midnightmover said:

Your implication has always been that Janet does not write anything ever...of course this is based on hearing nothing beyond TVR, not knowing the writing credits of later albums, probably not realizing that DJ is an album that is not just written by...excuse me, where the writing credits are not only Jimmy, Terry and Janet....

The continued questioning is only based on this absurd theory that it HAD to be Rene that wrote all those songs (with Jimmy and Terry...maybe) based on a switch in direction. Frankly, until you listen to those albums and read the writing credits, you should stop becuase you sound foolish and petty with an axe to grind. Rene, we know it's you. "I heard the singles." The singles off most albums are often not a good example of an album as a whole...unless it's Solidja Boy!

I've never heard anyone question Justin's songwriting or any other males but it comes up with women all the time (unless they play a guitar...in public...and are on Lilth Fair!). Madonna never writes her songs herself....except those shitty tracks on her first album? I guess that was all poltical since she was in such a powerful position to negoate, huh? Most of her producers state she is very generous with songwriting credits. A telling example are the two verisons of "I Love New York". The one on "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret" has no co-writer other than Madonna (although it's possible she was dating Rene at the time...) which was a demo for the verison that appeared on COADF...they are barely different, other than her producer has a credit on the finished one. Thus, criticism of Madonna falls into a lovely little place called sexism, where a woman couldn't possibly write a song like that.

Now that I've given the album a few spins, I feel like I can assess it track by track. Keep in mind that it's still early, and my opinions may change, but for now, here it is:

Feedback: 10/10- A perfect lead single, and a perfect way to launch the album. That incredible hook and Janet's irresistible harmonies grab me every time. I've loved it since my first listen, and it hasn't abated a bit. The album version feels a bit short, as I'm used to that glorious extended outro from the video.

Luv: 9/10- Incredibly catchy, and the most likely "hit" on the album. The chorus is one of her most instantly memorable in awhile.

Rollercoarster: 7/10- Yeah, it's cool, but I feel like the showy production is there to hide the fact that there really isn't much going on in the song. It has grown on me, but it doesn't seem quite like a finished product.

Rock With U: 10/10- Probably my favorite at this point. It's perhaps the most "Janet Jackson" song on the album, with a pure venture into pop/dance, and her delectable string of "ooh"s. I'd say it's arguably her best uptempo song since 2001.

2Nite: 10/10- Another vintage Janet track, especially towards the end. By this point, the album is firing on all cylinders. A definite highlight and a joy to hear.

Can't B Good: 8/10- If 20 Y.O. was anchored by solid midtempo and slow cuts, the reverse is true with Discipline. I read a review of the album that compared "Can't B Good" with MJ's "I Can't Help It", and it's dead on. It's a lovely song, and probably the best of the tracks that aren't dancefloor stompers.

Never Letchu Go: 6/10- This begins what I call the puerile section of the album. I like that Janet is returning to a more pure brand of pop, but this song would have sounded better on, say, janet. It's inoffensive and pretty, but very lightweight.

The Greatest X: 3/10- Yikes! I can imagine some chick from The Hills singing this, and that's never a good thing. And didn't she cover the same territory better on Damita Jo? By this point, all the momentum that had built up to "2Nite" has screeched to a halt.

So Much Betta: 9/10- And it's back! The dirty Daft Punk sample and the libidinous groove make this the sultriest track on the album. It would have scored a 10 if Janet could be heard more in her normal voice. An all-out assault on the hips.

The 1: 7/10- It's fun, and I love Missy, but like "Rollercoaster", the production overwhelms the song.

What's Ur Name: 8/10- This song always suprises me when I hear it, because I always end up liking it more than I had previously thought. It's well-constructed and oozes with cool.

Discipline: 6/10- For me, it's a shame that this song carries themes of punishment and submission, because I find that to be an aboslute turn-off. However, I can't dismiss the whole song because I like the sound of it a lot. I can definitely see the appeal, but for me, the lyrics take away from what could have been her best sultry ballad in ages.

Curtains: 6/10- Obligatory "bring guy on stage for sexy routine" song. Nothing more, nothing less.

Let Me Know: 8/10- I'm glad I've got the bonus track! It ends the album on a much better note than "Curtains", in my opinion. Janet sounds fully on target here, and the melodies let it shine.

Overall, I definitely enjoy the record, particularly the uptempo tracks. Unlike most people here, I actually enjoy Damita Jo and 20 Y.O., and I LOVE All for You. As such, I don't really see Discipline as some great return to form, but I'll definitely get a lot of listening pleasure out of it.

I guess what makes me a fan of Janet is that her music is always such a comfort to me. Although she is often maligned for being a poor singer, I absolutely love her voice. Perhaps it's because her music has been a part of my life since I remember enjoying music. Janet isn't re-inventing the wheel here, but she delivers a nice set of tracks that either make me smile, make me dance, or soothe my soul.

At this point, I'd give it a solid rating.

JackieBlue said:

Jackie, what u r saying is exactly what I was thinking. I bought cd and glanced through the booklet and noticed that she did not write one lyric. It bothered me because Janet is known for her lyrics. She has won songwriting awards from BMI, so I question the writing of the album because she seems like she is giving into the record company's demands and has become a Ciara or Britney...a puppet.

paisleypark4 said:

There you go paisley. I haven't heard the passion from janet on 20 Y.O and
discipline that she had on all for you. You ain't right is one of my favorite
tracks from that album. You also had passionate songs like truth,better days,
trust a try(Nastaaay). I miss that passion from Janet. I do like the damita jo album but all for you was just sick. A masterpiece imo. I think i just read where alisa just mentioned janet has seem to have lost some of her passion as
an artist and i wonder if she really even wanted to come back so soon.
I'm wondering if L.A Reid pushed her back out into the market a little too soon
even before she was ready.

TotalAlisa said:

Don't discount Rene at all. I'm not a fan of his, nor am I defending him, but there had to be some validity to his accusations. Rene was PAID very well in the divorce settlement. He supposedly co-wrote all of the hits from Control up to Velvet Rope with Jimmy and Terry. He is (almost) single-handedly responsible for the "sexy" Janet that we have all grown to love. Just because he didn't get his name in the songwriting credits on the earlier albums, doesn't mean he didn't write them.

VinnyM27 said:

You have an annoying habit of arguing with figments of your imagination. I never said "Janet doesn't write anything ever", nor did I "imply" it. I have no doubt she co-wrote junk like "Someone To Call My Lover" for instance, so stop talking to that straw man, and try listening to ME instead. Also, your assessment of her post-Rene albums is at odds with the vast majority of people who feel those albums were much weaker than what had gone before. You also ignored my Mariah point. No-one questions her contribution to her work, yet last time I checked, she was a woman. How does that fit with your theory of a sexist conspiracy?

TotalAlisa said:

Ok, let's get this straight. It doesn't bother me that singers don't write and produce their material. I tend to question an "artist" like Janet who has co-written some of the most memorable dance songs of the last century. I have an issue with Janet NOT writing on any of the tracks on this album when she was supposedly writing her bigger hits (Control, If, That's The Way Love Goes, etc.). It probably wouldn't bother me as much if she said in interviews for Discipline that she "wasn't in a creative space, and was busy filming to write." However, she has not made any statement similar to this and is saying how the songs are very personal to her on this album.

2ndly, there is a HUGE difference between songwriting and song production. You used MJ as a reference. "Billie Jean" was written by MJ, but produced by Quincy Jones (and MJ co-produced it). Michael did not "create" Thriller (the song), but he did perform the hell out of it.

As for your statement about the number of singers who produce and write...there are LOTS of them. There are also LOTS of them who don't do anything but sing. That doesn't bother me either. I love singers like Whitney, Stephanie Mills, En Vogue, etc. who sing and don't write much.

TotalAlisa said:

It wasn't a "wig". It was a WEAVE.
And yes...it was UGLY!

Moonbeam said:

Good assessment. I agree with a lot of this.

daPrettyman said:

'Rock With U' from yesterday's Good Morning America now online

As they had promised, ABC News has posted Janet's live performance of "Rock With U" from yesterday morning's episode of Good Morning America onto their website.

Only the first few seconds of the performance were shown yesterday on television. The only place to watch that one song in its entirety is on the ABC News website.
http://abcnews.go.com/Vid...affil=wtnh

this was the better performance

daPrettyman said:

I get your point prettyman. An artist like janet that has been around as long
as she has didn't get involved in writing on this album. Jimmy jam and terry
lewis from day one gave janet the stage to write what was on her mind and
sing about what was on her mind. Now for alisa and her claim that very few artists even the legends had very little writing or creative input into their songs. That may be true especially of the puppet artists out today but their is a difference. Even if an artists like teddy pendergrass, michael jackson, the stylistics, etc. didn't write their own songs they had legendary writers and producers who knew what the hell they were doing when they wrote or produced a song and unlike alisa claim the songs weren't redundant. You mean to tell me songs that gamble & huff wrote for harold melvin & the blue notes and teddy p. like wake up, hope that we can be together soon, bad luck, etc. didn't have any substance. Compare chaka khan's new album to janet's. Listen to the passion that chaka sings with on angel and for all time. Even if chaka didn't write those songs she didn't accept garbage tracks that she didn't have any passion to sing about. I think alisa just totally(no pun intended)missed your point here. It's all good though.

GangstaFam said:

Nay! What are your faves on the album?

Moonbeam said:

That whole bracing first run of "Feedback", "Luv", "Rollercoaster", "Rock With U" and "2Nite" is pretty perfect. "So Much Betta" makes me smile and dance every time. Not sure how I feel about that middle section of ballads yet. They all sound pleasant, but they all have that stuttery "We Belong Together" beat and are a bit generic. "The 1" and "What's Ur Name" are pretty decent too. I don't love them yet, but I might with more listens.

dag said:

dude, calm down. You don't know a spoof when you see one? Sheesh

Question for you Janet experts: why isn't Feedback a huge hit already? It's her best single since "All For You", catchy as the flu.
[Edited 2/27/08 22:24pm]

GangstaFam said:

My thoughts exactly. I love that opening stretch of songs. Absolutely magnificent. I skip the ballads though. They're boring. Still, I do think Discipline's her best album in a long, long while. It deserves to be a big hit.

daPrettyman said:

That is a WIG-
that garbage was not on her head Monday for BET's 106 Park

Shapeshifter said:

How you doin',Shapeshifter? Well, there's still radio stations that refused to play Janet's material due to the SB thing. So sad, but true.
And, as far as her writing when she did some complained that they didn't like her material. Don't care for her as an artist.
Now, that she didn't write anything on this new project some are still complaining. Either she's held in high reguard or some simply find fault with her concerning, whatever.
I mean, it's only entertainment. She's not running for public office. I'm amazed by the overtly critiquing.

DawnD said:

I'm going to be honest: It has nothing to do with radio not wanting to play Janet. Radio fully embraced the song, because at one point the song was Top 30 at three formats and rising fast.

The song flopped because Janet did absolutely jack shit to promote it until the week of the album release. I'm sorry, but when you've been burned by radio, you fucking show up to premiere your song on Z100 and KIIS, you give multiple radio interviews every damn day, you try and perform it wherever you can. Mariah had to do that for It's Like That. She worked hard to reestablish her relationship with radio. Janet did nothing. She did NOT play to win, and for that I cannot respect what she has done with respect to promotion of this project.

Other fuck-ups so far have been:

1. Sending the song to iTunes on December 27, before it had even begun to explode at radio.

2. Making a video for a dance track which features absolutely no dancing for the first three quarters. And has a completely wack concept. AND she's stupid enough to use Saam as a director AGAIN for Rock With U. You want to appeal to the mainstream, you make a mainstream video. I was sorely disappointed with that video, because it had absolutely nothing to do with the song, and consequently killed quite a bit of interest in the track.

You want to know what I think happened? LA Reid was supposed to be the Executive Producer of this album. I get the album and suddenly I find Jermaine is. This project REEKS of Jermaine's "promotion", whereas with Mariah we've already gotten incredible promotion and results, and I bet LA is heading that up.
[Edited 2/28/08 8:16am]

VoicesCarry said:

I wouldn't be surprised if LA Reid TOLD Jermaine to oversee the project. They are good friends and have been for years. I'll bete you that LA still had to approve everything before it was released.

I've been listening to the album since it leaked sometime last week, and I think it's sunk in enough to start to form an opinion on it...

First off, the interludes have really got to go... "Bathroom Break" is probably one of the most immature things she's ever recorded. It's been almost 20 years since "Interlude: Hey Baby", and she keeps trying to reproduce the cutesy theme. Thumbs down. "The Meaning" is even worse; Janet masturbating while reading the dictionary. Does she really think that people want to hear that?

The first 5 songs are without a doubt the strongest part of the album; "Feedback" opens the album on a strong note. It's not a 10/10 or a Janet classic, but it's definitely better than anything on 20 Y.0. 7/10

Even though "Luv" is fairly generic R&B, it's probably my favorite cut on the album. The beat actually works with Janet's voice for once, and for once, she's not droning on and on about her cootch. 9/10.

"Rollercoaster" is another winner. I know that a few people on here aren't digging it, but I do like the production on this. I don't really get the "Escapade" comparisions, though; it reminds me more of "Strawberry Bounce". 8/10

"Rock With U" just sounds unfinished to these ears; lyrically, it's more than a little half-baked. The song shares more than a passing resemblance to "Put Your Hands On" a Damita Jo-era B-side/bonus track. THe one part of the song that I do really like is the bassline; that really makes me want to move. 7/10.

I also don't get all of the creaming over "2Nite"; it's good, but it's nowhere near the club banger that "All Nite (Don't Stop)" was. It owes more than a little to "Please Don't Stop The Music", and, similarly, would've benefitted from a sample. Another unfinished song. 7/10

This is where the album takes a turn for the worse. "Can't B Good" is probably the best of the 3 midtempos in this section of the album. The groove is decent, but how many times can she repeat "This can't be good" in one song? 4/10

"Never Letchu Go" is one of the cheesiest things I've ever heard from Janet. The beat is straight out of K-Ci and Jo Jo, and the guitar solo is straight out of some AC ballad circa 1988. It reminds me of when Prince really lost touch with the mainstream and started cranking out generic ballad after generic ballad. 1/10

"Greatest X" is another soppy, trite ballad. This is the same woman that sang "Lonely" and "Come Back to Me"? I'm not sure if it's the generic beat or the weak singing, but I can barely get a minute into this song. "Thinking About My Ex" from Damita Jo was at least an 8/10, but this one is a 3/10.

"So Much Betta" is awkward. The beat is good, but the chorus is just so unappealing. Plus, the song doesn't go anywhere. It's just murky the entire way through. 6/10

"The 1" is just your typical Janet album filler. The Missy guest rap is actually grating, and I think the song would've been better without it. I don't mind the hook/chorus, though. So... 5/10

"What's Your Name" isn't too terrible. It's the most "Janet" midtempo on the record. The lyrics are juvenile, but her voice is sweetened and filtered, and actually songs good. 5/10

"Discipline" is trash. Musically, it's not terrible. Lyrically, however, I'll never be able to listen to it. Plus, her voice sounds TERRIBLE here. 0/10

"Curtains", yawn. Generic, plodding R&B beat. Boring. 2/10

I disagree with the reviews that say that this is Janet's best record since TVR or AFY. Damita Jo was miles better than this, although this is better than the travesty that was 20 YO, and only a little worse than AFY.

I'll probably only listen to the first 5 cuts on here, but that's about 5 more songs than I enjoyed from her last CD, so I guess things are getting better...

daPrettyman said:

He might approve a release, but the way in which it is released and the promotion that surrounds it is clearly not being managed by LA.

Axchi696 said:

Yeah Let Me Know should have taken the place of Greatest X..why in the world was Let Me Know not included on the US release other than a download is beyond me.

I will be replacing Greatest X with that song on my ipod. I dont find myself wanting to memorize this one. Its too...trite and safe..and the ever ever ever just matches umbrella ella elaa ay ay too much. Its not a bad song but just ...too droning. It wouldve sounded better on Damita Jo in place of Moist or that other joint with the finger snaps that I took off my ipod.
[Edited 2/28/08 10:14am]

What is 'Feedback' doing at radio as of now? Has it already peaked?

midnightmover said:

Calm down, Rene. Much like you ignoring Janet's songwriting, I'm going to ignore Mariah's due to low quality in lyrics. You won the arguement that is going on in your own head and that everyone else is having the good sense to ignore. Now go show your songwriting skills by apparently ghost writing for someone else and making them a star with your talent...we are still waiting for that!

I am LOVING Whats Ur Name! That is the jam!

Now that I've heard the whole record I think "Rollercoaster" should have been the first single. "Rollercoaster" then "Luv." I don't know what the fuck IDJ is doing. I thought finally Jan would get away from Virgin and get with a label that knows what to do with her at radio - but apparently not. "Feedback" is a hard core dance track - that shit never gets air play in the US anymore! And what are they doing with the second single at pop radio - another dance/club song! "Rock with U" will NOT be a big radio hit! A la "Hung Up" - though for some reason Madonna has way more digital/iTunes power and popularity than Janet, so that's why "Hung Up" made the top 10 on the Hot 100...

In any case - she should open her next tour with "RollerCoaster" and the second song should be "Rock With U." And I can't wait to see what routine they come up with for "Luv" and "So Much Betta." I think this record will translate best onstage of all her albums since "TVR."

VinnyM27 said:

VinnyM27 said:

Sorry, but over the years Mariah has written some good, solid pop songs like "Dream Lover" and "Make It Happen". She even wrote a classic quiet storm track ("Underneath The Stars"). No-one has ever questioned her authorship of these songs. You're ignoring this 'cos it demolishes your silly argument that people are only questioning Janet's contributions because she's a woman. Last time I checked, Mariah was a woman too.

As for this argument being in my head, you're obviously not very sensitive to the sands shifting under your feet. As time is going by, more and more people, including hardcore Janet fans, are coming round to my way of thinking about Rene's contributions. You are a member of a dying breed of people who still regard Janet as a serious artist. Pretty soon you will be as old fashioned as the steam train or the wax cylinder.
[Edited 2/28/08 12:22pm]

badujunkie said:

I thimk they made a wise choice with Feedback. It recievede rave reviews and it was a good song! Rollercoaster is ok, however 2Nite and Rock With You to me a re winners in the single collection.

i agree with you

WHATS YOUR NAME is my 3rd favortie track after So Much Betta. Jeez I cant get that song out my head! Its so Michaelesque

paisleypark4 said:

I love when Janet does stuff (like "Enjoy," "You," "Sexhibition") that sound like Michael - and I love when Michael does things that sound like Janet ("This Time Around," "Scream")