Janet Jackson - Discipline

Discipline. Janet's 8th album (10th if you count Janet Jackson and Dreamstreet), and it is fantastic.

Janet doesn't take us to a place we've been before, because frankly this shit is new. It's a new Janet. Could it be the result of a new record label? Different sounds from new producers? Perhaps. But I give mad props to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; Janet owes at least half of her success because of them - and she doesn't deny that. But what the public can deny is her lack of "studio success." But all that will change with this new album hitting stores this Tuesday February 26th, 2008. How I have the album, well, it's my secret; and it's time to share:

Track 1: I.D. (interlude)
Footsteps are heard coming to a kiosk or a transformer-its intriguing. A female robot named Kioko? (pronounced kee-o-ko) requires janet's voice identification. Janet asks to hear Discipline. We are then on a count down voiced by Kioko; ramping up to...

Track 2: Feedback
While the music video did disappoint, Janet's first single is admittingly, unbelievably, entrancing. The chants, the beat, the vocals, Janet proves she isn't back. Why? Because she never left.

Track 3: LUV
Just as the song stops leaving you feeling of the blue balls, Janet slams an electronic beat with sizzling synthesizers, and soothing vocals blends just the right mix of sweet and swagger.

Track 4: Spinnin (interlude)
Coming off the heals of LUV, Janet drops some knowledge that yes, LUV spins you around like and into a...

Track 5: Rollercoaster
The beat is almost Caribbean-reggaesque, clunky like an old school wooden coaster, while the vocals take you up and down, like... yep a roller coaster. This track, while a niuce club song, does knida slow things down a bit. appropriate since we should take a:

Track 6: Bathroom Break (interlude)
Janet and her gal pals share some insight into what may go in the ladies room. Bottom line, they want to have a good time.

Track 7: Rock With You
And they want to with us: the listeners. Janet brings this nice trance like track that some have said to be misleading due to its name. Ugh. Get over it people. Rock With You was yes a Michael track back on Off The Wall. No, it's not a remake. Janet's Rock With You is original and fresh. While trance like, it has an element of soul and sex. But not cheap or tawdry, it's downright monogamous and special. And it is hawt.

Track 8: 2nite
But the special soon wears off with 2nite. There's no doubt that this trackis not disco inspired. It's an era that sadly was not blessed by Janet's presence. It's a blast from the past that breaks it down old school style. She's feelin a tickle (and I bet I know where), there's something in the air, damn it, she wants it 2nite. And so do I. All this track is missing someone blowing a whistle. Ah well, that's what the club is for right? Suddenly...

Track 9: Can't Be Good.
The music stops. Revelation: it's morning, and we find ourselves in bed with someone we took home. But it's a little deeper I think. Does she have feelings for this person? Does she regret what happened? Should we let ourselves go?

Track 10: 4 Words (interlude)
And just like that, we get our answer...

Track 11: Never Letchu Go
We seem to be taken to the 80's, but not Control era. This ballad is sweet with its piano pitches and edgy from the appropriate electric guitar. This is the sweet Janet we all know from Let's Wait Awhile, Come back to Me, and Again; but it's different regardless of its familiarities. This song is for lovers everywhere. I personally dedicate it to you all and especially to my "Garfield."

Track 12: Truth or Dare
The next night perhaps? Janet with some friends playing a favorite high school game only to reveal...

Track 13: Greatest X
Perhaps the least favorite of all the tracks. It just didn't seem to fit with the flow of the previous two songs. Its a song for all of us who still think about that certain someone. It is a nice ballad, a little refreshing to think back, but again: it doesn't fit.

Track 14: Good Morning Janet (interlude)
Yay! Kioko is back. This time to wake up Miss Janet. Kioko seems to have empathy protocols because she quickly points out that Janet has something on her mind: a man, her Greatest X? But she is quickly over it; so fast that we get...

Track 15: So Much Betta
A hard hip-hop cut. It's raw and dirty. I like it. The beats are very industrial, almost like a military tank. But Janet's voice is sexy that it blends it all too well.

Track 16: Play Selection (interlude)
Its almost like she's hosting a club event, and Janet is in a private room where Kioko is the DJ. Janet requests for another track since we've seemed to have had enough of being sassy in the previous track because here comes...

Track 17: The 1
Missssssssssssssay! Yes, Missy makes a guest spot on Janet's album. Last time they hooked up was for "Son of A Gun" remixed on the All For You Album. Janet has always had a track record since the Janet album to have a guest rap/hip-hop artist to make a cameo on her albums. And It's about time we had Missy here rather than hit up a remix. Janet is smooth and Missy is hard core. She drops it, she hits it, and Janet brings it.

Track 18: Whats Ur Name
And Janet brings a cool R&B groove to let the dance floor cool down. It gets the hips movin side to side, and that pelvic thrust a little umf! This track really is for those couples who just met out on that floor. Feel it, groove it, make it.

Track 19: The Meaning (interlude)
So Janet explains her definition of Discipline. And basically, it all comes back to baby-making music.

Track 20: Discipline
What would a Janet album be without her infamous baby making tracks. Is this a follow up for "Anytime, Anyplace?" A prequel to Velvet Rope's "Anything?" Maybe. But for now... wow. I'm thinking Maxwell. Why? Maxwell has a way with his voice, his groove, his sex. And Janet grabs it, envelopes it, and delivers it in a slow, sensual, orgasmic way that only Janet can. If there was ever a remix I wanted, it has to be this song in the form of a duet. If it were to happen, instant release. I'm just sayin...

Track 21: Back
Kioko comes to bring Janet back. Imagine Janet having her way, indulging in what she does best. And good things should only be done in moderation. Janet concedes and it's time that she closes the...

Track 22: Curtains
A sensual track that leaves us feeling pleasured. Not sexually, ok perhaps sexually, but something deeper. We have been fulfilled by Janet's hard dance tracks, pleasured by her smooth vocals, and relaxed with her sexiness. This track wraps up the album on a note that says leaves us wondering, what will she do next? And if we really want that question answered, you better be prepared.

Janet has recently had two decent albums: Damito Jo followed by 20 Y.O. While I enjoyed them, they were certainly not her best work. It seemed that there was no way but up. And that's where Janet takes us. Up. Even with her ballads, you want to stay on your feet, you want to keep moving. This new album is a hit. It's worth buying and more. Don't download it. Buy it. Trust me son, you won't be disappointed.