Janet Jackson - Discipline
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.99 You Save: $3.99 (29%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $2.57 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Discipline
Free Music Review: Ms. Jackson is BACK!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Janet is back with this album, especailly since her last one sucked. The 4 first songs on the album are the best in my humble opinion.
Welcome back Ms.Jackson, nice to have the real Janet back.
Free Music Review: Disciple
Hit: 5 Stars
Great CD. Love all the tracks. Ms Janet is back and more fierce than ever. Free Music Review: she's back
Hit: 4 Stars
it's refreshing to hear Janet sounding more the way she did before the last two albums, although alittle more of a disco tone. Well done Janet.
Free Music Review: With A Little More DISCIPLINE, Jackson Takes The First Steps In Resurrecting Her Career
Hit: 4 Stars
Saying that Janet Jackson's new album DISCIPLINE is her best one in 15 years is actually damning it with faint praise. With an output that has been spotty at best (2001's ALL FOR YOU and her last effort, 20Y.O. in 2006), odd and quirky (1997's THE VELVET ROPE) or down right dreadful (2004's DAMITA JO), very few top-tier artists could match the sort of disintegration Jackson has witnessed as her career imploded over the last decade and a half (No jokes about big brother Michael, please...!). Oh, sure, she has a long way to go before she deserves to be considered A-level again (say, the way she was from 1986 to 1993), but with DISCIPLINE she's taken a major step forward in reclaiming lost ground. Most importantly, she's singing SONGS again; instead of the airy, whispered mewlings of the last few discs, there's some serious song structure going on again. True, nothing is as timeless as "Nasty", "Miss You Much", "Black Cat" or even "What'll I Do", and most of the songs are still about her sex life/fantasies, but as I said, most of the tracks have a strong sense of structure, with many of the lyrics actually being more romantic than voyeuristic. And, yeah, we still have those annoying little spoken word interludes between songs (they even get writer credits this time!), but I guess we can't expect Jackson to drop all her bad habits over the span of just one disc. The album opens with the undeniably catchy first single, "Feedback." Amid an electronic beat, staccato lead vocal and soaring chorus, it's clear Jackson's having fun, and that tranfers to the listener (However, did we REALLY need the menstrual reference?!?). All in all, a nice way to kick things off! "Luv" is almost as much fun, lovingly comparing falling in love to the shock of a car crash ("So how did I end up gettin hit/I had on my belt/I checked it myself"). A propulsive, scratchy arrangement, coupled with a sweet, assured lead vocal, results in a club smash that's bound to be remixed numerous times. There's a cool "Escapade"-like groove to "Rollercoaster" that's absolutely infectious. Anchored by edgy, insistent percussion, Jackson's own backing vocals weave in and around her lead, creating a sensual ebb and flow. THIS is the Janet Jackson that's been missing from much, if not most, of her more recent work. Sadly, it's at this point that DISCIPLINE bogs down a bit. "Rock With U" has a few fun moments, but the overall vibe has a dated feel to it. This is pop fluff at it's lightest....album filler that does nothing to advance the disc. The same can be said for "2Nite"....been there, done that! This cut could be an outtake from any one of Jackson's last three albums...feathery vocals, insipid lyrics, boring arrangement....PASS! SO what she needs to move away from!! "Can't B Good"...isn't good. Another snoozy misstep, this wannabe slo-jam just drags on and on and on and...!!! Once again, we get the shallow lead vocal and vapid lyrics. By the time Jackson has repeated "This can't be good" for around the 75th time...well, you want to scream back "No, Janet...it can't be!!!" Things get back on track with "Never Letchu Go." Simple and unadorned, this is a gorgeous ballad that works on every level. A slightly guttsier lead vocal would have been an added bonus, but even without, this is one of DISCIPLINE's top tracks. Very nice! Ditto "Greatest X." On this muted ballad Jackson steps out of her own head (and bedroom!) and addresses a universal theme everyone can identify with...the one who got away. An earnest vocal, understated arrangement and solid lyrics ("My momma told me that this could happen to me/That he would grow up to be this sexy man/But I just couldn't see/Cause I had my blinders on/I was in my zone") equal a real winner. On many, if not most, CD's, "So Much Betta" would be nothing more than album filler, but here it's a vital album track....it adds a healthy dose of edginess, something that's in short supply on DISCIPLINE. Yeah, there's some attitude and spice on the next track ("The 1"), but it's mainly provided by Missy Elliott and her sassy, saucy rap. (The truth of the matter is, you know you're backpeddling when the headliner gets shown up by the guest star. I mean, c'mon, this is basically a Missy Elliott track featuring Janet Jackson!). "What's Ur Name" isn't bad, but it could have been "So Much Betta" (sorry, I couldn't resist!); instead of the slow R&B groove, I would have loved to have seen it done as more of a "Black Cat"-like rocker, full of attitude, fire and a little danger. The less said about the disturbing title track the better. With all the stories about abuse in the Jackson household, hearing Jackson tell her "Daddy" to tie her up, grab her throat and take his frustrations out on her is just....well, icky. I definitely thought a number of tracks on DAMITA JO were the low point in Jackson's career, but that honor now belongs to "Discipline." The album closes with the yawn-inducing "Curtains." Whereas most (strong) albums end with a bang, this one ends with a whimper. That said, I still feel DISCIPLINE is a step in the right direction for Jackson. Granted, she has to shake things up A LOT more than she has here....maybe work with a few of Pink's producers, get some stronger songs and regain a bit of an edge, both vocally and musically...but this disc proves it's way too early to count Janet Jackson out just quite yet (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics).Free Music Review: 3 1/2 stars
Hit: 3 Stars
There are some positives and negatives about this CD.
First, the bad. This album is not really a Janet creation so much, as the writing was done by others. I've been a Janet fan for 20 years and I've felt like I was following her life and career at the same time. Even on her last two albums, which were slammed by critics (Damita Jo was not bad at all), at least Janet was going to succeed or fail with her own creative vision. What happened to Janet's songs about domestic violence, women's rights, civil rights, etc.? Is that Janet gone? Has she achieved so much financial success that she no longer can relate to people about whom she once wrote songs? Remember "Janet," which had such diversity on the album, yet every song was excellent?
Now, the good. Between Rodney Jerkins, JD and Ne-Yo, there are some very good songs here. "Rock With U" is my favorite; it's catchy, upbeat and in no way abrasive. I love it. "Feedback" is a good song with more of an old-school Janet video. "So Much Betta," "What's Ur Name (which sounds very old-school Michael)," "This Can't Be Good," "2Nite" and "Greatest X Ever" are all good songs for different reasons.
This CD is the best listen Janet has released since "All For You," and that's good. I just don't feel like I'm listening to Janet as much as I'm listening to a series of pop hits that Janet happens to be singing.