The Age of Pleasure (2023) - Janelle Monae

Ever since her 2010 debut, Janelle Monae has continually pushed the boundaries to what is considered modern soul music. Until his death in 2016, none other than Prince himself took her on as a protégé. Stamps of approval don't come much larger.

Personally, I happened to catch her performance at Glastonbury 2024 and was, dare I say, blown away. Did it help that she got her nipple out? Who's to say. However, it was an excellent reminder of her immense skills and I immediately downloaded her latest album, 'The Age of Pleasure'. 

Almost certainly this album has not been made with me - a middle aged white father of three - in mind. You can tell that from the front cover alone, which features a semi naked Janelle swimming through the legs of what appear to be an eclectic and fabulous bunch. Let that not deter us, I say. Let's dive into the wild and clotheless world we're invited to here. 

Even though it's only 32 minutes long, this album chock-filled with great melodies and musical flourishes - all vaguely circling the theme of what gives a person, you guessed it, pleasure. So expect a decent wallop of sex, drugs, more sex, and soul. With this in mind, we find Monae here in fine form and sounding like a fully-realised artist. Every idea works and it feels like a beautifully considered, cohesive, set of saucy, sun-soaked anthems. 

The album begins with 'Float' which moves from a woozy, dreamy intro to a horns-led declaration piece. The exuberance immediately on display is obvious as she proudly belts out "I don't step, I don't walk, I don't dance, I just float". You can almost feel her being hoisted into a club by a group of man-slaves and damnit if I don't immediately feel like I'm spying in on some sort of hedonistic voyage. It's quite the opening statement and features a level of braggadocio Jay Z would be proud of. 

Party vibes continue into 'Champagne Shit'. Again led by horns, this is another loud, proud, good-time tune. As the title of this album suggests, most subject matter remains true to the varying aspects of pleasure and this song is an ode to when you feel absolutely on top of the world and untouchable. It's a puff your chest out and enjoy the high type of affair. It goes right into a funky afrobeat transition ('Black Sugar Beach') before ending up at 'Phenomenal'. Again, the confidence does not waver for a second here and the phrase "I'm looking at a thousand versions of myself, and we're all fine as fuck" could easily come off as arrogant, but somehow sounds utterly empowering for the entire female population. The track is a dark groove, not too disimilar to Busta Rhymes' 'Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See' and keeps proceedings ticking along nicely.

From here we blend seamlessly into 'Haute' (pronounced "Hot") and it is yet another exercise in self-confidence. By now, even I find myself feeling like a bloody fabulous diva ready to take the world on. Again, the horns blast and the party keeps on rocking. When we hit 'Lipstick Lover' things start to get right good and saucy. This song is basically the modern version of 90s R&B, where it was ok to call songs things like 'I Wanna Sex You Down' etc. Obviously sexuality itself is being explored here but somehow the vocals and laid-back reggae beat make for a sweet-sounding summer classic, worthy of any pool party on earth. 

Thing slow a little, ironically, with 'The Rush', and we transition smoothly to the album highlight 'Water Slide'. At the time of this writing, I am writing on a foggy autumnal English day but as soon as this song drops you are transported to a beach bar somewhere. I can almost taste Mai Tai in my fictional hand and feel the sand between my toes. 'Know Better' samples Lafayette Afro Rock Band's 'Darkest Light' to subtle and great effect and then we go all out in our collective worship of the sensory wonders Janelle has seemingly been enlightened to these days with 'Paid in Pleasure'. Compared to everything else, it's a bit on the nose and probably the only blip track on the album. You could skip and not miss much. 

Do not make the mistake of skipping the next track though, the wonderful 'Only Have Eyes 42'. What she's managed to achieve here is a throwback to the doo-wop sounds of the 50s/60s while somehow incorporating reggae and fitting everything perfectly within this suite of music. It's romantic and timeless sounding. My only complaint is that it's only 2:50 mins long. But then that's the point of this whole affair. Nothing is sacred enough to linger on for too long and we're quickly on to album closer 'A Dry Red', which evokes that feeling that you've partied, you've gone wild, you've fallen in love, and now you're watching the sun come up in some sort of drunken, post-coital glow. 

The music zips by at a pace and sounds beautifully, even though I am loathe to use this word, organic. It's almost like you're listening to a group of musicians hanging out at the beach and figuring it out as they go. However, it's absolutely seamless and really feels like a high-quality body of work. The musicianship on display is outstanding, Janelle Monae herself sounds free and fully in command of her powers, and this is a fine addition to any music collection. I wish it lasted longer but, like all good things, maybe it isn't meant to last. 

I'm off to make a Mojito. Cheers. 

★★★★☆

JB.