lyrical content also thought to push society's "judgment calls", breaking free from "the American sweetheart of past LPs." Shayne Lee, author of Erotic Revolutionaries: Black Women, Sexuality, and Popular Culture (2010), wrote that the album and its predecessor "brand[ed] her as one of the most sexually stimulating vocalists of the 1990s." Jessica Skolnik of Vice stated, "I am of the Madonna generation, the Janet generation... The Velvet Rope was an absolute milestone and, in my mid-thirties, is increasingly meaningful to me." Telegram & Gazette stated, "Jackson shows once again that she can compete against any of the lightweight, mega-selling pop divas and hang them out to dry." According to the Los Angeles Times, the album became "more eagerly anticipated" than Michael Jackson's output; taking her "once and for all out of the shadow." Sal Cinquemani declared it "Janet's richest work to date", while Brannon Smith heralded it to reveal "her battle with depression, and saw her continue to empower through her pain." Influence Nicole Scherzinger cited it as the inspiration for her second album. Rihanna's Rated R drew comparisons for its production and "nakedly autobiographical vibe"; the theme of single "Te Amo" also likened to Jackson's "Tonight's the Night". The "burbly electro hooks" and "curled-lip sass" of Rihanna's Talk that Talk was also regarded as "warmed-over Velvet Rope-era Janet Jackson". About.com noted Patrick Stump's Soul Punk to incorporate the album's "musical stylings". The packaging of Usher's 8701 was also thought to recall its imagery. French singer Piu Piu also called it a primary influence. Drew Millard of Vice stated the album "inadvertently predicts most of the cooler trends in contemporary indie music," saying, "Dam-Funk's bedroom-keyb attack? "Go Deep" did it. "Together Again" is basically the song Disclosure has been shooting for this entire time, and Tom Krell would wrestle an alligator with his bare hands to create a song as chillingly beautiful as "Empty". How to Dress Well cites its "schizophrenic diversity" as the inspiration for the album Total Loss, saying, "She set such an example for trusting yourself, and following that intuition wherever it takes you... she made a fucking sprawling masterpiece with a song from every genre, and it works." Merchandise sold at Well's shows feature a quote from interlude "Memory". Indie rock band Wheat used the album as a reference for their second album Hope and Adams, also emulating its production techniques within lead single "Don't I