Everything Happened In Slo-Mo

Janelle Monaé “Only Have Eyes 42”

My first impression of The Age of Pleasure was confusing and stuck with me for months – I appreciate the vibe and mindset of the music, but couldn’t shake the feeling that it seemed unfinished and overly abbreviated. It is still frustrating to me that a little under half the songs are basically interludes that present strong musical ideas that evaporate within a minute or so, right when they’re just starting to cook. (If you’ve got Grace Jones and Sister Nancy, why not go for a second minute?) But now I get that these moments of pleasure are intentionally fleeting, and that Monaé and her Wonderland collaborators were aiming for more of a “DJ by the pool” aesthetic and I think they absolutely nailed that.

“Only Have Eyes 42” is one of the fully formed songs on the record, a rocksteady ballad co-produced by reggae legend Derrick Harriott that hovers on the edge of novelty status – it’s a polyamorous take on “I Only Have Eyes for You” – but is so overwhelmingly gorgeous and mellow that the physical response to the music is much stronger than any impact it might make tickling your brain a bit with lyrical cleverness. It’s a sound that loosens you up, opens you up, and asks you to turn your mind off a bit, follow your instincts, and surrender to a beautiful moment.

Buy it from Amazon.