Janelle Monáe’s Lipstick Lover: A Homage to Prince’s Kiss

Janelle Monáe is back and they are jumping head first into the deep end of the Prince sexuality pool. Their latest track Lipstick Lover is a modern R&B version of Prince’s killer falcetto fulled track Kiss. This is the latest single off of Monáe’s upcoming record The Age of Pleasure, which is shaping up to be a top 5 record of 2023.

Much like Kiss, Lipstick Lover has an acid trippy soul vibe with Monáe using bird songs and electro warping to compliment a soulful R&B track. The track’s core arrangement is quite traditional with some straight forward percussion accentuating some driving bass and ska influenced guitar riffs. However, those electro zaps, vocal effects and birds gives the track some modern trippiness . This is similar to Prince’s use of guitar reverb to give his funk and soul some added interest. This is a warm track that feels quite expansive and lush, which plays into its sexual and seductive themes.

Monáe’s powerful, smooth and sexy vocal simply oozes over everything and drags you in like some sexy sirens in the middle of a mythic ocean. There are some backing vocals and track layering, which gives the vocal added depth and additional punch. Lyrically this is 100% Prince with the focus on the lips, where Monáe can be kissed and how their entire body is wrapped in some sexual opera. This is not like a W.A.P., which pairs sexuality with power, but it is more about sex as seduction…this is the foreplay to W.A.P.‘s not safe for work main course. The vocals wrap around you and seduce you into the song and Monáe’s world of pleasure.

I have said in past reviews that I love getting Janelle Monáe’s singles and hoped that she would come out with a new record. Well, we are finally here and The Age of Pleasure is not far away. I have to admit that I love Monáe in everything they do from Glass Onion to her two latest singles. This is shaping up to be an incredible record and I can’t wait.

Listen to Lipstick Lover