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Mariah Carey & Janet Jackson | 18 reviews des albums Mariah Carey et de Janet Jackson

* AdoFM a pu écouter l'album de Mariah *

Voici les 3 reviews (que je ne traduirais pas cette fois, par manque de temps) :

source: Allhiphop.com

JANET AND MARIAH – THE LEAK!

Sooooooooo…what I heard L.A. Reid was out in the UK to let a group of tastemakers hear the new albums by Janet and Mariah Carey. I will keep it 100 and tell you that people I know say that Mariah’s sounds like a better overall album. On the flip side, I was also told that Janet has the better, standout singles. I personally am mostly interested in Mariah, because R&B is stale to me and her last CD was hot. From what I heard, the crowd seemed to favor Mariah as well.

Here are some bullet points and I will unveil the rest on Thursday,

Reid said Mariah had a failed album and Janet had two failed albums at EMI and Def Jam brought Mariah back and will do same for Janet. Janet’s CD is about 80% finished.

Reid commented that he really didn’t want to sign Janet because of her last two projects but realized that it was EMI’s fault, not the icon. To him, Janet is an icon and trendsetter and she had the wrong team. Is that a JD diss? Reidie informed everybody that Mariah’s CD is called That Chick and will be released on April 1^st – April Fool’s!

L.A. Reid didn’t play the full album of either star and what was heard sounded really good. They did play a lot though. Tomorrow we’ll have a break down of the songs that were played.

 

 

 

 

Source : MTV UK
 

Exclusive Review: Mariah's "That Chick" Is Out Of Control!
Last night in a central London hotel theatre, Def Jam head L.A Reid invited a very exclusive VIP audience to hear the new albums from both his 2 top divas Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey. With stringent rules laid down at the top of the evening about not leaving the room for a bathroom visit, handing over all gadgets and returning song word sheets we knew it was about to go down.

Beginning with Janet's new material which sees Janet reworking her old sounds from the days of Velvet Rope and Control, Janet's material was quite sexually overt and a little gross ("real heavy like my first period"!) but it was really Mariah's new material that blew everyone away.

Mariah's new album, tentatively titled That Chick, saw collaborations with T Pain, Young Jeezy and Damien Marley with production by her long time friend and producer Jermaine Dupri, Will I Am, Rodney Jerkins and The Dream.

The new music with catchier hooks and melodies than ever, even sees Mariah taking on an exciting new musical adventure where she sings in Jamaican patois on her Damien Marley duet "Cruise Control" where she references "dramas" and "baby mamas" and like your favorite rap star Mariah throws down a new Mariahism ("you love yourself some me!") soon as the album gets into the public domain.

Urban music lovers in the house were really excited about that track as well as hip-hop banger "Heat" produced by Will I Am, "For Real,For Real", and "Migrate" where 2007's hit man T Pain hooks up with Mariah but it was the title track "That Chick" with its double entendres which includes a tip of the hat to Michael Jackson with references to his "Of The Wall Classics" that had pop chart taste makers excited claiming it was the number 1 track on the album closely followed by likely international pop hit "Love You Long Time".

In typical Mariah fashion there were the legendary ballads "Love Story" and tear jerker "Bye Bye" (an ode to people who have passed away) that will have reality pop contestants singing away for decades to come!

One track titled "O.O.C" summed up the night and the return of Mariah - once the albums out it's gonna be "Out Of Control!".

To recap, here are the confirmed tracks from the new, tentatively-titled Mariah Carey album, That Chick:

• "Touch My Body"
• "Migrate" ft. T-Pain
• "Heat"
• "For Real, For Real"
• "That Chick"
• "Cruise Control" ft. Damien Marley
• "O.O.C"
• "Bye Bye"
• "Love Story"
• "Love You Long Time"

Source : RWD
 

Mariah And Janet: The Return
Def Jam/ Island CEO Antonio 'LA' Reid jetted into London yesterday afternoon to present new releases from Ms Janet Jackson and Ms Mariah Carey.

Two of the world's most iconic have been busy squirreling in the studio and return with Jackson's Discipline and Carey's That Chick.

Reid identified both artists as having a whole lot of 'swagger' - before dropping a little dig to EMI. "That's a music company. Well, it used to be," he grinned before showcasing a bit more bitchiness. Or truth, depending on your POV! "We realised that it would take some work with Janet after her last two EMI album weren't successful. Just like the last Mariah EMI album..."

Once that was done, it was on with the music. Reserving full opinion until we've had the chance to sit down properly with both records, we can however say that we think MC won out.

Janet seemed fairly ok - a couple of good club tracks - but otherwise somewhat generic uptempo and slow R&B numbers that sounded like they could have been off-cuts from All For You or Janet. And there was no need for Discipline. To put it bluntly, JJ apologises to her 'daddy' for 'touching herself' even though he 'commanded' her not to. 'But I can smell you on my sheets/ Daddy I disobeyed you, now come punish me...I've been bad, make me cry...' and so on and so on. Yuck.

Luckily, Mariah kept it a whole lot cleaner (but not squeaky, that would be dry!)

The first few tracks were big, but MC really hit hard with absolute banger Migrate featuring T-Pain. Oh my daze!!! "We sippin' Grigio slow," murmurs Mariah over some serious dirty south bounce. Not too sure about her dropping a bit of patois on the Damian Marley assisted Cruise Control ('Me say no man... tink I'm jokin'), but we'll forgive her such strangeness considering the tune packs heat.

Vocally and sonically, this is yet another outstanding release from the world's biggest selling superstar.

Watch out for a full review once the records are in for review...

Janet is out February 25 and Mariah drops April 1st.

Votre avis maintenant ?? Objectivement et subjectivement ...

Une autre review d'une personne présente : 
Source: Me Me Me TV

So yesterday we trotted somewhere over there to listen to Mariah’s new album. It was the following things:

- Rather nice, and very polished (read over-produced if you will; don’t if you won’t).

- She mentions Youtube at one point (in ‘Touch My Body’). She’s very down with the kids, you know.

- There’s a song called ‘Lovin’ You Long Time’. For some reason that made us laugh. It’d been a long day.

- ‘Bye Bye’ is the big commercial one, and we liked it sufficiently enough that we were humming it throughout the evening. Even during a really serious bit of Coronation Street.

- Oh yeah, the album’s called That Chick.

- Chick?

- And c) and d).

I’VE had a sneak peek at two of this year’s biggest albums, Janet Jackson’s Discipline and That Chick by Mariah Carey.

I can reveal that Janet, 41, kicks out the slow jams in favour of club bangers on her strongest and most varied collection in donkey’s years.

Destiny’s Child producer Rodney Jerkins, 30, is the man behind the standout cuts. Sweet, synth heavy lead-off track Love Love Love is the musical equivalent of Fruit Pastels while buzzy hook fest Feedback is the girl’s best single in a decade.

Elsewhere the deliciously Stevie Wonder-ish This Can’t Be Good highlights Janet’s whisper-quiet vocal texture, while Tonight sounds like a future No 1.

Only the super sexy (or plain filthy) title track, a ballad penned by Ne-Yo, 26, misses the mark.

As for Mariah it’s more of the same from the world’s biggest-selling recording artist.

If anything there’s less schmaltz this time as the Long Island babe concentrates on blowing bass bins.

The brassy Lovin’ You Long Time’s riff gets more uplifting by the second while Mariah, 37, does a mean R Kelly impersonation on Touch My Body.

Pick of the bunch is the Janet-like title track That Chick, with its “taste me, gotta flavour like ice cream” hook.

Janet’s Discipline drops February 25, Mariah’s That Chick follows on April 1.

Traduction pour ceux qui me le demandent :

J'ai eu un bref aperçu de 2 des plus gros albums à venir cette année, à savoir celui de Janet "Discipline" et celui de Mariah "That Chick".

Ce que j'ai le droit de révéler, c'est que Janet, à 41 ans, a décidé de se débarrasser d'un max de slow jams mid tempo pour favoriser un max de "club bangers" (tubes pour les boîtes) dans son album le plus puissant et le plus varié depuis bien des années.

Le producteur des Destiny’s Child, Rodney Jerkins, 30 ans, est l'homme derrière les morceaux les plus réussis. Le doux morceau avec beaucoup de son synthétiques qu'est "Love Love Love" est l'équivalent musical des bonbons au miel (Fruit Pastels, pastilles pour la gorge à base de plantes) tandis que le hook incessant de "Feedback" est son meilleur premier single depuis longtemps. 

Sinon, me très inspiré de Stevie Wonder morceau intitulé "This Can’t Be Good" met en valeur la texture vocale douce de Janet alors que "Tonight" sonne comme son future N°1 single.

Il n'y a que le super sexy (ou carrément dégoûtant) morceau "discipline", une ballade écrite par Ne-Yo, 26 ans, qui soit un raté.

Pour ce qui est de Mariah, c'est un peu toujours la même chose pour celle qui est la plus grande vendeuse de disques au monde.

S'il y a quelque chose de moins mièvre cette fois, c'est que la chérie de Long Island (le label) s'est concentrée sur les sons plus graves (les basses)

Le très puissant riff de "Lovin’ You Long Time" devient plus entraînant dès que Mariah, 37 ans, se met à faire une méchante imitation de R. Kelly sur "Touch My Body" (pas trop compris cette phrase).

Le meilleur titre est le tube "That Chick" qui ressemble beaucoup à du Janet avec ses paroles "goûte moi, tu vas aimer le parfum comme de la glace" en boucle.

L'album Discipline sort le  25 Fevrier, celui de Mariah "That Chick" suivra le 1er Avril (Poisson!?).

The Sun dit ceci du duel Janet Jackson versus Mariah Carey :
Source : The Sun

RED hot divas MARIAH CAREY and JANET JACKSON are going head to head this spring by releasing comeback albums just weeks apart.

The curvy twosome have scheduled their make or break collections around the same time to maximise their impact.
Music Biz have had an exclusive listen to both of the records and reckon they’re both strong efforts.
Janet’s offering, Discipline, is an X-rated affair.
The title track focuses on her famous Superbowl nipple-flashing incident before plunging into adult territory.
She apologises to her “daddy” for “touching herself”. She goes on: “I can smell you on my sheets/ Daddy I disobeyed you/ Now come punish me/ I’ve been bad, make me cry”.
The rest of the effort is stuffed with an immaculate selection of club tracks and lung-bursting ballads.

Mariah’s LP, That Chick, features a string of collaborations with the hottest rappers around.
Migrate featuring T-PAIN is a titanic future crunk smash.

Not so successful is the diva’s duet with DAMIAN MARLEY called Cruise Control, where she slips into a cringeworthy Jamaican accent, singing: “Me say no man, tink I’m jokin’?”

The listening session at a top London hotel was hosted by Island Records CEO ANTONIO REID.
And he didn’t miss the opportunity to taunt ailing British label EMI.
He gloated: “That’s a music company. Well, it used to be.

“We realised that it would take some work with Janet after her last two EMI albums weren’t successful, just like the last Mariah EMI album.”
Miaow.

De nouvelles reviews de l'album de Janet Jackson, assez positives ... ça laisse de l'espoir:



Source: Herald Sun Australia
Written by Cameron Adams, Claire Sutherland and Neala Johnson

The Black Room had an exclusive preview of this year's tag-team diva albums by Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey.
Jackson's album Discipline,to be released Feb 26, comes on the back of dwindling album sales.

Her previous album 20 Y.O, sold 12,000 copies in Britain.
Jackson left Virgin to sign with Universal last year.

As her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri concetrated on Carey's album, record company cheif LA Reid steered Discipline.
Most of the album has been produced by Darkchild and Ne-Yo.
The five tracks The Black Room heard suggest Jackson's people have discovered dance music.
Tonight is a carnal club jam, written by Ne Yo and produced by Stargate, which recalls Rihanna's Don't stop the music. Jackson's back in bedroom mode with lyrics "I like control so, let me ride" and "I'm soaking wet".
Rock with you, another track influenced by the dance floor, was rumoured to become a duet with brother Michael. Considering Janet is singing "our bodies are as one...shadows dancing on the wall" let's hope that's just a rumour. Otherwise a duet would be as creepy as seeing Michael in the morning.
The Black Room didn't get to hear the title track, in which Jackson apologises to her "daddy" for "touching herself" and sings "I can smella you on my sheets, Daddy I disobyed you, now come punish me...I've been bad, make me cry".
The highlight was Greatest Ex which starts as a typical ballad before some 70's synths and Purple Rain style drama. It could be Janet's own We Belong Together.

Source: SOHH Blog

Danica, a member of online music blog SOHH.com had the chance to listen to Janet's new album Discipline yesterday afternoon. Read below what she has to say:

Yesterday afternoon I got last-minute word that L.A. Reid was playing Janet’s new album, Discipline, for members of the press in his office. Not being one to miss an opportunity like that I hit the train and raced up to Def Jam. When I entered LA’s 28th floor corner office, there were about 15 to 20 journalists lounging around the office. The chairman of The Island Def Jam Music Group was sitting behind his desk, wearing his trademark suit and sipping what appeared to be a cup of tea.

Janet’s album has nine tracks. Upon first listen I really liked, “Love,” “Tonight” and the risqué title-track “Discipline.” I didn't take any pictures because it wasn't that kind of party. Here are my notes.

1."Love" - This one is a banger. Clever wordplay likens falling in love to getting in a car accident. “I shoulda stopped at the red light/ I’m like a deer in headlights/ He hit me with his love la la la love/ Got me caught in a wreck/ I’m a mess.”

2. "Feedback" – This one is the current single. If you haven’t seen the video yet. Peep it here.

3."This Can’t Be Good" – This song was written and produced by Ne-Yo. It’s a beautiful slow song that features those classic Jackson vocals.

4. "Rock With You" – LA Reid had to put on his tinted glasses when this song came on. It starts with a robotic voice declaring “I want to rock with you.” The song is very electronic and will bang in the clubs.

5. "Tonight" – Is another club joint. The hook is, “Something in the air has got me feeling like I want it tonight.” “Tonight” is a sexy song that features classic Janet lines like, “My body’s here I’m soaking wet, I want to give you something that you won’t forget.”

6. "The Greatest Ex" – Janet slows it down for this one. It’s an ode to an ex-love that will always have a place in your heart.

7. "Discipline" – This song about sexual surrender. “I need some discipline tonight, I’ve been very bad,” Janet coos on this track. She begs for punishment with lines like “Daddy, make me cry” and “Take your frustrations out on me.”

8. "Rollercoaster" – This one was produced by Darkchild (who also did “Feedback”). It’s simple yet catchy, “You take me up and down with emotion like a roller coaster/ like a ferris wheel.”

9. "Let Me Know" – Miss Jackson says “let me know if you want me” while rhyming her attributes. She is flexible, incredible and… (wait for it) edible.

Source: VH1 Blog

Yesterday, Def Jam honcho L.A. Reid invited a group of journalists into his office to play tracks from Janet Jackson’s upcoming album Discipline (due out Feb. 26). Janet fans worried that the absence of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (her longtime producers who’ve been shaping her sound since 1986’s Control) should fear not: the combination of pillowy, multi-tracked harmonies and virtually non-stop dance tracks results in an album that out-Janets Janet. Easily her most dance-oriented album since Rhythm Nation 1814 (and possibly her most dance-oriented album ever), Discipline is the album so many fans have been waiting for. Below are our impressions of the nine tracks Reid played:

 

1. “Luv” - An extended automotive metaphor (red lights/headlights imagery, the line: “He hit me with his love”) makes this like a bumper-car rink for Janet’s vocals, which bounce her constant refrain of “Luv, luv, luv, luv…” all over the place. Vocally, it’s hyper like the chorus of Chris Brown’s “With You,” but musically, it sounds like a Southern-fried sequel to Kanye West’s “Good Life.” Reid played this one twice and after the second time, there was some murmuring about it being the next single. Commercially, that would make a lot of sense.

2. “Feedback” - The single, duh. It has a house beat, but it’s the least house-y of the other 4/4 tracks. Oh yeah, Janet goes there. Also, I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to hear Janet sing about her period amongst fine wood office furniture and expensive candles. A moment to remember, for sure.

3. “This Can’t Be Good” - Think Aaliyah’s “Rock the Boat” with a more punishing beat, and you’re halfway there. Another obvious reference point would be Michael Jackson’s “Butterflies” and/or Janet’s own “Spending Time With You” from Damita Jo. Lyrics are standard falling-in-love-too-deep fare, although the song is put together well: the thwack of the snare contrasts heavily with the layers of cooing vocals. The layers pile and pile so that by the bridge, the song is virtually dizzying. This one’s extremely well-produced, but perhaps the least exciting track we were privy to.

4. “Rock With You” - This one was rumored to be a cover of Michael Jackson’s classic and/or to feature Michael himself. It’s neither. It seems to have some melodic elements snatched from Mike’s track, although the chorus is more, “Ooh ooh ooh ooooh oooh oooh” than “I wanna rock with you.” Janet’s vocals seem a bit detached and robotic, but that’s not an insult: they’re most reminiscent of Donna Summer’s in “I Feel Love” without the operatic flair. This one is pure house music, with an electroboogie bass line borrowed from the ’80s. It’s bright enough so that it wouldn’t sound out of place on one of those Beach House compilations released by Hed Kandi.

5. “Tonight” - Speaking of bright, this one just shines. It’s another dance track — more or less housey (although the beat pattern has a slight twist keeping it from being straight four-on-the-floor for most of it). It has the filter-house thing of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” going on (the second verse is virtually treble-free), but where that song has a darkish vibe, this one’s up up up. Again, Janet seems detached, but that’s only during the verses: she breaks out like the sun between clouds during the chorus, belting in her high register that immediately reminded me of “Young Love.” The song only gets better as it goes, too: two killer bridges and an amazing breakdown (”Don’t leave me alone tonight / Don’t leave me tonight”) close it out. Epic and brilliant: this is by far my favorite track that we were played.

6. “The Greatest Ex” - A departure for Janet, this one’s most akin to One Republic’s “Apologize.” Like “Tonight,” there’s this epic sensibility, but this time it’s applied to the power-ballad template. Timbaland-esque beats skitter around Janet’s confession (this definitely seems like the most personal song on the record): “In my heart, I know you’ll always be the greatest ex ever.” I pointed out to L.A. Reid after that this is the pop smash, the Z100 crossover and he agreed. It’s not the best track, but it has tremendous potential to kill at radio. Seriously, if Janet can’t get a hit with this one, it isn’t her fault; it’s the world’s.

7. “Discipline” - The baby-making track (though in an interview conducted with Janet today, she told us about “Curtains,” which is faster but with a sexy vibe). It’s similar in theme to Velvet Rope’s “Rope Burn,” but not in sound. This is slower and sparser, like a Prince song that’s not purple, but black and blue. “I misbehaved / I touched myself even though you told me not to,” coos Janet to her “Daddy” before asking him to “take out your frustrations on me.” It’s heavy stuff, but probably not as dark as it sounds. The snare is made to sound like a whip, which is a pretty brilliant touch.

8. “Rollercoaster” - One of the most bizarre things that Janet’s ever done, it wouldn’t be surprising if this one ended up being left off the album. It’s extremely layered and tough to get your head around: the melody never seems quite right until the bridge and then after, it’s more topsy-turvy. Rodney Jerkins produced this one and though it shares virtually no musical ideas with it, it has the same woozy effect as “What About Us?” which he produced for Brandy.

9. “Let Me Know” - A Miami-bass-esque ballad that’s somewhat indistinct, but nice all the same. It sounds more like filler than anything else we were played, but it’s pleasant enough.

After L.A. played the nine tracks, he asked us if we wanted to hear anything again, and ended up playing “Luv” and “Tonight” another time before saying goodbye. As a bonus treat, he played the title cut from Mariah Carey’s That Chick as we were leaving. Mariah’s tune is a rollerskating jam not unlike Ne-Yo’s “Because of You.” It just never stops bouncing. Hearing it on the way out underscored the feeling I got from hearing Janet’s disc: now’s a really great time to be a diva.

Source: Billboard Blog

And here we have another review of Janet's new album Discipline which will hit stores on February 26, 2008 in the united states. The review was written by a Billboard Journalist, please read below:

In anticipation of Ms. Jackson's Island Def Jam debut, “Discipline,” set for a February 26th release, a handful of journalists - including moi - were invited to none other than Mr. L.A. Reid’s mid-town Manhattan, 28th floor, corner office at the Def Jam building to take a first-time listen to select tracks from the set yesterday (Jan. 22nd), and we must say, we definitely didn’t hate it. Although gossip blogs were reporting this week that some overseas media outlets were kind of going in on the album, claiming it not to be worthy material, J.I. thinks the set is quite alright.

Here are some of our thoughts on the songs we had the pleasure of previewing:

“Luv” – In contention to be the next single, this track sounds like a cross between Chris Brown’s “With You” and Cherish’s “Do It To It,” aka very youth-like. On it, Janet is doing her usual whisper/talking/singing layered vocals over double drums, cooing “Got me caught in a web/I’m a mess.”

(sidenote: L.A. Reid shouted J.I. out for typing away our sidekick while listening to this track. We explained to the chairman of Island Def Jam and A&R of the project that it was the new modern tech way of taking notes. Stay with me here, Mr. Reid!)

In addition, we don't think "Luv" should be the next single. Continue readin and you'll find out why.

“Feedback” – Although this track, which is the first single, took some time to grow on folks, the beat – not to mention the video – is pretty insane. This week, “Feedback” jumps 72-38 on the Pop 100 chart.“This Can’t Be Good” – If you ask J.I., we’d say THIS song should be the next single, hands down. Everything from the piano intro to the rolling bassline on “Good” is reminiscent of old Janet i.e. “That’s the Way Love Goes” and “Anytime, Any Place,” which we love. This track was written by Ne-Yo (kudos!).

“Rock With You” – The intro to this dance track features a robotic-sounding Janet saying the title over once. J.I. thinks this Madonna-esque song will be a favorite in the downtown clubs of N.Y. It features running piano keys, hard drums and layered vocals.

“Tonight” – This club/dance track is super flirty, which we think is a good look for Janet. “Something in the air has got me feeling like I want I tonight,”she belts in the chorus. In other parts, Ms. Jackson sings, “Don’t want to be alone / I need you to keep me warm… My body’s here / I’m soaking wet / I wanna give you something that you won’t forget.”

“The Greatest Ex” – At first listen, J.I. thought this song, which begins with the sound of a heart pounding, was redolent of The Dream’s “Nikki” off his debut. Come to find out, the singer/songwriter penned this one for Janet. Typical Dream riffs are noticeable on the set, including a few repetitions and scattered “eghs.” “I loved you and you loved me / I just couldn’t see tomorrow,” Janet sings over bass drums and slow running piano strokes. J.I. thought Janet’s vocal ability sounded the best on this track so far.

“Discipline” – The sexy title-track was one of J.I.’s favorite and should be considered for third single from the album, but that’s just our two-cents. On the sultry track, Janet sings, “I touch myself even though you told me not to / I can smell me on your sheets / I can taste you on my skin.” Hot yet? There’s more. “Now I want you to come punish me / I need some discipline tonight / I’ve been very bad / Daddy, make me cry.” Still not feeling tingly? How about, “Did I make you mad? / Take out your frustrations on me,” which leads to the grand finale of Janet’s heavy breathing and sexual cooing, a la Intro on “Come Inside.” Straight steamy!

“Rollercoaster” – This Darkchild-produced song starts with what appears to be African drums. The beat is big, full of thumping bass line and Swizz Beatz-like adlibs. J.I. thought it appropriately sounded like the noise you hear when inside a bumper car, taking us back to our Ride Playland and Coney Island days. Ahhh, the memories.

“Let Me Know” – This track sounded a little Dream-ish too, although we aren’t hating (Team Dream!). We ain’t mad at the fact that it sounded like a mix between Robin Thicke’s “Wanna Love You” and Lloyd’s “Get It Shawty” - two songs that we love.

Overall, Janet might get some serious radio spins, club play, digital downloads and maybe even respectable album sales on this one if the right singles – in the right order – are chosen and Janet continues to break us off with some serious dancing like she did on the video to “Feedback.”

Source : Touch UK Magazine

So Excited

We move on. The good times are back and Janet is so excited. She’s signed to Def Jam, a stellar label that has her long-term boyfriend Jermaine Dupri at the helm. But don’t make assumptions, it wasn’t her beau who made the moves to sign her, it was all-round super producer LA Reid. The Chairman of the Island/Def Jam music group, Antonio ‘LA’ Reid jumped at the chance to sign her. “Janet comes from a bloodline, with heritage. I’ve always been a fan. In my mind there was Janet and there was Madonna”. You can’t stop him now. Mr Reid is on a roll. “Madonna may have exercised more creativity in imaging, meaning she probably did a better job in recreating her image, but I think Janet for my taste made the better records”. His final words on the relevancy of Janet Jackson are worth a listen. “Janet still lives in a relevant way, in other words she still surrounds herself with people who are close to whatever it is she loves. Her boyfriend [Jermaine Dupri] is one of the top producers in the world who does hip hop, R’n’B and pop music, her friends go to clubs and they dance, so she is surrounded with popular culture. She is always living in the new, there is not going to be a new dance that Janet doesn’t know about, there is not going to be a new song that Janet doesn’t know about. She is always going to remain relevant so for that reason I believe in her. To me the fact that she has been in the market since the mid-Eighties, and she can still hang with Ciara, Rihanna, says ‘my god, this is a true star”.

Discipline

What do we make of the new album? Some critics at the recent London playback dubbed it ‘the same old Janet sound’. Pity the poor fools who don’t know the difference between a ‘classic sound’ and an ‘old Eighties sound’. LA Reid played me seven tracks in his swish New York office. The tracks ranged from good, The Greatest Ex Ever to the excellent Rollercoaster. But one track, This Can’t Be Good is a cut above the rest. The Ne-Yo penned mid-tempo ballad is knockout stuff. That one I’m keeping close and sending to my sweetheart with a loving kiss. When I tell Janet this, she smiles and says “I think he [Ne-Yo] is very talented, he’s definitely a fan of the family, you can hear it in the songs. I can tell he is a fan of my brother’s and it was nice to know that he can create something so close to you”.

That’s The Way Love Goes

Not only is Janet excited about the new album and the planned tour, the twice married singer is truly, madly, deeply in love. Jermaine Dupri is the lucky guy. This really might be the one. As the 14th February approaches Janet is waiting to see what Jermaine has in store for her this Valentine. Last year’s effort was pretty special. “Jermaine did something really sweet,” she all but gushes, “We have a place in Atlanta and there is a fantastic aquarium there. Jermaine had it closed off for the night and we had the whole place to ourselves. We had someone to take us round, then we went into one area and there was a whole place set for dinner with candles and everything in front of the belugas, which are like dolphins but the size of whales”. Smooth JD, real smooth. So what sounds would Ms Jackson choose when night falls and romance is in the air, “R Kelly or maybe jazz, Miles in his blue period,” she laughs. There’s that smile again.

Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s hard to believe Janet Jackson has been in our lives for over 20 years. It’s hard to believe that our afternoon together has flashed by. We shake hands. She’s flashes that fantastic smile. I count a zillion perfectly formed white teeth. I tell her it’s the most perfect smile. “It’s too big,” she giggles. It’s that laugh again. The fun is back in her life. She’s happy. She’s got her groove back. Finally, life is good.

Source : Rolling Stone Magazine

Janet Jackson has abandoned the plastic R&B of 2006's 20 Y.O. for a sexier brand of digitized megapop. On her Def Jam debut, the beats are as crass and processed as Jackson's heavy breathing, so she sounds more like a sex droid than a blow-up doll, which is way hotter — for starters, sex droids show more initiative. When Janet brags she's "heavy like a first-day period" on "Feedback" or sings in a scrunched-up robot voice that she's "So Much Betta" than your girl, all the amateur competition should just pack up their Webcams and go home.

Discipline's mechanized thump flatters producer Rodney Jerkins, who slams down the high-voltage money shot "Feedback" and the Jam-Lewis homage "Rollercoaster." The slower, slinkier stuff is left to Ne-Yo, who's so excited to be working with a real, live Jackson that he even calls one song "Rock With You." Essential to the album's fantasy world is its lack of references to the real-life woman behind the mike. (No one really wants to think that it's Jermaine Dupri she's inviting to "strum [her] like a guitar," right?) So by the time Janet's murmuring, "Daddy, I disobeyed you," on the masochistic title track, you can dismiss any images of the abusive Jackson clan that flit into your mind. Just lie back and enjoy the sensations as pure aural autoeroticism.

Les notes que Rollingstone magazine a donné aux albums de Janet sont :

Rhythm Nation 1814 - 4 stars
Janet. - 4 stars
The Velvet Rope - 3.5 stars
All For You - 3.5 stars
Damita Jo - 2 stars
20 Y.O. - 2 stars
Discipline - 3.5 stars

From the NY Listening Party with Janet, JD, and L.A. Reid

Intro track (ID) starts off with J typing into her computer (named
"Kiko") and it talked to her and asked for her to identify herself.
She does and then it asks her to select an album, she says
"Discipline", and then it counts down from 5 to the intro of FB.

FB plays, and since you all know this track I won't bother
explaining. I will say this. The girl next to me had been chatting
with me earlier and said that she didn't really like FB when she first
heard it. But when the song came on in that theater, she seemed to
enjoy it! Definitely a song that has to be played LOUD! (as you
already know)

After that, it went straight into Luv. The people seemed to like it.
At this point, I noticed JD at the door to my left. He had come down
from wherever he was. LA was there with him too, and they were really
enjoying the music. He was bumping his head around and singing
along. People seemed to like the track.

Spinnin interlude starts and it is her talking. She says something to
the effect of love "that keeps you up, and keeps you down" (sorry , it
is a little difficult to read my handwriting!!).

It then goes into Rollercoaster. I LOVE this track! It starts off
very hot, it is an "up and happy" track. The beat at some parts (as
previously reported) are kinda crazy, but overall it doesn't make you
too dizzy (don't worry). I think it is very well produced. During
some parts of the song where it has a bit of a different beat before
it goes into the chorus. LA was JAMMING to the song. Her voice
sounds great in it. You can definitely hear her SINGING in this
song. Like I said, the beat isn't too all over the place, I think it
works out very well. Once it ended, people started clapping!!!

JD left back upstairs around this point.

Bathroom Break interlude, and don't worry guys -- nothing gross!! she
is just talking with her friends and says something like "another guy
trying to holla at me" and I believe someone asks what they are going
to do now, and she says they are gonna shake their thing.

It goes into RWU. This song just hypnotises me. You all know about
the track, but again, have to say. Hearing it as loud as we did made
the song somehow even better!

It is about 7:48 at this point, and in comes 2nite. The intro beat to
it is awesome, very hard. This is THE definite dance track of the
album. She does her layered vocals thing here (which I always love
from her). There seems to be something in the background, like a
"yeah" played through the chorus, but I wasn't sure if that was it
exactly. This is another track where you can hear her vocals very
clear! There were a few bobbing heads, and the people in the
"reserved" row behind me were definitely feeling it. JD had come back
at some point during this song, and was grooving to it. He seemed to
be very happy with the song.

After 2nite, comes Can't B Good. First slow song of the album, and
you can really hear her singing again. It isn't the whispering
voice. I think someone said in one of the other reviews, but this
really reminds me of MJ's Butterflies (in a good way). Her vocals are
clear, a little high in it. For some reason, I thought of "spending
time with you" but I really don't know why because I don't think it
sounds like it AT ALL. But that was in my head, I wrote it in my
notes, and so I'm writing it here in case there was some connection
I'm not thinking of. At the end of this song, again there is clapping!

It goes into "4 words" interlude, and she says "never let you go"...
and then it goes into the song Never Letchu Go. The song really can't
be compared to anything that I can think of . She has softer vocals
on this track. When she sings "I'm never gonna lechu go" there is a
woooo ooooo she does after the "go". She has a lot of her harmonizing
stuff on this track. It has some other instrument in it that my dumb
ass couldn't figure out.. I want to say piano, but it's more high
pitch than that. When the song ends, it has a guitar playing (but not
all soft guitar). Once again, people started clapping at the end of
this song.

Greatest X. Heart beat in the intro. Then a 'dah dah dah dah..." of her singing. It has a nice, deep beat to it. Every like 3rd beat has a double beat. Lots of layering/harmonizing with herself on this. Again, very clear vocals and she is really singing it. When she is singing "the greatest x ever," it is sounds more like" the greatest xah ah ah ah" (instead of the repeated "ever"). It isn't like "ella, ella, ella eh" AT ALL. It has a back track (or layered w/ J's vocals, whatever you want to call it) of "ah ah ah" during that part as well. JD was singing along to this one too and really really seemed to like it. I was looking around to get reactions of people, and they seemed to like it as well. When it ended, there was more clapping

Interlude (Good Morning Janet) starts. Janet asks "Kiko, is that you?" 'Yes' "Come in" 'How are you feeling?' "Better" 'Do you want to talk about it?' J says something like "no" and that she is going to move on to "bigger and better things," to which Kiko replied 'You still miss him." J says something like "yes.. no... well... and some basically sounds like she doesn't know.

Then into So Much Betta. It almost sounds like the computer/robot Kiko voice is on this track. There is definitely some robotic sounding voice that starts it out. It is very upbeat song. I actually had a hard time making out everything that the robot sounding voice said. Janet comes in and starts singing in a little big of softer vocals. I can't really describe this track except that it is very different. It does have a vocal breakdown type thing in it (don't know how else to describe it) and then into a beat. Sorry , this song is really hard to describe, but I like it. It just is a bit different sounding.

After that, she talks to Kiko again and then it goes into The 1 with Missy! I was SO excited to hear this track! Right away, people seemed to like it. It sounds "very Missy" to me. Its not a super fast song, but I would say more than "midtempo" It has a hard back beat every 3rd beat. Definitely more of an urban feel to it. Missy is on the intro and then has a rap in the middle as well. As usual, Missy and J sound great together!

At this point, the music stopped but I was still trying to write things down. I can tell something is happening on stage and when I look up, I see Janet coming onto stage with LA. She looked FANTASTIC! I cannot BELIEVE how small that woman's waist is!! HAHA! seriously! wow. okay, anyway, people were standing clapping and cheering for her. LA said introduced himself and another guy on stage that was there from Blender magazine and then said something like how we all know who this is, but I couldn't really hear cuz at this point I was way too excited.

Blender did a short interview with her on stage, nothing we don't really know already. Some cute parts about how he said we have heard a song called "Rock With You" from someone before, and he asked her who. She was like "I don't know, some guy" and made some silly jokes, and then said her brother, Mike. She talked about how she really liked that song. I got two short, short videos of her talking on stage. She also said how much she likes the song Discipline and that we hadn't heard it yet but that she hopes we all like it. The guy asked her about the meaning of the album, which we all know. He said something about how her songs seem to always revolve around love and sex and asked her why, and she sounded SO cute when she said "cuz I love "love" and I love sex!" People actually got up and clapped when she said that! was really cute. She left the stage and I thought it was over. Almost everyone left and I started walking out too, but a track started playing and of course I knew it was J's voice, so I stayed. The girl who had been sitting next to me that I was chatting with here and there said bye and wanted to know the name of the website, so I wrote it down for her. I think she wanted to come check out what I wrote. She was cute and really nice!

What's Ur Name started to play. Again, you can hear her vocals on this track very well. It is upbeat and very nice. I didn't have a lot of notes on this because I had started walking and had to run to sit back down when I heard it. Sorry I don't have more on this one!

The Meaning interlude starts, and she talks a lot on it. She is talking about discipline and how she likes it. It has some music kinda playing to it (I actually thought it had moved into the song Discipline already) and had kind of a scratchy album sound in the background a bit. Towards the end, she is talking about how a whip is used in the practice of self mortification or chastisement and into something else that I couldn't tell because she sounds like she was about ready to cum, haha.

Discipline comes on and it is one of those tracks that you don't really realize is dirty unless you really listen, lol. Again, it kinda has that scratchy record sound a bit in the background. In the chorus, you can really hear her singing it, while at the same time it has a back track of her whispery voice singing some parts. It has a slow beat.. almost Rope Burn like, but not really. I want to say it is like Rope Burn and Love 2 Love in a way.

The interlude Back was a bit short, and I don't really have anything on it.

The last song, Curtains, came on. It is on the slow side of being mid-tempo, for lack of a better explanation. Definitely more on the slow side. I would say it is urban sounding as well. The girl who was now in front of me seemed to really like it a lot. At this point, there weren't many people left.

The song ended, I walked out amazed by the whole experience. I took a few more pictures and decided to leave (despite the fact that they still had free drinks!! that's how much I love you guys! lol). As I was about to leave, I see the most beautiful woman in front of me. I have been somewhat close to Janet before, but never this close. Joey was with her and some photogs took some pics but he was trying to move her along. She was basically RIGHT in front of me. I couldn't decide whether to stop her or not, but I felt a little bad (and honestly, basically froze) so I didn't stop her. I did manage to get a picture of her, though again, it was with my phone.

I walked back up the stairs in total amazement, texted mikel that I was on my way home, called my best friend to tell him that J was there, and rushed home to write this all up.

I'll work on uploading the pics and videos to you guys now!

I just got home from another exhilarating evening with JANET. I was one of the few hundred people who had the privilege of attending L.A. Reid's special listening event for Janet's upcoming DISCIPLINE album at the New World Stages off-Broadway theatre complex in New York.

What a night. I have so many thoughts and opinions swirling through my head. Where to begin? Note that my take on the album is only after hearing it once. I might totally change my mind on some points when I get to hear it again and again. What you read here also is only what my hands could scribble and my mind could recall.

DISCIPLINE is an album that combines an electronic 80s sound with the present-day computer age, all fit to rock your body on a dance floor near you. This is mostly a dance album which will be your aerobic workout soundtrack for the year. Computer-driven beats and sounds from the streets buttress Janet's light and playful voice through emotions of love lost, love found, and love sustained to the fullest. What else could you want in a Janet album?

After standing in line outside for about 40 minutes, the event began with a pre-reception in the lobby. We all received souvenir DISCIPLINE lyric booklets wrapped in a black, 4-flap envelopment, with a dark red plastic seal stamped with a "J". This was very helpful because it meant I didn't have to try to write excerpts of lyrics down, but I still had to scramble to get lyrics to the interludes down, which were not always complete.

The lobby was decorated with huge black-and-white Janet photos plastered on drapes and on the walls. We drank banana and blueberry rum smoothies and ate hors d'oeuvres until they let us inside Stage 1 for the listening event (the complex has five or more small theatres for off-Broadway productions). My second row center seat was the perfect place to see and hear everything, especially since I had received word that Janet would definitely be in the house. Later, I'll tell you about Janet's grand entrance.

L.A. Reid entered the stage just after 7:30 p.m. and said a simple hello and quickie introduction--nothing more needed to be said! The lights dimmed and the "Janet" logo on the video screen was replaced by a 5-minute or so promotional video (or possibly the official electronic press kit or E.P.K.) of past photos, music video footage and concert footage. The video was dazzling (especially for a fan) and serves to reestablish who she is and her impact on the music industry and the world. When the video was over, the room erupted in applause. On the screen we then saw "Janet" and "Discipline" logos interspersed with black-and-white photos from the past and present (yes, new ones), all treated with a vintage film effect of lines and blemishes, as we heard…

1. I.D. (Interlude)
This introductory interlude throws back to the "Online" interlude from The Velvet Rope album (released during the advent of the internet). We hear the keys tapping as Janet logs onto her computer which talks back to her. The computer says, "Select, DISCIPLINE… DISCIPLINE now loading… DISCIPLINE now playing in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

2. FEEDBACK
A slightly shorter version of the leadoff single "Feedback" comes right in after the countdown of the prior interlude. This version ends on the final echo of "Feedback, Feedback, -back, -back, -back, -back" with no instrumental fade.

3. LUV
This song offers an excellent segue from the previous ending echo. This is a playful, youthful song about falling in love unexpectedly. The mid-tempo, beat-pounding track contrasts Janet's light, innocent voice that "oohs" throughout. The secondary hook says, "Got me caught in a wreck, I'm a mess / Got me caught in a wreck, I'm a mess." This song is headed for radio soon, and rightly so.

4. Spinnin (Interlude)
Janet speaks… "Love is the one thing that keeps you up… …spinning round like a rollercoaster."

5. ROLLERCOASTER
This is a hottt, bouncy urban track that's not so electronic as other songs. Her voice is still sweet but is almost overpowered by the heavy, hip-shaking beat. The rhythm of the hook is similar to "Escapade" (from the Rhythm Nation 1814 album), and it could easily be included in a medley with the song on tour. The seemingly innocent lyrics go like this: "There's a high level of luv goin on / The feelins are just way too strong / The reason that u got me gone / is baby cause u turn me on…" The song ends semi-abruptly.

6. Bathroom Break (Interlude)
Janet and her girls are in the bathroom at a club. We hear dialogue: "Every time I turn around, another guy is trying to… …where are we goin' tonight?... we gon' shake some thangs, we gon' break some thangs." One of the girls says they should hurry up because the bathroom is starting to "stank."

7. ROCK WITH U
This is the techno house music track of the new Janet era! Imagine Janet crawling across feathers, rolling around on a bed silk, all the while oblivious to a thunderous house beat shaking all the walls around her. Still, she's gazing at you and singing like everything is alright. THAT's what this song sounds like. This is an electronic 80s-style techo house song with all the "ooh's" and more "ooh's" we ever wanted from Janet. Another song reportedly headed to radio, but I think the clubs might beat them to it.

8. 2NITE
"Something in the air has got me feelin like I want it 2nite," she sings at the beginning of the song. This is the song that describes the realization you get after you meet someone and dance with them at the club, and you know you want to take them home. This is another hot, neck-snapping dance track with a driving beat that almost smothers Janet's voice, but then we're used to that from her past albums. You can dance or rollerskate to this fast-paced track. "Come on! Come on!" she chants.

9. CAN'T B GOOD
Janet slows things down for the first time, but on a dance album like this, even the mid-tempo songs feel danceable. The first verse describes the morning after reflecting on the night before. But by the second verse, she "interscinds" (new dictionary word from Janet) her feelings because she's afraid of falling in love. Nope, this can't be good, she sings. But this song is very nice. It's a song of almost melancholy with a beat similar to "Where Are You Now" (from the Janet album), old-school Janet vocals (hers and background), and instrumentation that will remind you of Michael Jackson.

10. 4 Words (Interlude)
Janet speaks softly: "Four words--love, fate, hope, destiny." The interlude goes right into the next song.

11. NEVER LETCHU GO
This is a ballad and ode to her lover about the good and bad times, but through it all she'll never let him go. "I don't wanna give up on our fate / And I don't wanna think that it's too late / So if something is broke / Let me go and fix it / And if something is lost / Let me go and get it" she sings. This is a nice album cut but not really single material. Janet gives us the "whoaaa" ad libs we crave, along with melodic keyboard lines and a too-short guitar solo at the end, but this song isn't quite ready for radio.

12. Truth or Dare (Interlude)
Janet and two friends are talking over percussion that sounds similar to the popping percussion of the "Full" interlude from The Velvet Rope album. We hear what sounds like male and female voices. The "truth" question is asked: "Describe the greatest ex you ever had?" In this question, the word "ex" sounds like "sex," likely as an intended pun. The answer to the question comes in the next song, which starts immediately after the question is asked.

13. GREATEST X
This mid-tempo-slow song has piano lines that give the song a pop feel. It definitely has radio potential, but my jury is still out. It's an ode to her ex that she let get away. And to this day, she regrets leaving him for what she thought was greener grass on the other side. The hook: "I loved u, and / U loved me / And I just couldn't see tomorrow, baby / And I cared for you / And I didn't see us through / Now I know in my heart u will always b / The greatest x ever." This song starts off good, but then starts to build to something greater toward the end with really emotional guitar lines. And then, for some reason, the song fades WAY too quickly. This is the kind of song that needs to breathe with a longer ending, but unfortunately it doesn't. Sigh…

14. Good Morning Janet (Interlude)
Janet wakes up and logs onto her computer, which greets her. She's still missing her ex from the previous song, and the computer serves as her best friend and confidant for a moment. Janet says, "It was incredible while it lasted, but I know I can do so much better." With these words, the next song begins.

15. SO MUCH BETTA
This song sounds like a song Prince could have produced for her. Very quirky-funky-soul. Janet's computer chants at the beginning. The lyrics say "Tired of being number 2 / I can do what she can't do / So much betta I'm for u / So so much betta I'm for u." The computer continues to motivate her. The bridge breaks from the song musically with melodic vocals: "I'm what you've been missin / U might need to jump on this." The song ends with the same lines and a final sounding of a gong.

16. Play Selection (Interlude)
Janet is still at the computer and decides to change the song she's listening to. We hear "Play selection," and the next song begins.

17. THE 1 (Featuring Missy Elliott)
Janet and Missy are always a good combination, but this song is going to likely grow on me with more listens. Here is another indescribable but off-the-chain track of beats and symbols. This is an empowered women's anthem that is throwing game to a man to get him in bed. Missy's rhymes are HOTTTTTT!!! In her first rap she says, "Tell me how long is it boo--7 inches? Yup that will do." Here are more Missy lines: "Let you hit the poo-poo, do what it do / The nooky got them boys going coo-koo / I'm sick like the flu too, boy I thought u knew."

*********Then, the music stopped.*********

Lights came on the stage, and L.A. Reid escorted Janet out. The room explodes in cheers and applause. Cameras are flashing. Blender magazine editor-in-chief Joe Levy comes out to join them and interviews Janet for just a few minutes. Janet didn't say anything really new or earth-shattering that we haven't already read in recent interviews. She said she left the "kids" rehearsing to be with us tonight. Joe's last question was about how a lot of her albums are about love and sex. He then asked why that was so. Janet replied, "Because I love love, and I love sex." And with that the crowd went up in laughter and high-five's, and there was nothing more to be said. They all left the stage, and the album continued. Unfortunately, several people started leaving. Those that stayed behind heard more…

18. WHAT'S UR NAME
This song was not played in its entirety--it faded up a bit into the song. This is a strong track that is more like old-school Janet. Romantic keyboard lines and a beat similar to a song we've heard from Janet's past. The hook: "What's ur name babe / Do u live around here / Cuz I ain't never seen u before / But I wanna see u some more / What's ur name babe / Put it right in my Sidekick / And I'll hit u back / Soon as I get home."

19. The Meaning (Interlude)
Ooooohhh, this interlude is fire! It asks, "What is the meaning of discipline?" The rest was sometimes hard to make out, but here it goes. We hear chords similar to the hook of "I Get Lonely" (from The Velvet Rope album) over a crackling sound. Janet is breathlessly speaking words that can be used to define discipline. "Self control… punishment." She's in a zone, sounding like she's in pain but enjoying it. She talks through her pain: "A whip used in the practice of self-mortification… or an instrument of chastisement." The song fades into the next song.

20. DISCIPLINE
I hereby proclaim this song as the tour show-stopper. She will invite a man on stage and discipline him on this one. Period. It's a ballad with a slow-n-sinister, dragged-out beat. Percussion pops like a whip while crescendos and background vocals invoke emotions of crying helplessly and writhing in pain. Janet is panting. She sings, "Babe, I need some discipline 2nite / Don't hold back / I've been very bad / Make me cry / Got to make me cry / Babe." Those are the cleaner lyrics--the rest has allusions to masturbation, role play domination and submission activity. Enough said. There's a slightly extended ending, but we never get that good beat-down breakdown you might expect from this kinda song. LOL

21. Back (Interlude)
This last interlude is Janet's final conversation with her computer. "I hope you've enjoyed your discipline," the computer says.

22. CURTAINS
This album closer is dedicated to her fans. Janet sings about what fans love most--her tour shows. I wouldn't call it a tour opener nor a tour closer; this song is just for the fans. In the spirit (not sound) of "Whoops Now" (from The Velvet Rope album), this is a playful, mid-tempo song with a little soul. The percussion is poppin' and horns are blowin'. More "ooh's" and melodic background vocals. She sings: "Time to close the curtains / I only take requests from u / Just tell me what u want me to do / I promise u / You'll be screamin encore when I'm thru."

And with that, the album ends. The album is not terribly long--we were done in about an hour, including Janet's brief appearance--largely thanks to songs which were of only average length.

Source : BET article

After a 20-year career with enough sing-along hits, memorable videos and tours that have elevated her to icon status, Janet Jackson isn't trying to fade into retirement. Despite her longtime romance with producer Jermaine Dupri, and the possibility that the now 41-year-old superstar might want to settle down and nest, she's not quite ready to hang up her high-heeled Louboutins.

So her 10th studio album, Discipline, due in stores February 26, has become critical to her continued reign atop the pop charts. It is the first of her much-publicized move to Island Def Jam after several years with Virgin. Def Jam previewed the album for journalists this past week and one thing is for sure - Ne-Yo and The-Dream are going to be very rich men in a few years, if not already. Ne-Yo is credited on several songs on Discipline, including the title track and The-Dream is also a writer on the CD. Rodney Jerkins, Dupri, Stargate and Missy Elliott are also producers.

Discipline is a solid effort from Jackson, reminiscent of her hit CD's Janet. and The Velvet Rope, despite the fact that there is no production at all from her longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Apparently, they've been abandoned for a group of younger, established hitmakers, though Jackson has had her greatest success under their watch.

But every good relationship comes to an end, and Jam and Lewis have made enough money on Janet to retire comfortably, should they choose to. Janet's perch as reigning dance queen diva has been shaken by upstarts like Ciara, who's apparently a worthy enough up-and-comer that she's jumped on what appears to be an unofficial remix of "Feedback," Jackson's speaker-blowing first uptempto single. "Feedback" is a throwback not just to Jackson's early dance tracks, but to producer Rodney Jerkins' boombastic productions.

Other standout tracks were the title track, the Stargate/Ne-Yo ballad "Can't Be Good" and Dupri's "What's Ur Name," another slow track. The CD does mine the best of Janet's past to create an album that stands up with some of her best. But it isn't quite the groundbreaking dance tracks that made her very best CD's such big hits. It also begs the question if an audience of 20-somethings can accept a CD geared toward them from a woman almost twice their age. While other genres of music support their aging stars, (for example: The Rolling Stones, now rolling along in their 60's) black music is notoriously youth-oriented. And as much as the blogosphere has had great things to say about the music that has leaked, "Feedback" is not charting to the extent IDJ would have liked.

But a Janet tour is in the works and after 20 years in the game, Jackson's established enough of a fan base to sell out worldwide. Will this CD help her return to world domination status or will it simply appease the diehard fans that were disappointed in 20 Y.O.and Damita Jo? It's uncertain, but hey, that's the way love goes.

source : The Daily Voice

Change Is Good For America...And, For Janet Jackson

Nathan Hale Williams

Last week, I met with the pop icon to talk about her new album, Discipline and where she is today. First, I must admit that I am a huge fan of Janet Jackson. I have been to every concert tour since Control (thanks Mom) and I have every album she's ever made, including Janet Jackson and Dream Street. Despite my long-standing love for Janet, I am an objective fanatic.

Nathan Hale Williams is a Film/TV producer and the Arts & Entertainment editor for The Daily Voice.

nathanhalewilliams80x72.jpgIt is only February, but 2008 is shaping up to be a year of great change and growth. Our political landscape is changing and by years-end we will thankfully have a new president-elect. This society is also changing. Our common contempt for the way things have been going in this country is silently uniting us in ways we may not yet realize. The New York Giants made some changes and won the Super Bowl. Barack Obama changed his message to "change," and just won the Democratic primaries in 13 states. Change is good for our country, but it has also been good for Janet Jackson.

Last week, I met with the pop icon to talk about her new album, Discipline and where she is today. First, I must admit that I am a huge fan of Janet Jackson. She is in my "Fave 5." I have been to every concert tour since Control (thanks Mom) and I have every album she's ever made, including Janet Jackson and Dream Street. With that said, I haven't been thrilled with the last few albums she has released. She has had some great songs, but overall the albums haven't been her best effort, in my opinion. Despite my long-standing love for Janet, I am an objective fanatic. Therefore, I was a bit anxious to hear the new CD and to speak with Ms. Jackson last week.

Neither Janet nor the CD disappointed me. Janet was everything you expect her to be: funny, very nice, extremely thoughtful about her work and approachable. In an instant, she made me forget that I was speaking to one of the biggest stars in the world. As for the CD, it is classic Janet. It has all of the elements that make a great Janet record. I believe, it is her best album since janet. or All For You, depending on your taste. It is the album for which Janet fans have been waiting to silence her critics and put her back on top.

Now back to this whole change concept and what it has to do with Janet Jackson. If you look back at her career, all of her mega albums came after she made some huge changes. With Control, she took "control" of her music, switched management, signed with a new record label and hooked up with two guys named Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Well, we know what happened with Control; it catapulted Janet's career out of her brothers' shadows. In 1993, Janet signed with Virgin Records (leaving A&M), lost a significant amount of weight, sexed up her image and released janet. It was the first album, in the Soundscan era, released by a female solo artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 (Whitney Houston was the first in the non-Soundscan era). The janet. album went on to sell more than 8 million albums worldwide that year and produced a string of top 10 hits.

Fast forward to 2008. Janet Jackson has once again switched labels, she has new producers and is poised for a return to form. I pointed out this trend of change to Janet and she had not realized it. "I've never sat back and thought about it in that way," she said. "And now that you bring it up, you're absolutely right." If history is a true teacher then, Janet is on her way to a big album and Discipline has the stuff to deliver it.

Another major change is that Janet did not write any of the songs on this album. Instead, she has enlisted the help of recent hitmakers, Ne-Yo, Rodney Jerkins and her longtime beau, Jermaine Dupri. It kicks off with the Darkchild produced first single "Feedback," truly one of her best dance/club songs in at least three albums. Then, to give you a brief moment to exhale from "Feedback's" hard-hitting bass line, Janet comes up with "Luv" next. Another Jerkins joint, "Luv" is reminiscent of the hit "Love Will Never Do Without You." It's a classic Janet mid-tempo groove with an unforgettable hook and superb production.

Discipline then takes a "Bathroom Break" with two interludes and a somewhat forgettable Jerkins song, "Roller Coaster" that is salvaged by a memorable chorus. However, the next three tracks are some of the hottest on the album. It begins with "Rock With U," which is destined to be a summer club hit. With simple lyrics and a drive it home beat, "Rock With U" is the first song penned by Shaffer Smith (aka Ne-Yo) and Janet's boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri who also produces the track. Janet says this track and the following one, "2nite" make her, "wanna kinda space out and feel like I'm in a house club." That's exactly the feeling you get from both songs.

Newcomer, Star Gate's production on "2nite" is excellent as he takes all of the elements that make a great Janet song (stacked harmonies, breathy delivery, hard beat) and throws those elements into a bridge/breakdown section you will have on repeat. Ms. Jackson ends this trilogy of tracks with my favorite song on the album, "Can't Be Good," another Ne-Yo penned tune. It is pure Janet for '08 and, after just one listen, I still remember the chorus.

Other standout tracks include: "So Much Betta" (another favorite), "What's Ur Name," and "Never Letchu Go." When asked what her favorite is, Janet can't decide. "I don't have just one...I'm not just saying that either. They really are all my favorites." It's understandable because Discipline offers the most even set of tracks that the singer has delivered in a while. Janet sums it up best, "it's a fun album. I want people to dance. There's something that everybody can relate to...even if they haven't approached that moment in their lives, they will."

In speaking with Janet, you can tell that this is a happy time for her. Walking through Island/Def Jam's offices, I could also see that her new label loves her and they are working hard to make this album the big success it should be. So far, Janet is very happy there too. "I love what I am feeling from the new label," she said, "it's like what I had in the beginning with Virgin...and, that's such a wonderful feeling." With that said, she is hoping for success because that's how she gauges whether or not her fans like it. She explains, "hopefully, it will be a big album that will bring happiness to people's lives. And obviously, I will know that from the record sales if they like it or not."

Some great news is that you might get the opportunity to let her know in person. Janet told me (although she wasn't supposed to) that she definitely plans to tour with this project beginning mid to late summer. In fact, she says she was a "full blown tour head" last year when new label head, Antonio "L.A." Reid asked her "to consider going back into the studio and making another album. I just kinda had to stop and switch gears, which was a little difficult because I like to concentrate on one thing at a time."

It paid off. Displine is one of the best albums she has produced in years. You can put it on and play it from beginning to end and then, repeat. It is Janet Jackson's personal discipline and her willingness to make changes that has kept her around and successful for over two decades. With these new changes, she has once again infused some energy and freshness into her music and her career. And as Martha Stewart says, "it's a good thing."

Source: NY Post

JANET TRACTION MISSING IN ACTION
By DAN AQUILANTE
Janet Jackson
Rating:

February 12, 2008 -- JANET JACKSON is one of the top 10 selling artists in the history of contemporary music - but since 2004, with her infamous Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," her studio efforts have tanked.

Her new CD, "Discipline," is a do-or-die album which drops in two weeks. Jackson should have connected with the hip-hop nation, but instead chose to please her loyal yet dwindling army with a synth-based disc of dance pop. This isn't the daring record that will garner her new recruits. It doesn't feel very personal, and the 13 songs are so overproduced that they often make her voice sound secondary to the layered electronics.

Then again, maybe Miss Janet prefers that her lyrics are obscured by the mix, considering she has to sing lines like "My swag is serious, something heavy like a first-day period."

That TMI insight is off the first single, "Feedback." The next tune, "Luv," is a dance track that's a bit easier on the imagination, with a lot of automotive imagery wherein she likens love to a car wreck.

The album takes a welcome turn with the psychedelic R&B of "Rollercoaster." If anything, this is the tune that capitalizes on Jackson's signature vocal style. It's one of the few songs that come close to the sound Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam (conspicuously absent on this disc) were able to coax out of Jackson in her most successful albums.

Other tracks where Jackson mines gold include the power ballads "Never Letchu Go," "The Greatest X," and the disc's single hip-hop nod, "The 1," which features a duet with Missy Elliott.

The title track "Discipline" is memorable for its slow-jam R&B grind. It emphasizes the beat - and a good beating. The lyrics are kinky, as she requests "Daddy I disobeyed you, now I want you to come punish me." These lyrics may not be as whip-smart as her famous tie-me-up tune "Rope Burn," but this song remembers that Janet is best when she's bad.

daniel.aquilante @nypost.com

Source : Entertainment Weekly

(Janet Jackson complètement descendue par un magazine que je respecte énormément)

Two years ago, we hoped that Janet Jackson's producer/boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri, would help her pull off the post-Nipplegate comeback she desperately needed with the release of her ninth CD, 20 Y.O. After all, Dupri not only produced three of the biggest hits on 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi — the miracle that resuscitated Mariah Carey's all-but-dead career — he was also an executive at Jackson's then label, Virgin. But lukewarm reviews greeted 20 Y.O., and sales quickly petered out.

In search of a fresh start, Jackson and Dupri relocated to Island Records last year and began work on her new CD, Discipline. If you thought the 41-year-old Jackson, not unlike Madonna and Prince, would drop the nympho shtick and embrace more age-appropriate songwriting and production instead of competing with the Beyoncés and Rihannas of today...you'd be wrong. Fans rejected the childish, soft-core dirty talk of 20 Y.O., but rather than see that as a signal to grow up, Jackson scuttles the maturing process and regresses even further to the creepy, X-rated lyrics that weighed down 2004's Damita Jo. ''I misbehaved/And my punishment should fit my crime/Tie me to something/Take off all my clothes/Daddy, I want u to take ur time,'' she coos on the title track, an S&M fantasy that borders on a repressed incest memory, set to an R&B slow jam co-written and produced by Ne-Yo.

When she's not feeling randy, she's hopelessly trying to prove she's still hip, dropping juvenile come-ons in songs like ''What's Ur Name'': ''What's ur name, babe?/Put it right in my Sidekick/And I'll hit u back/Soon as I get home/I'll put you in my favorites.'' A poet she is not. And her boy-crazy lyrics — which often sound like the cheesy text messages of a lovesick adolescent — certainly lack the flavor needed to put this once-celebrated pop star back on top of critics' lists.

Despite a couple of promising tracks — ''Can't B Good'' is a tender throwback to brother Michael's ''Human Nature,'' and the summery ''Rollercoaster'' is buttressed by a catchy pop hook — the music generally befits the absurd lyrics. Longtime producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are notably absent, making way for Dupri, Ne-Yo, Rodney Jerkins, The-Dream, and Star Gate. They often drown out Jackson's breathy vocals with soulless beats. Only a few midtempo grooves (''Curtains'') and schmaltzy ballads (''Never Letchu Go'') are thrown into the mix, leaving Discipline heavy on forced, forgettable dance cuts (like ''The 1,'' featuring Missy Elliott). Indeed, though Jackson boasts in ''Feedback'' that her swagger is ''heavy like a first day period,'' it's more like a bloody mess. GRADE: C-

DOWNLOAD THIS: ''Can't B Good''

AdoFM - preview de l'album
source: ado FM

1)Loving you long time :
On nous a précisé que le titre n’était pas mixé définitivement, ce qui arrive régulièrement. Le morceau est vraiment bon, une belle entrée en scène pour nos oreilles. Il s’agit d’un midtempo avec des influences old school . Une belle utilisation des violons. Un refrain très percutant. Je trouve que ce titre ne ressemble à aucun du précédent album.
2)Touch My Body :
Celui –ci vous le connaissez, le fameux « Touch my body » découvert sur Ado il y’a déjà plusieurs semaines. A noter que le titre réalisé le meilleur démarrage de Mimi aux States depuis 1997. Un carton total pour un morceau qui n’est pourtant pas, selon moi, le meilleur de l’album.
3)That Chick :
‘Ooh We eeh’, Retenez bien ces lyrics, ils sont bien présent dans ce titre produit par Stargate, producteurs de Ne-yo (so sick) Beyonce (Irrepleceable), Chris Brown (with you). Le titre est frais, vraiment. Il dégage des ondes positives. J’ai vraiment été séduit par ce titre qui me rappelle dans le beat, le « Because of you » de Ne-yo mais la diva y apporte sa touche très spécial dans le bon sens du terme.
4)For the record :
Ayant bien suivi l’actu de Mariah, j’ai fais un bond (positif) en découvrant ce morceau car l’instru est celle que l’on peut retrouver la pub pour son Parfum « M »:
Je me rappelle que lorsque j’avais découvert la musique de la pub, j’espérai secrètement une version longue du titre, c’est désormais chose faite et vous allez adorez.
B. Cox à la production (« Be without you » de Mary J), c’est un tube en puissance. Le style colle parfaitement à Mimi, j’espère qu’ils travailleront de nouveau ensemble dans l’avenir et le résultat donne un tube en puissance avec une belle envolée vocale sur la fin du morceau. Un futur « classic » qui tournera en boucle dans le Midnight love.
5)Migrate :
L’écoute de l’album se poursuit par ce titre qui sonne hip-hop avec un beat bien lourd. Danja à la production, responsable auprès de Timbaland des derniers succès de Timberlake, Furtado and co, offre à la diva un morceau lourd et percutant. A noter la présence de T-pain qui apporte vraiment sa touche au morceau et qui prête son vocoder à Mariah qui l’utilise à merveille lorsqu’elle dit « Migrate » . Ca sonne un peu Snap façon « Buy you a drank » mais en plus poussé. Préparez-vous à Bouncer sur ce titre qui est véritablement fait pour les clubs et qui est un autre potentiel single.
6) Side effects :
Il s’agit du 2ème et dernier titre de cette écoute qui est en cours de Mixage (Work in progress comme disent les ricains). Le style du morceau est Dirty South je trouve(Ludacris, T.I, Young Jeezy). On trouve d’ailleurs Young Jeezy en feat qui donne le ton dès le début du morceau avec un « Yeahhhh » qui nous plonge dans l’ambiance.
Si me souvenirs sont bons j’ai trouvé le refrain très percutant : « To walk away don »t regret it, but i still live with side effects ». Les lycris sont travaillés et sérieux. Mariah y explique son parcours et les embuches qu’elle y a trouver. J’ai moyennement accroché à ce titre mais il faut plusieurs écoutes je pense.
7)Love Story :
Jermaine Dupri est à la prod pour le plaisir des fans qui apprécieront certainement ce titre qui est un Mimi track comme on en trouve sur les précédents albums. L’instru slow me rappelle celle de Until the end of time, impression dues au fait qu’on y trouve un piano bien présent.
8) Cruise Control :
Jay D encore une fois mais sur une prod plus summer ou Mariah collabore aux cotés de Damian Marley et s’essaye à quelques lyrics Made in Jamaica : « pon de gals on the block », ca ne m’a pas choqué, ca collait bien et le style ragga amené en douceur dans le titre sonne original et surprenant. Elle épèle « C.R.U.I.S.E Control » sur le refrain.
9) Thanks for Nothing :
La voix de Mimi est mise en valeur sur cette autre prod de Jay D. Détail : C’est la diva qui dit la fameux « So So Def » au lieu de son producteur favori habituellement. On retrouve le clavier de « Always be my baby ». Elle fait des « Oh Oh Oh Oh », ca va bien rentrer dans la tête, un autre Mimi Track comme on en trouve sur Teom
10) OOC :
Ce morceau est tombé pile poil au bon moment (après 3 prods de Jay d certes efficaces mais un peu répétitives et déjà entendu à mon gout). On y retrouve Swizz Beats à la prod (Tambourine de Eve, Get me bodied ou Ring the alarm de Beyoncé, ou encore Touch it de Busta Rhymes) mais Attention, la prod n’est pas agréssive, j’ai particulièrement accroché avec ce morceau qui sonne frais, original et rétro à la fois. Une nostalgie s’empare du morceau et il est vraiment agréable d’entendre Mariah posée dessus. Et particulièrement lorsqu’elle prononce le fameux « O.O.C » qui signifie Out Of Control. C’est la 1ère fois que j’entend la diva prononce une phrase en francais « Je ne sais pas mais c’est la vie » précédé par une autre en espagnol si ma mémoire est bonne. J’adore !
11) Bye bye :
On retrouve Stargate à la production pour un morceau slow jam, plus calme que le That Chick, mais ca ne ressemble en rien à Irrepleaceable de Beyonce par exemple, on n’est plutôt dans un style purement Mimi qui se rapproche plus d’un « We belong together », le titre est émouvant, le thème est la perte des proches. Ca sonne clairement comme un tube avec une superbe envolé vocale finale. C’est mielleux, on aime ou on aime pas mais un peu de miel ne fais jamais de mal aux oreilles ;)
12) Last kiss :
Jay d pour le titre finale de cette écoute. Un mid tempo classic qui cloture donc notre écoute.
Au final, Je retiens que Mariah Carey a testé avec réussite de nouvelles choses avec de nouveaux producteurs. (That Chick, Migrate, Lovin you long time, For The Record, OOC) sont vraiment mes morceaux favoris. Et pour les inconditionnels de la collaboration entre la Belle et Jay D, vous serez ravis de découvrir les nouvelles prods du duo (Thanks for nothing, Last kiss, love story, …) qui pour moi sont parfois décevantes car pas ou peu d’évolution par rapport au précédent opus. Dans le rayon déception, je rajouterai qu’il manque selon moi un morceau aux allures Soul/Gospel comme seule Mariah en a le secret mais il ne sagit pas de la version définitive de l’album, peut-être qu’il y’aura du changement d’ici la. Il y’a vraiment des titres qui font plaisir aux oreilles, un succès annoncé pour un album parfaitement calibré. Vivement le 14 avril pour se replonger dans E=Mc2, le voyage était plaisant.

le critikeur le 04.03.08 à 06:23 dans music news