There are a lot of ways to approach Janelle Monae right now. She was in the latest Knives Out. You can see her on the red carpet and on late night. You can even see her as the only four-footer on court at the NBA All-Star game. Still, she started with the music and it’s to the music that we now return, somewhat older and somewhat changed.
The album opens very well with “Float.” Like her progenitor Prince, it’s always hard to pin Janelle down to a single genre and that slipperiness works well in “Float.” It’s a bold, confident song and she looks good in it. She looks even better in “Champagne Shit,” far and away the sexiest song in the album. Her high heels and no shirts sounds amazing and the brass in the chorus sounds every bit as good. The song could do with another complication, but it’s fun enough and it’s hot enough for it not to matter.
Unfortunately though, it’s the only song that really sells the sex. “Lipstick Lover” should be a great sapphic track and I really like the emphasis of lipstick on her neck but it’s just not a great song. “Only Have Eyes 42” is uninteresting music that moves far too slowly and “A Dry Red” is equally slothful. These slow jams just don’t have enough fire in them. There’s no energy, no danger and not even much fun.
She’s much better when she tries Afrobeats though. “Know Better” works really well for her and “The Rush” and its Amaarae feature is a great inclusion. This is the strongest section of the album and I would love to see her go deeper into this space.
This interesting sidetrack highlights the flaw of the album. It feels like it’s meant to be a paen to bisexual bliss but Janelle Monae just can’t sell the pleasure of something that really shouldn’t need much work to sell and this lack of conviction makes the whole thing hollow. There’s still some good music in here, mixed alongside the mediocre, and I really hope she drops a full Afrobeats album soon, but overall, this is far from her best.
Top Five Records 