Janet Jackson cries out for rough sex
CONFESSION: Janet Jackson gives the audience some foreplay at a Discipline listening session in N.Y.
What’s weirder — Janet Jackson coyly declaring, “I love sex,” or the rousing response she gets from the declaration during her listening session interview with Blender magazine editor, Joe Levy?
We’re talking a 41-year-old woman here. She’s closer to menopause than she is to puberty. At this point in her life, is it such a shocking surprise to hear Janet Jackson admit she likes to get her freak on?
Well, yeah, it kinda is. Despite being the artist who infamously revealed her grown woman boobies — which would make them boobs — during the infamous Super Bowl Halftime show, Janet has always been super shy when it comes to talking about sexuality, unless it’s on her records.
Her new CD that dropped today, the curiously-titled Discipline, traverses plenty of sensual terrain. Nothing new there. In fact, the title track is a cry out for some much-needed S&M:
“Babe, I need some discipline tonight,” she sings in the hook. “Don’t hold back/I’ve been very bad/Daddy make me cry/Babe.”
It’s one of those slow crawlers meant to get deep inside you. And it does. But the rest of the CD sorta snaps, pops and plods along. The nine interludes spaced between the 13 actual songs don’t help. In some of them, she talks to some robot she calls Kiyoko. The best contributions come from Atlanta-based songwriter/artist Ne-Yo, who is known for creating songs eerily reminiscent of Michael Jackson when he was still the king of pop. Ne-Yo collaborates on a couple of joints Jackson’s boyfriend/super-producer Jermaine Dupri.
Honestly, I don’t want to beat up on Janet Jackson. That’s too easy. People have been doing it for half a decade now. And Discipline isn’t a bad album. It just sounds shallow, despite the attempts to plumb emotional depths: “Greatest X” (written by The Dream) and “Can’t B Good” (another Ne-Yo contribution that’s one of the album’s best).
But maybe it’s time Janet starts singing about the things other grown folks can relate to: struggling with weight gain/loss (which she has); balancing independence and being in a relationship with someone just as successful (which she is); and of course, keeping it sexy as you approach 45 (which she will be).
Sure, preteens wouldn’t buy that shit. Unfortunately, they probably won’t be buying Discipline either.