Album review: Janet Jackson - Discipline

After a string of whack albums and a moment that almost damaged her career (we know which one. I won't mention it in detail because we're moving past it and I wanted to write a review without saying the word 'titty'). Janet came back with her album Discipline. Many were weary if Janet could bring it back and put out a decent album, but I think she's managed to pull it off. And yet, we let it tank.

Discipline kicks off with five hot uptempo numbers back to back and it's clear from this point that Janet isn't messing around. "Feedback" is your bog standard club track with wavering synths and vocoded vocals. It's nothing amazing, but serves as a good lead single and start to the album. "LUV" has Janet hitting us with a full on banger and is the first example on the album of Janet venturing into a somewhat of a new sound she hasn't worked before. This song has 'Summer smash' written all over it: the lyrics are brilliantly playful, the chorus is catchy and Janet sounds great on it. "Rollercoaster" is classic Janet and a great homage to her classics "Escapade" and "Runaway". Things then move on to two sexy club tracks back-to-back, "Rock with U" and "2nite". "Rock with U" is amazingly seductive and one of the best songs Janet has given us in a long while. "2nite" is just a top to bottom great Pop record. Why this wasn't mad a single is beyond me. The only problem I have with the song is the horrendous break down on the second verse and after the bridge. It sounds like a Daft Punk remix of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana" composed on the most basic MIDI software known to man. It doesn't feel right and throws the bounce of the song off. But the chorus is so hot and Janet sounds so good on this song, that it isn't enough to ruin it flat out. Janet tones down the synths and the hand claps for "So much betta" and "The 1". These two songs are very similar in not only lyrical content, but sound; exhibiting an old skool swing that Janet had exhibited on The velvet rope. "So much betta" is short, sweet and playful and "The 1" features Missy Elliott who comes with the nastiness as always. Both songs are decent, but the more pop leaning cuts which came before are much better, as they channel more of the Janet we've known and loved for so long, and are just better songs generally.

Janet also brings some soulful mid-tempo's to the table. "Can't B good" is really nice and has Janet channelling that famous older brother of hers. It sounds like like a cross between "Butterflies" and something Quincy Jones would've given Michael when he was about 10 shades darker. Jermaine Dupri tries his hand at a similar sounding song for "What's ur name", but it falls flat because lyrically it's a mess. I'm not able to fully believe that Janet would roll up on a n***a, ask 'What's yo name?' and demand his number so she can put it in her sidekick. A real shame, because vocally, Janet sounds great, especially on the chorus. Title track "Discipline" is bloody awful. Hands down the worst song on the album. Subtley isn't Janet's forte when it comes to these kinds of songs, so that's out of the window. But at least she usually gives us something catchy and a groove so sexy that sometimes you forget you're working your neck and back to utter filth. "Discipline" is just boring. Thankfully Rodney Jerkins is able to bring it back with the album closer "Curtains", with a pulsating bass line, soft guitar plucks and a horn section, giving the song a very "I get lonley"-ish sound. This is how Janet should roll on the sexy tracks full-time. Tasteful, yet with a hint of playful kinkiness.

Even though Janet plays off of her more uptempo numbers, she's also known for her ballads, of which this album features two. "Never letchu go" and "Greatest X", both throwing back to her classic "Again" and "Everytime". "Greatest X" has a nice beat and nice enough lyrics, but Janet doesn't sell the song. You get the feeling Janet's heart isn't in it and she'd rather be singing a song about the song "Greatest sex". (I'm surprised she didn't). A nice song, but I wish more was done with it. "Never letchu go" is Jermaine Dupri's take on a classic Janet ballad, and the end result is a song that's as bland as a loaf of bread. Sitting it alongside "Greatest X" on the tracklisting was a mistake, because the sounds are too similar. "Never letchu go" should've been dragged to the recycle bin. The melody is nice at first, but soon treads into 'annoying' territory. Couple this with the song having a near non-existent hook and unmemorable lyrics, and you have a candidate for worst song on the album alongside "Discipline".

Janet relinquishes a lot of creative control on this album. For Janet to not only make a decision to not work with longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, but to also place her music in the hands with a bunch of producers and writers she hadn't worked with before was incredibly brave of her, but long overdue. The great thing about her choice to do this here, is that her sound isn't compromised. Even though Janet didn't write or co-produce any of the songs, the sound is still unmistakably Janet. She was not random in who she worked with, as every producer in the mix here understand her sound. I mean, how could they not? They were probably influenced throughout the years by Janet’s music. A special mention has to go to Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins. Every one of his contributions is solid and it's clear that he understands her sound. He does a brilliant job of bridging the gap between the sound that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis cultivated for Janet, and his own. Fans who were disappointed at the lack of Jam and Lewis on this album needn't worry, as Jerkins does a stand-up job in their place. The same can't be said for Jermaine Dupri. As with 20 Y.O Jermaine Dupri's contributions are very hit and miss. Janet needs to realise that Dupri doesn't have the same musical chemistry with her that he has with Mariah and Usher. Two less songs from him would've tightened up things considerably.

Discipline is a pretty good album. It's not great, but it does feature song great songs, a couple of which are some of my favourite Janet cuts. This may not be the big behemoth comeback album that some wanted, but it's confirmation that Janet still has 'it' and that she can deliver a solid and on-brand album, even this late in her career; and maybe that's enough.

Verdict: Heavy like a first day period

Album highlights:
■ Feedback
■ LUV 🔥
■ Rollercoaster
■ Rock with U 🔥
■ 2nite 🏆
■ Can't B good