Janet Jackson

Discipline

Or should I say;'Disappointing'.
There are allot of things wrong with this cd.First and foremost is:where is Janet Jackson?This cd sounds like a D.J. Dangermouse cd with just a few Janet Jackson samples thrown in.Her voice has been sterilized,harmonized,homogenized,pasteurized(just up to her knees),looped,echoed,chorused,tweaked,
fluttered,electrified and otherwise made just totally unrecognizable.This is very puzzling behavior for someone who has said that she was going to pull out all the stops.The worst part of 'Discipline' is that I can't tell where the real Janet Jackson is.

The album is totally generic.The first song on the disk is probably the cutest,with the 'Ooow' refrain reminiscent of Betty Boop.The only trouble is...damn... I could have sworn that the song was sung by Britney Spears.

All of the other songs have just as a generic taste to them.Sometimes the song list sounds like Janet's brother,Micheal,must have been both the ghost writer and the ghost singer(there is even a Michaelesque song called...'Rock with U'!).Alicia Keys should be feeling that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...and...is that Janet or Paula Abdul singing?Is that a 'Technology 'rip off?Heck,she even steals from 'Chant'.

Janet even had writers write her song intros...how lame is that?And just who are these intros geared for?'I.D.'seems like something only a Japanese tweenager would like,and the 'Spinning' intro seem like Janet is reading Dr. Seuss to a toddler.

This is in direct opposition to the adult material throughout the rest of this cd.Talking about 7 inches,getting wet,and having organisms(this is not even close to even the best '0' in pop music...that honor goes to Yoko Ono on 'Kiss,Kiss,Kiss') is just the start of the filth on this production.

Don't get me wrong.At 40 something,I feel Janet is just in exploring her sexuality.Who doesn't love a sexy 40 something Cougar?I know I do!40 something women are some of the sexiest women on the planet.

But in order for this to work,you have to feel her sexiness through her voice.Throughout this work Janet Jackson's voice seems cold and robotic.Dubbed and overdubbed does not make one feel very amorous or excited.It seems more like having phone sex with an answering machine..it just doesn't work.

Another bazaar atribute to ths cd is the ongoing theme of Janet with her computer,Kyoko.This computer voice calls her'Miss Janet'.

Now,it may just be me,but seems to have a 'Gone With The Wind' feel to it...with Janet playing the Miss Scarlet role and her computer,Kyoko,playing the Prissy role.This feels to me awkward at best and...dare I say it...elitist and racist at worst.

Either way,it's just wrong.

'Disciple' is very disappointing.For a R&B cd it has made the ultimate sin...it has no soul.


D+