Words By Jada G.

“I’m what you’ve been missing. You might need to jump on this”

For the past 22 years, Janet Jackson has adhered to the essential guidelines of pop stardom 101. She molds her body into six-pack ab shape just in time for every release date with a superhuman fitness routine. Her personal life is kept under wraps – a ten year secret marriage somehow slipped under the radar during the height of her stardom. And in the studio, she usually sticks with the production formula that created her hit success, with just enough tweaks to keeps her in heavy rotation. But on Discipline, she breaks this last rule – her tenth studio album is her first without her longtime producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The result is an ambitious album and a return to the Miss Janet that seemed lost, proving it does pay to alter the design.

Discipline is not much of a departure from Janet’s All For You album in 2001, but not as forgettable as 20 Y.O. Despite some lackluster moments, Discipline is an album about fun and love. Catchy drums and electronic chimes light up “Rollercoaster,” and sounds like a sugary sweet amusement park confection. Classic Janet funk and sass surfaces on “So Much Betta,” as her digitally sped voice sounds like a round the way girl Chippette, complete with hand on hip. Adult Janet rides the bridge with a simple message: “I’m what you’ve been missing. You might need to jump on this.” It’s easy to picture the tight video choreography.

Perhaps the key to Janet’s success is that she identifies trends in dance music, and puts her stamp on growing scenes. On Discipline, she claims her stake on the electronic/ dance underground. With a hint of rave and throwback funk, “Rock Wit U” can easily mix with a Chromeo track in the club and “2Nite” is another track that follows suit.

Discipline does deliver another Janet album requisite: interludes. This time she’s all about love. She discusses the four letter word with a robot, Kioko, in 30 second therapy sessions dispersed throughout the album. The requisite sex scene is the title track, hidden on the album, brings us into her bedroom.

But Janet does fall victim to Mariah syndrome: trying to follow the trends of young artists, forgetting that she trailblazed the path to begin with. It’s a shame to see the imitated follow the imitator, and Janet is no exception. “Feedback,” although one of the album’s stronger tracks, is accompanied by a futuristic video that features her on a faraway planet donned in a red catsuit a la Britney’s “Oops… I Did It Again.” Ballads seem disjointed from the rest of the album and borderline cheesy. It’s important to remember that it is not 1986 and her Rhythm Nation moment has passed. Discipline is a futuristic brand of Janet, but leaves a longing for some old school Control.

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