Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady (11/11/2013)
Janelle Monae’s debut album The Archandroid was full of ambition, bold vocals, and did a pretty good job of showcasing Janelle to the world as an artist to pay attention to for the next few years. Obviously it’s nothing new to see a debut artist with plenty of attention behind them featuring some pretty big names on their records, but with the backing of Outkast’s Big Boi, collaborations with Of Montreal, and an absolutely killer Letterman performance, Janelle made short work of showing the world what she was made of. The Archandroid went on to be one of the most talked about releases of the year, and me personally, I was pretty excited to see what Janelle would deliver next with a little experience behind her and hopefully, a hell of a lot more ambition because of it.
Getting into The Electric Lady, not a whole lot has changed in Janelle’s delivery. Janelle remains a vision of a strong willed young woman. Aretha Franklin for the 21st century; and this female strength is actually a strong theme that runs throughout the record (unless the album title hadn’t tipped you off already).
It actually reminds me of ‘Locked Inside’, a track off The Archandroid, another instance where Janelle grieves for the status of women in domestic living, but on The Electric Lady we see Janelle taking a stand against forces of oppression, she’s no longer just in defence of women, she’s out there fighting a war.
As with The Archandroid, Janelle is joined by some impressive featured artists, names like Prince and Solange, and fortunately, they’re all used to the best of their abilities. Prince brings his trademark sex-drive to Give Em What They Love, and finds himself nicely at home in Janelle’s sound. Solange has a lesser impact on the albums title track but honestly when you’re comparing anyone to Prince’s audacious musical personality they’re more than likely going to come up lesser.
However, regardless of Janelle’s still gung-ho delivery and strong set of featured artists, I found my interest really starting to waver by the end of this nineteen track long ‘suite’. For me, this time around, the writing is not as strong as on The Archandroid, and Janelle pretty much lost my interest halfway through the fifth suite. I respect the ambition Janelle possesses in presenting her music in this fashion, but this time around it’s let her down. Partly to blame is the frankly far more boring production, leaving you listening to a pretty flat record, with hardly the same amount of funkiness or generally great sounds that were displayed on The Archandroid.
Regardless of a diminishing in return in regards to Janelle’s arrangements this time around, The Electric Lady still manages to be a strong addition to the Metropolis suites, with some of Janelle’s strongest lyrical declarations, and a great set of featured artists. Fans of her work wont be disappointed, but if you’re trying to convert someone, I’d still recommend The Archandroid as your starting place.
Nick Kennedy
Getting into The Electric Lady, not a whole lot has changed in Janelle’s delivery. Janelle remains a vision of a strong willed young woman. Aretha Franklin for the 21st century; and this female strength is actually a strong theme that runs throughout the record (unless the album title hadn’t tipped you off already).
It actually reminds me of ‘Locked Inside’, a track off The Archandroid, another instance where Janelle grieves for the status of women in domestic living, but on The Electric Lady we see Janelle taking a stand against forces of oppression, she’s no longer just in defence of women, she’s out there fighting a war.
As with The Archandroid, Janelle is joined by some impressive featured artists, names like Prince and Solange, and fortunately, they’re all used to the best of their abilities. Prince brings his trademark sex-drive to Give Em What They Love, and finds himself nicely at home in Janelle’s sound. Solange has a lesser impact on the albums title track but honestly when you’re comparing anyone to Prince’s audacious musical personality they’re more than likely going to come up lesser.
However, regardless of Janelle’s still gung-ho delivery and strong set of featured artists, I found my interest really starting to waver by the end of this nineteen track long ‘suite’. For me, this time around, the writing is not as strong as on The Archandroid, and Janelle pretty much lost my interest halfway through the fifth suite. I respect the ambition Janelle possesses in presenting her music in this fashion, but this time around it’s let her down. Partly to blame is the frankly far more boring production, leaving you listening to a pretty flat record, with hardly the same amount of funkiness or generally great sounds that were displayed on The Archandroid.
Regardless of a diminishing in return in regards to Janelle’s arrangements this time around, The Electric Lady still manages to be a strong addition to the Metropolis suites, with some of Janelle’s strongest lyrical declarations, and a great set of featured artists. Fans of her work wont be disappointed, but if you’re trying to convert someone, I’d still recommend The Archandroid as your starting place.
Nick Kennedy