Janet Jackson

Over a decade ago, Daft Punk proved that robots could be cool. Last year, Kanye West proved that they can be commercially viable. But can they be sexy? Evidently Janet Jackson thinks so. Her latest release, “Discipline,” is practically dripping with digital innuendo. With the help of an army of big-name producers, Jackson has dressed up sweaty dance-pop with sex and strobe lights.

Album opener “Feedback” is a club single with a heavy beat and a dark, slinky analog bass. We don’t hear much of Jackson on this track, as her vocals have been multitracked and processed into little more than a synthesizer melody.

Production takes center stage, showcasing the talents of renowned hip-hop and R&B producers Rodney Jerkins and D’Mile.

Stereo effects abound, and every open space has been filled with a breathy “sexy sexy sexy” or “wooh.” With lines such as “Got you feeling all hypnotized / Got a body like a CL5,” this single makes you wonder whether Miss Jackson has been watching too many Björk videos.

The next track, “LUV,” features catchy melodies over a light dance beat. With the combined efforts of no fewer than five producers, this track hides Jackson’s voice almost as effectively as “Feedback.” It’s a generic, assembly-line song defined only by its slick production, which happens to be good enough to salvage the song as an inoffensive, disposable dance single.

After a few more clubby songs, ninth track “Can’t B Good” represents a return to the familiar light pop of Jackson’s earlier career. Jackson is in comfortable territory here; producers recede somewhat into the background and the focus shifts to the vocal melody. The goals here may not be lofty, but the execution is near perfect, and fans of the slightly retro style will be happy to know that Jackson hasn’t abandoned them.

Unfortunately, “So Much Betta” brings the album back to the dance floor with samples from an otherwise perfectly good Daft Punk song, “Daftendirekt.” Like labelmate Kanye’s sampling of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” Jackson adds nothing to this ten-year-old material, producing a song that survives on Daft Punk’s merits alone. The sampling is so blatant that it’s easy to pretend you’re listening to the original track, which is the only good thing about this shameless rip-off.

The album represents a well-executed effort with unabashedly low artistic goals and relies heavily on the myriad high-price producers floating around Island studios.

There are two takeaway messages here. First: good production can keep any album from failing completely. More importantly, however, is the insight offered by the light pop tracks in the middle of the album. These songs are true to Jackson’s roots, showing that she can consistently produce inoffensive, catchy pop in the style of her earlier years.

Janet Jackson fills this niche comfortably, and should probably stay in it: these tracks feature more of the diva’s personal style than the album’s electro-bandwagon bookends.