Janelle Monáe - The Age Of Pleasure (Album Review)
Monday, 19 June 2023
Written by Jack Terry
Janelle Monáe is feeling themselves, and for good reason. Over the course of three albums—dating back to 2010's ‘The ArchAndroid’—they have become an accomplished multi-hyphenate with award-winning turns on the big screen going hand in hand with tours, books and social justice work. It's no wonder then that ‘The Age Of Pleasure’ is brimming with a self-confidence that has only been hinted at before now.
Float sets the scene at the opening. "I used to walk into the room head down / I don't walk now, I float," Monáe sings over celebratory brass and dancehall-inspired beats. Champagne Shit follows in much the same vein, adding jaunty flutes and a whole new chorus line to make this feel like a New Orleans street party. The swagger and bravado of these opening numbers completes the transformation to self-proclaimed "free ass motherfucker" that they've been teasing for a while.
‘The Age Of Pleasure’ is bursting at the seams with steamy tales of hedonism and freedom, from the bacchanalia of Lipstick Lover to the behind-closed-doors setting of Waterslide.
Monáe's stream of consciousness lyricism leaves nothing to the imagination and provides a visceral and graphic experience, especially compared to the more abstract content of their prior sci-fi-inspired albums. Going deeper, there's tenderness added to the heat, with the closing pair of Only Have Eyes 42 and A Dry Red focusing more on Monáe's infatuation with their chosen person.
Monáe packs a lot into these 32 minutes. Across 14 tracks, there are features from Nia Long and Grace Jones, as well as touches of soul, jazz and reggae. But at a certain point, ideas begin to feel rehashed and duplicated, lyrics repeated and sentiments single-minded. Songs like Know Better and Paid In Pleasure add little, especially when compared to high-tier cuts like Haute and Phenomenal.
But, more so than ever before, the spotlight belongs to Janelle Monáe and ‘The Age Of Pleasure’ is their rightful celebration of their continual climb to the crest. For us as a willing audience, this is a sensual and sexually charged snapshot of an artist having fun without any inhibitions and truly being themselves.
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