While her ‘So Addictive’ album mapped out a thrilling future for soul/hip-hop/dance music, Missy Elliott’s comeback (has she ever actually been away?) single draws on the past for inspiration.

‘Work It’ possesses a filthy, irresistible, old-skool groove. Missy and Timbaland have turned to the coolest sounds of 1988 to make perhaps the edgiest track of 2002. Somehow they’ve pulled off the impossible trick of making a record that feels retro, yet ahead of its time.

The production, obviously, is amazing. The lyrics, at least the ones that are not played backwards, include the following: “See my hips and my tips don’t ya/See my ass and my lips don’t ya/Lost a few pounds…”

So that’s who the rake-like figure on the cover is! It’s the new slimline Missy Elliott. Just because she’s no longer fat, doesn’t mean to say her beats aren’t phat.