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.
• The new Mariah Carey single is
titled "Touch My Body," Program
Director of KZHT 97.1 FM in Salt Lake
City, UT & HITS snoop Jeff McCartney
has learned. "It's classic midtempo
Mariah with a BIG hook," says the
Jeffster. The track, written by The-
Dream and produced by Jermaine Dupri,
will be delivered to Top 40, Rhythm
and Urban next Tuesday at precisely
6:30 pm EST and will officially go for
adds 2/11-12.
• Friday Morning Quarterback (FMQB)
now lists "Touch My Body" as impacting
Mainstream radio on Monday, February
11, 2008.
LOL
