Janelle Monae- The Electric Lady: Suites IV and V
Atlanta-based Janelle Monae’s sound could never be summed up in one article, but it’s fun to try! Retro Funk covered with futuristic Soul? Sure. She can take listeners on a trip from aboard a deep space Soul Train to a dark and distant emotional galaxy. She’s as much Sade and Erykah Badu (who guests on the album’s lead single “Q.U.E.E.N.”, a call to rebellious beings cut from a funkier cloth) as she is Stevie Wonder and Prince (also on the album!)
With the release of her second full-length album ‘The Electric Lady: Suites IV and V’, Monae continues to tell the sci-fi story of android outlaw Cindi Mayweather. If you sense a heavy concept album, you’re allowed to dig deep, but each song stands on its own as thrilling R&B that doesn’t drone over the same topics that contemporary artists are still stuck on. The album’s pacing is only slowed by radio station skits that provide narrative to fill in the story. Otherwise it’s easy to get lost in the chunky and lush grooves; several songs can play right through before you notice a distinct break. Boys and girls, that’s called an album- not just a series of hot singles compiled together on a disc for iTunes pick-n-choose consumption. You may find yourself listening to the full Suites (A-side and B-side) in one sitting more times than not. She doesn’t jump genre but rather melds them together seamlessly.
Famous for her black and white runway fashion, Monae’s cover girl looks lend to a wispy and playful vocal style but she can command attention and soar above the eclectic electric melodies whether the song’s mood is the Quiet Storm or a chaotic natural disaster. She is in full control throughout the journey. But ‘The Electric Lady’ is far from robotic; Monae’s emotional catharsis is truly human!
Standout tracks: Victory, Electric Lady (featuring Solange Knowles), We Were Rock ‘n Roll, Ghetto Woman
