Discipline

iTunes Editors’ Notes

Recently, Janet Jackson’s longstanding influence over pop music has become more pronounced thanks to a crop of rising superstars, particularly Ciara, whose brilliant hit “Promise” was a recreation of Jackson’s seminal sound designs on Control and Rhythm Nation 1814. And now that her older work has proved its lasting power, Jackson has every right to compete with her junior admirers. Her first album since 1986’s Control, Discipline bears the mark of Atlanta hip-hop producer (and Jackson’s longtime boyfriend) Jermaine Dupri. The spectacular sparkle of “Luv” is a rejoinder to Kanye West and T-Pain’s magnificent “Good Life,” while Dupri’s production on “Never Letchu Go” aims to recreate the comeback success he brought Mariah Carey. On the title track, the explicit sex talk that might have felt provocative when Jackson was in her 20s now feels awkward, but even so she still displays her taste for bold sounds. A thrilling juxtaposition of oil barrel drums and mesmerizing harmonies, “Rollercoaster” encapsulates everything that is unique about Jackson’s style. From the stuttering drums and sirens of “The 1” to the Daft Punk samples on “So Much Betta,” this 42-year-old still shows a streak of adventurousness that her students would be wise to study.