regarded it a "soundtrack to a therapy session", while the Los Angeles Times commended its content; addressing "the social, emotional and sexual politics of relationships, peppering the wistful, spirited pop melodies and sinuous R&B rhythms with compelling jazz, folk and techno nuances." Elysa Gardner added, "provocative gestures ultimately blend in with the album's larger agenda, which is to encourage more open-minded, free-spirited relationships of all kinds... with hooks this strong and grooves this delicious, Jackson's authority should be of question to no one." MTV News declared it an "interesting step in a new direction" and "long, sometimes strange trip into Jackson's sensual world". Slant Magazine called it "a richly dark masterwork", illustrating "there is nothing sexier than emotional nakedness". Robert Christgau noted Jackson's vocal cadence, retaining "her magical ability to feign delight". Keith Harris stated it "plumbed introspective depths with intriguing results". In his review for The Village Voice, Vince Aletti praised its "unusu-ally busy, electronica- spiked soundscape", revealing "the process of psychic reconstruction". Aletti added, "she combines a pure pop sensibility with ambition, vulnerability, freakishness, and extraordinary savvy. She's--in her inadequate word--special". However, Jackson's "isolating control" was regarded as its "more bracing" material. Entertainment Weekly observed its subject matter of "computer liaisons to bondage and bisexuality", finding the most pervasive theme to be love. Roger Catlin of The Courant noted its aura "washes away her sometimes strident political messages or her attempt to shock with sexuality", adding, "the album shimmers with sensuality, openness and thirst for new adventures, musically and otherwise." Len Righi of The Morning Call called it "compelling, as she tackled almost every imaginable social ill and personal problem while still leaving room for freakiness and fun." Jane Dark of City Pages stated it "eludes genre-fication", leaving Jackson "in a genre of her own". Alluded to "an eroticon of cybersex, queer positivity, and mild bondage", Dark regarded its production "a sexy motherfucker... abstractly electro tones come and go with sharp attack and sharper decay, appearing out of--and vanishing into--aggressively blank spaces". Jackson's "flawed sweetness" was also acclaimed; concluding, "She's the principle that organizes the noise, and the particle around which songs become pearlescent". USA Today praised her usage of "edgier beats and rawer emotions". The length of The Velvet Rope drew criticism from certain music critics. In a less enthusiastic mixed review, AllMusic observed a "hardened, sexually experimental Janet"; however, its writer claimed that "the best moments