This name is a pretty name without the extra flowery and almost overpowering feminine look of "Janelle." Either spelling is good though, as they sound the same, it's more of what one feels the name should look like- either feminine and slightly conservative (Janel) or feminine and flowery (Janelle). Personally, I am glad that the spelling of my name is "Janel" because the other is just way, way over-the-top feminine looking for me.
If you're going to pronounce it ''ja-NEL'', you should spell it Janelle. I wasn't sure whether this is pronounced ''JA-nel'' or ''JAY-nel''. The name looks weird with this spelling, Janelle is, at least, much prettier. However, it sounds like the parents were trying to come up with a glamorous, elegant, pseudo-French name, and it sounds a tad cutesy and youthful to me because of the failed attempt.