer and far superior. too cold overall and soulless. and i don't wanna talk about those irritating and pointless interludes...
all that i can say is that if she really applied a little more discipline while making this record, it would have sounded a lot better.
only 1-verse songs pff! poor ideas pff! and im so done with this kitten-whisperin' of hers.
i wanna hear her sing, sing, sing, not her fake falsetto all over the record, on every fuckin' song

purplecam said:

I caught the tail end. She should stick around to go on Wendy’s show. Not.

JackieBlue said:

Yes she should! That would be a classic interview. Actually, she did do The Wendy Williams Experience when they were at the Grammy's but she only talked to Charlemange cause Wendy wasn't there. She needs to be interviewed by Wendy. We'd be talking about it for days like when she interviewed Whitney a few years ago.

purplecam said:

Yeah, Wendy not that damned sidekick Charlemagne. That would be worth recording but I can’t imagine she would ever do it. Why she won’t at this point I don’t know unless she’s scared.

JackieBlue said:

That's it right there. Wendy's not afraid to go there, whereever there is.

JackieBlue said:

The choreography for Rock Wit u was hot... I don't know if you saw the TV broadcast which they cut off at the very beginning of the song.... but that was much better than the Feedback Choreography

VinnyM27 said:

I told you guys 4 or 5 months ago that Janet would just be the singer on this album, so I don't know why any of you are surprised. It was obvious. Janet is not really a songwriter. Never was, never will be. Now when an artist is successful, they can go on writing amateurish crap, and no-one will question it. However, with Janet's career at such a lowpoint, she no longer has any negotiating power, and any sensible A&R man would have to make sure she was out of the way. No surprise there. Janet is not someone who's gonna kick up a fuss and demand she write the songs, for two reasons. 1) She is passive by nature, and is more comfortable going with the tide, rather than swimming against it. 2) She's not an artist anyway, so it's not like she's having to suppress something that's essential to her nature. She is probably relieved to have other people taking care of it, just like Rene used to do.


LOL, while you're waiting to hear Janet's insights on international politics perhaps you'd also like to hear Paula Abdul's take on the hostage situation in Darfur.

banks said:

Okay, Banks, I trust your judgment and will go back and watch it since I saved it. I just started speeding through it after awhile because the wig was really hurting my feelings. I also didn’t care for the make up. I’m also ready for her to get rid of ‘the kids’.

JackieBlue said:

Yeah i hated that Do too

Janet's wig made her look like a Cocker Spaniel dog. Not a good look for Janet.