This is the 4th full-length album from Kansas born albeit Atlanta, Georgia based singer/songwriter, rapper & actress Janelle Monáe. Emerging as a member of the Dungeon Family collective signing to Bad Boy Entertainment in 2006, she would properly introduce herself the following the year with her debut EP Metropolis & formed her own Epic Records imprint Wondaland Records shortly after even though. Her classic big commercial debut The ArchAndroid acted as the 2nd & 3rd suites in a 7-part series that Metropolis began, with her sophomore effort The Electric Lady serving as the 4th & 5th suites. Janelle’s last album however Dirty Computer departed from the Cindi Mayweather Metropolis narrative & departed from the psychedelic sounds in favor of pulling from pop, funk, hip hop, R&B & neo soul although there are also some minor elements of electropop, space rock, pop rock, Minneapolis soul, trap, futurepop, new wave, synthpop & Latin music. But 6 years later, she’s looking to reinvent herself once more on The Age of Pleasure.
“Float” is a pop rap/contemporary R&B opener produced by Nate “Rocket Wonder with elements of both trap & dub music celebrating liberation & confidence whereas “Champagne Shit” triumphantly talks about moving your hips. After the repetitively written “Black Sugar Beach” dancehall interlude, Doechii comes into the picture for “Phenomenal” switches gears into afrobeats turf as they discuss feeling exceptional just before “Haute” talks about looking pretty & sexy over some horns.
After the French spoken word “Oooh La La” interlude performed by Grace Jones, “Lipstick Lover” fuses pop reggae & contemporary R&B with some lover’s rock & dancehall undertones admitting that she likes lipstick on her neck leading into “The Rush” featuring Amaarae takes a more atmospheric route with the instrumental talking about their types wanting to feel their legs against their thighs. “Water Slide” following the “French 75” interlude on the other hand is a catchily groovy ballad saying it’s time for her to backstroke.
Meanwhile, “Know Better” featuring CKay brings back the afrobeats discussing that no one does it better than them while the song “Paid in Pleasure” returns to a pop reggae sound talking about keeping it coming if you pay her in happiness. The penultimate track “Only Have 42 Eyes” tackles the fact that she only has eyes for 2” embracing the lover’s rock completely that is until “A Dry End” ends the album with a 2-minute stripped back acoustic joint telling her significant other to whine for her.
Now I wouldn’t put The Age of Pleasure on the same pedestal as her previous albums or her debut EP personally, but that’s not to say I enjoyed the stylistic change of pace that she brings to the table on here. She ditches the art pop influences of the predecessor in favor of pulling from afrobeats, pop reggae, dancehall, pop rap & lover’s rock as she takes on a more Afrofuturist persona celebrating her new era of liberation.
Score: 3.5/5
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