Urban World

Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

The 24-year-old Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, discovered by Outkast’s Big Boi, has been featured in Outkast‘s Idlewild soundtrack and is currently signed to music mogul Diddy’s Bad Boy label. She is currently keeping tongues wagging with her eccentric and kooky style, whilst making waves in the music charts with her unusual futuristic sound.

Her first major label debut, The ArchAndroid, crosses between the different, unconventional sound you would not typically come across in the R&B charts and the soulful-funk and Hip-Hop that is reminiscent of artists such as Kelis and Outkast.

The album is a fantastic mix of her quirky personality and futuristic beats – already considered to be the female Andre 3000; Janelle doesn’t let you down. She exudes the energy and frantic dance moves of the great James Brown [if you have ever seen her performing on stage you will know what I mean] and covers a range of music that’ll have most music stores hanging their heads in shame; A fusion of funk, pop, rock and soul, disco, jazz, show tunes, film scores, rap, psych-rock, 1950s classic rock, even incorporating a full orchestra.

The first single from the 18-track album, “Tightrope,” which features Big Boi, is a rhythmic, soulful-funk track with a Hip-Hop beat; if that sounds a bit like a concoction to you… it is. But in a way, that works beautifully. However, the rest of the album does not typically follow this pattern and it covers a random mixture of genres. There is no continuity throughout, yet nothing seems out of place or forced. Monae’s voice remains versatile throughout, navigating between different genres with ease.

“Sir Greendown” is like dreamy melody, reminiscent of an earlier age and almost sounds like a rendition of 'moon river' [Academy Award-winning original song from Breakfast at Tiffany’s], or a 50’s throwback track, that may have been sung by at bandstand at a ‘Grease-like’ high school dance – only with a new millennium remix with drums and electro beats. “Come Alive (War of the Roses)” immediately made me want to jump around with my arms flapping in the air for no apparent reason. It’s a feel good song that sounds as though it may have originally been intended for Gwen Stefani, Beth Ditto of The Gossip or even in a stage production of Little Shop of Horrors or The Rocky Horror Show – but somehow it works. By the time you get to “Wonderland”, you know exactly what you should expect from her: the eccentric, cool, funky, unusual, but enjoyable. However, the entire album is not fully of funky show tunes, drums, guitars and big bands. “Neon Valley Street” shows a potentially softer, more R&B side to the singer. Her sweet soft vocals remind you of the likes of a ‘90s singer and they even sound soothing enough that they could have easily slotted into Lauryn Hill’s record-breaking debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

The variety of music on this album almost seems as though songs shouldn’t belong on the same tracklist, let alone fall into the same genre. Produced by Nate Wonder, Chuck Lightning, Diddy, Big Boi and Janelle herself, The ArchAndroid is said to be one of the most impressive debuts in recent years; with the tracks all working creatively to make it all come together in a way that flows and almost makes you forget that you are listening to an album from one artist and not a compilation from a variety of artists. It works beautifully, with easy transitioning from one song to another: transporting you from electro pop, R&B to country and stage show rock. Brilliant!