Janet JacksonDiscipline Full BETTER Album Zip
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Discipline is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson. It was released on February 22, 2008, by Island Records. It is her only album released with the record label after her five-album deal with Virgin Records was fulfilled with the release of 20 Y.O. (2006). Jackson worked with producers such as Darkchild, Ne-Yo, Shea Taylor, Stargate, Johntá Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Tricky Stewart, and The-Dream on the album. Jackson's long-time producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did not contribute to the project. The album was executive produced by Island Urban president Dupri and Jackson. The album experimented with the electropop, house, and dance-pop genres and also contained R&B and hip hop-oriented tracks.
In July 2007, it was announced that Jackson had signed a recording contract with Island Records, after her five-album deal with Virgin Records was fulfilled with the release of her album 20 Y.O. Originally, Jackson wanted to go on a tour in support of 20 Y.O. in 2007; however, Island Records executives asked her to record a new album, which would become Discipline, instead.[2] Jackson stated: "I was supposed to go on tour with the last album [...] We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ... learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs [...] I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio."[3]
The album was recorded during a six-month period at locations in Burbank, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Edina, Detroit, New York City, East Orange, Atlantic City, Atlanta and Miami. Jackson worked with producers such as Rodney Jerkins (who produced the lead single "Feedback" alongside D'Mile), Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Shea Taylor, Stargate, Johntá Austin, Tricky Stewart, and The-Dream. Jackson's long-time producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, did not contribute to the project.[4] The album was executive produced by Island Urban president Jermaine Dupri and Jackson. She did not write or co-write any songs on the album, a departure from her usual practice of co-writing and producing all of the songs on her albums.[5] The song "So Much Betta" contains sampled portions of the track "Daftendirekt" by the French house music duo Daft Punk.[6]
The deluxe edition of Discipline included a DVD entitled The Making of Discipline, split into five chapters which document the production of the album, its promotion, and the "Feedback" music video.[7] The first chapter, entitled "Photo Shoots", shows Jackson creating a new image for the album and adopting different looks for different markets. She spent two days working on photos for the cover and credit booklet, revealing that she still feels uncomfortable in front of the camera despite two decades in the music industry. In the second chapter, "The Studio", Jackson expressed her opinion on recording work, stating that although she usually enjoyed the experience, it was, at times, tedious. She discusses further how her songs are built up in layers and parts, from melodies and background vocals or sounds.[8] The third chapter, "Rehearsals", shows the rehearsals of the dance routine for the "Feedback" music video. The DVD reveals that the eight dancers had been practicing for over a week before they started working with Jackson. The dancers then had three days to rehearse with Jackson and a further two days to complete the video. Jackson described the video as a metaphor for sexual tension.[8] The fourth chapter, "Behind the Video", shows the making of the video itself. Jackson told the director that she wanted a futuristic, moody concept, and he came up with the idea of jumping between planets. The final chapter is the lead music video in its entirety.[9][10]
Discipline is a pop, electronic and R&B album with some house and hip hop-oriented songs. Lyrically, it explores erotic themes such as sexual fetishism and sadomasochism, along with other themes such as love and relationships.[11] Throughout the album, Jackson interacts with a fictional DJ-robot Kyoko.[12]
"Can't B Good" is a soulful, "jazzy" R&B song about Jackson's relationship with Jermaine Dupri.[20] "Never Letchu Go" was described by Andy Kellman from AllMusic as "a sweet, glistening ballad". Its lyrics see Jackson not wanting to end her relationship because she feels like her partner is "the one".[21] "Greatest X" is an R&B ballad which, as its title suggests, is an open letter to Jackson's "greatest ex ever".[22] "So Much Betta" samples "Daftendirekt" (1997) by Daft Punk and sees Jackson "tired of being number two" and trying to prove a man she's better for him than her rival.[23] The song also contains vocodered vocals. Like "So Much Betta", "The 1" sees Jackson trying to convince her love interest she's "the one" for him.[24] It features rapper Missy Elliott. "What's Ur Name" is an up-tempo electro-R&B song on which Jackson sings about meeting a man for the first time.[25] After discussing the meaning of the term "discipline" in the interlude "The Meaning", Jackson begs her partner to "punish" her in "Discipline"; its lyrical themes include masturbation and sadomasochism.[26] The album closes with "Curtains", an R&B song which sees Jackson putting on a show for her lover in the form of foreplay and filming it.[27]
Discipline was released on February 26, 2008 by Island Records; its deluxe edition, which included a bonus DVD, was released simultaneously.[30][31][32] Jackson promoted the album through televised performances on Good Morning America,[33] The Ellen DeGeneres Show and MTV's Total Request Live. Her performance on Total Request Live was her first MTV appearance in six years, following her being blacklisted by the network due to the Super Bowl halftime show incident in 2004. She was also scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live but cancelled it due to illness.[34][35] Performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and at the London nightclub G-A-Y were also initially planned.[36] The album was also promoted during an appearance on Larry King Live.[37] On March 31, 2008, an edition of Discipline in environmentally-friendly packaging was released exclusively in Walmart as a part of a "green" promotion.[38] Island Records officially ended the promotion of the album by June 2008. Later, Jackson performed "Luv" in a medley with "Rhythm Nation" on the ABC special America United: In Support of Our Troops on September 7.[39]
The album's lead single "Feedback", was released for digital download in December 2007. In the United States, the song reached number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100, number thirty-nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number twenty-three on the Pop 100, becoming Jackson's best charting single since "Someone to Call My Lover" (2001).[1][50] The song was also successful in Canada and South Africa where it peaked at numbers three and eight, respectively.[51] Due to a rushed release and no international promotion, the song failed to chart highly in European countries, peaking at number thirty-six in France[52] and thirty-two in Ireland, but reaching the top five in Greece.
Discipline received mixed to positive reviews from most music critics.[61] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 61, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[61]
Music critic Keith Harris of Rolling Stone wrote, "Janet Jackson has abandoned the plastic R&B of 2006's 20 Y.O. for a sexier brand of digitized megapop [...] 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 auto-eroticism."[59] Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave a four-out-of-five star rating, noting several tracks were "as innocent, universal, and inviting as anything else in Janet's past",[4] and called the songs "Rock with U" and "2Nite" "irresistible, grade-A dance floor tracks".[4] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described it as Jackson's "most cohesive album in a while", giving three-out-of-five stars.[60] Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music UK gave it seven out of ten stars saying "Still, if not perfect, there's plenty to like on Discipline, and while none of it is exactly vintage Janet, there's enough here to keep the Jackson name on pop's A-list for a little while longer."[62]
Carol Cooper of The Village Voice called Discipline "the most cohesive deep-groove album from La Jackson since Control."[63] NOW Magazine reviewer Bryan Borzykowski called it "her most modern and club friendly"[64] album, and commented saying "Jackson wouldn't want us to call it a comeback, but it sure sounds like one."[64] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times gave it a three out of four rating, saying "Its 22 tracks should be two albums: The first, a club-directed missile helmed by "Darkchild" Rodney Jerkins and Jackson's beau, Jermaine Dupri, could reassert Jackson's primacy among glamazon hit makers; the second, a bedroom bound ladies' favorite co-authored by soul dauphin Ne-Yo, would remind fans of Jackson's gift for creating truly tender smut."[57]
The Boston Globe music critic Joan Anderman criticized the album, saying "Jackson's decision to recycle the nympho routine one more time is just boring [...] A quarter century into her career, it was Jackson's moment to take a breath, dig a little deeper, and make a bold - or at least a different - statement. Instead, she has trussed herself up in vinyl to coo another batch of digitized porn."[65] On a better note, she called the tracks "Rollercoaster" and "Luv" "engaging tracks", describing them as a "sassy-sweet side" and "a plump, crackling confection", respectively.[65]
Discipline debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 for the issue dated ending March 15, 2008, with 181,000 copies sold.[72] While this was a higher chart position than Jackson's two previous releases, it was a lower first week sales total compared to Damita Jo which opened with sales of 381,000 and 20 Y.O. with sales of 296,000.[73] Paul Grein of Yahoo! Music observed that with six number one studio albums, Jackson had "surpasse[d] her brother Michael Jackson, who has amassed five [number-one] albums."[74] With six number one albums, Jackson is now tied with Mariah Carey and Britney Spears in the US for the third most number-one albums for a female artist, behind Madonna with eight and Barbra Streisand's ten chart-toppers.[73][75][76] In its second week, the album fell to number three with 57,000 copies sold.[77] In its third week, the album fell to number eight with sales of 38,000 copies.[78] In its fourth week, the album fell to number seventeen with sales of 34,000 copies, achieving total first-month sales of 310,000 copies.[79] It has sold 600,000 copies in the United States to date. [80]
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