The Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monáe | Album Review
a short look at the work of social media’s most recent provocateur
The promo for The Age of Pleasure was a bit different than for a normal album as Janelle Monáe, as the album name might suggest, used pure sex appeal, rolled out intimate photos and videos that can be aptly described as sexually liberating. Far removed from the suit and tie attire of the early 2010’s, a new decade brings a new Monáe, one hellbent on prioritizing beauty, sexualization, sexual identity, and becoming comfortable in each of those facets with, most potently, an open-armed embrace of horniness.
The energy is infectious, for on the surface, The Age of Pleasure is nothing more than self-appreciation and the heavy hands of sexual maturation. The throwing of hips on the trumpeting parade of “Champagne Shit” and its continuation of the party in “Black Sugar Beach” serve as mimosa-fueled brunch and bachelorette party anthems while revealing little about the truer nature of these celebratory tracks, which, at their heart, stem from the innate acceptance of a queer, liberated future.
There are moments where Monáe reaches the vocal peaks of a Beyoncé which are immediately rescinded in the lackluster, frankly repetitive, songwriting. Each song runs into one another with largely the same message: “I’m hot and horny.” Ultimately, this album can be boiled down to this single TikTok by Danny LoPriore.
If you go into the album with the expectation of an analysis of queer and black culture, you might be disappointed. However, in the vibes department, The Age of Pleasure, is second to none. Filled with afrobeat flair and catchy choruses, this, similar to KAYTRAMINÉ, is just fun, nothing more, nothing less. I would’ve been interested in seeing the throughlines on the effect of queerness rooted in black identity (because backlash has, and continues to be, there) in this project, one could gather that the two aren’t related and are simply facets of human beings rather than being intralinked. Though, as Monaé makes it clear, it doesn’t matter in the hands of acceptance.
Rating: 6.9/10 (no pun intended)
Favorite Tracks: Float, Champagne Shit, Water Slide
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