The closeted janet fan inside me is mad, chaka! (See my marlon jackson afro below!)



Discipline was Janet's Best album since The Velvet Rope. So much potential for sucess. I think Def Jam did not handle like it should. Songs like Rock with u, What's ur name, 2nite or Discipline (makes me moist everytime) are excelent pop jams. If someone like Rihanna can have hits, why can't janet have it currently.

Also Janet's is a bit jackson...in other words, very lazy. She should have done more promo!

What really bugs me is that the promo of rock with u stopped...the video was great. But where were the remixes? Feedback had a great set of mixes...

really liked this album, which i was shocked by, and i'm disappointed that it went nowhere fast.

plenty of potential for hits here, but it seems like they blew their wad all at once up front by throwing every potential single out to radio in the span of 2 weeks, and then really didn't have anywhere to go with it after all of those got their 5 minutes of buzz.

I only like five tracks from the whole disk. Most of which are slow jams, she's she's very much pop/dance act with a handful of RnB, and they seemed to forget that.

I am glad I waited and got it for £4. (still better if I got it cheaper)

She should have stayed with Jam and Lewis while still working with other producers. It sounded like someonelse was in control, and Janet didn't really show any personality. This album just showed that Janet is no longer in control.

Yes I do think there are some good tracks, but you just know she can do much better. Def Jam should hand Janet over to Jimmy Lovine, I've got a feeling that he would do her well. And Janet herself should say more of what she likes and what to do. She should have done heavy promo in Europe where Rock Wit U could have done well. In my opinion this is her second crap album in a row, but worse than 20YO. However still saying all that it's better than the recent albums by some of her contemporaries.

Tracks I like:
Feedback**
Luv*
Rollercoster*
Rock Wit U**
So Much Better**
The 1*
Curtains**
2nite (only for the first 1.4 min)

* satisfactory ** excellent

i think it came out unprepared, wrong timing, and not enough promotion, rushed video, and definitely NOT enough radio support.

paper said:

honestly and unfortunately, after the previous 3 albums, i think that the fact that she was no longer in control is what saved it. it's clear from AFY, DJ, and 20YO, that she's been bored and had no real desire to be making music. at least with other people doing absolutely everything, there was at least some decent material to play in the background while she phoned it in.

I think she had desire to make music with AFY and DJ, they were both fun albums and you could hear genuine happiness on those albums making a joy to listen to. With 20YO it became all a little less fun and personal and very producer driven.

I hate her voice with a passion, but some of her songs are decently written and some of the production on her albums are top notch. Shame about her voice though.

I enjoyed it much more than the last few. I wish it had done better. I think I'll put it back in rotation now.

The problem with Discipline was it lacked Rene's touch

xlad said:

are you rene's boyfriend/girlfriend/family memeber

you must be if you really think rene really had a help in janet's direction on music. Cause ask Jimmy and terry and they will tell you he was NOT

Matronik said:

Its a combination of many things, but one thing no one is mentioning is AGE. The pop world now is YOUNG, thats it plain and simple, scan the charts and whats getting played 24/7, the average artist age that gets PLAY is under 24. Janet doesnt fit into that, playlists now are so small, there is no space for diversity in artists, you used to be able to have it, but now you cant. And even if you say that Mariah is selling, well, not really, look at the nosedive this album has taken, she is now approaching 40 so her days of flashing her sex appeal and kid like songs are over. As for Janet, there is just something missing, there is just an emptiness in alot of her songs, that they all seem to run along the same path with no direction. True this album was better, but it really didnt grab you. And i totally agree on the "lazy" comment, whether its all on her or not, if she wasnt ready to tour and do promo than this record should NOT have been released until she committed to something, i mean there was alot riding on this, and with Janets and Mariahs projects not even coming close to what $$$ was invested, Def Jam is not in good shape right now

xlad said:

Not sure how much Rene contributed to her older albums (or to Janet's career in general),but it's clear that he brought something good to the table.Alas,the same cannot be said of Jermaine Dupri.

I love the album, but poor choice of singles, promotion issues...etc

Favourite track was Rock With U, love the video too but it bombed because of shithouse promotion.

I don't understand why labels just get lazy with promo of their stars - I mean, if you're not gonna put your all behind getting the album out there why bother letting them make it in the first place? Why green light it if you're not gonna follow through?

Def Jam decided Rihanna was their next big thing and did EVERYTHING possible to get her out there - massive campaign, heaps of singles, duets, remixes, merchandise, magazine covers - the list is endless. And now she's practically A List.

You're telling me they don't wanna do this for Janet? She already HAS a fanbase, what could go wrong?

Feedback was HUGE amongst people my age (18+) so saying she's passed her peak is bull. Feedback could've been massive.

I must say I HATED the subservient lyrics in almost all of the songs. Still, Janet's always been a bit odd like that.

Rock With U should've been a hit.

purplesweat said:

It's tempting to blame the record company,but Janet must take some of the blame herself.She didn't do alot of aggressive promotion for the album,and she apparently has an ineffective management team.Even her upcoming tour wasn't planned right,with dates not even being announced at the same time.Fans had to scramble around on Ticketmaster,looking for the dates themselves.

It's her best album since All For You, very upbeat and fresh and a nice change from jimmy and terry though it still has that jackson sound.

It should have been a major hit. Although Rock With U grew on me and is one of the best songs on the album, I think 2nite or Can't Be Good should have been the next single, or even the awesome So Much Betta.

I can't even find my copy, it's somewhere in my room buried under my piles of clothes.

i dont think janet did anything wrong the industry is whats wrong if u not young and a kid they dont want u and that seems so molestorious 2 me i think janet still has it and the world should embrace it i dont wanna see ciara beyonce or none of them helfas i wanna c miss jackson

i don't think it's def jam's fault for they have given mariah a huge promo campaign when they signed her after being bought out by virgin.

i think if JJ was willing to put more into promoting the project, it could've done decently.

and i say decently because you still got the superbowl shit hanging around.
[Edited 8/25/08 8:33am]

oh and i like your hair like that. and like Discipline.

The cd was rushed too soon, imo. I believe LA Reid and Janet did not see eye to eye on things before the cd was released (Hence the timing of the release of Feedback to ITunes and Radio). Favorite song is Rock With U.

This album takes me back to winter and spring when I was blasting it nonstop

It was first one I check out after losing interest after Rhythm Nation. I think that she, like all artists who have been around have a hard time reaching out to newer fans or even keeping the older ones arouns ESP with lackluster albums that preceeded it. If it was simply the last album that tanked, it would be ok. But I think that the last few albums have been lack luster.

I do think Rock Wit U should have been bigger...and a better video should have been done. I also think that promotion for the album could have been better.

I think it's an good record, but it isn't the total return to form many people are claimed it to be, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Discipline way more than I thought I was going to and I admire that she is going into the dance, electro-synth direction. But what troubles me is that Discipline sounded like any other urban dance-pop record that is made nowadays. But it sounds fresh.

The album does have its share of consecutive bangers like Feedback, which took me awhile to warm up to, Luv, which sounds like it could've been be a big hit, Rock With U and 2Nite, which reverts her back to her club-diva days. And I hate to admit it, but the Daft Punk-inspired So Much Betta is the funkiest shit I've heard from Janet in years.

I also like The 1, What's Ur Name, the title track, and Can't Be Good.

The biggest offender of the album is that Janet's rampant sexuality is pushing the album's stability down a bit. Not that 41-year olds (particularly 41-year olds that look as fine as Janet) aren't having sex, but we've now had about five consecutive albums of Janet singing primarily about boning. I think it's getting pretty old and worn out.

So overall, Discipline was probably as good of a record as could be expected from Janet at this point, considering her best days are way behind her. I mean, it's basically everything 20 Y.O. should've been.

I think the failure was that when Def Jam and Island Records started to heavily focus on Mariah's almost-shitty, E=MC2 shortly after Janet's record, they just left Janet in the cold. I thought this was going to be one of the biggest music surprises of this year, but it dropped very low, which is sad. But I think Janet should've made some effort to push the album and take it to huge heights. So, the blame for the failure would have to be both the record company and Jan's promotion skills. It just isn't a good look for Janet now. But it's good she came back.
[Edited 8/25/08 10:06am]

The way the album was promoted, I thought it was going to be much more dance oriented so I was dissappointed to find that it was a primarily mid-tempo album

However, it has grown on me

originally my fav tracks were Luv, Feedback, and So Much Betta

BUT...

Discipline actually turned out to be my song!
I mean, holy wet dream
its the sexiest song JJ's done since the All For You album

I can still hear "Closer" by Neyo getting played the f out but Rock With you is nowhere to be seen next to Disturbia or Forever by Chris Brown.

Hmm...

thekidsgirl said:

I need some discipline 2nite...

paisleypark4 said:

It must be the fact he is almost bald and janet has more hair in her little janet...

Matronik said:

Michael should let Ne-Yo borrow one of his wigs

The album was just so so for me. However feedback was a slamming single i
can still bounce too. Luv is cool. Didn't like rock wit u. The only other
notable tracks that stick out to me is the title track and curtains. I simply
think the album was rushed and like some others have stated already janet isn't in her 20's or 30's anymore and a fortysomething year old trying to fit in today's market just ain't going to cut it now. Can you imagine Jody Watley
trying to market her records to this crowd. Sure janet can get on 106 & park and they will cheer for her but they are gonna spend their money on hip hop, ciara,keyshia cole,etc.

I liked the Discipline cd. It was a HUGE improvement from 20YO (and I am a Janet fan). I think that it was a little dance/house oriented for a hip hop tinged music era. Her singles did very well on the Dance charts. At this stage of Janet's career, I think she should take the chances that Madonna (love her too-no need for another tired Janet vs Madonna thread) had, and use unknown producers and come back with a fresh sound. Also, Janet needs to fire Gil as her choreographer IMMEDIATELY and patch things up with Tina Landon and Shawnette Heard. Although Janet has hit her peak musicwise in the 90's (all artist have their peak), she looks fantastic and I believe she can still deliver something as fresh and introspective that she hadn't done since Velvet Rope. VR wasn't one of her best selling efforts, but most respected.