A CLASSY KIND OF CRAZY
Compared to her debut, the American R&B songstress’s second album is a tamer affair, but it’s still bursting with eclectic exhilaration and soulful flair By Chanun Poomsawai
Sadly, for most people, the name Janelle Monae only feels similar in the context of a certain summer anthem such as Fun’s Grammy Awardwinning hit, We Are Young. Don’t get us wrong, though, the song has its own merits — it’s just that Monae has so much more to offer stylistically, artistically and musically. Dialling back to 2010, Monae’s debut studio album, The ArchAndroid, instantly became a modern classic, thanks largely to its ferocious single, Tightrope (featuring Big Boi). The album presents a refreshing melange of musical genres, covering everything from neo-soul and jazz to funk and glam rock — all fittingly matched by Monae’s spunky, infectious personality. The ArchAndroid went on to earn her six Grammy nominations, and was named one of the best records of that year by many leading publications.
Now that the frenzy of We Are Young is well behind us, we can focus on what she’s really all about. Her second album, The Electric Lady, continues to push the envelope and picks up where her debut left off. Divided into two halves respectively called Suite IV: Electric Overture and Suite V: Electric Overture, the record opens with Givin’ Em What They Love, a stomping funk jam on which Prince jumps in on the second verse, singing: ‘‘I am sharper than a switchblade/First and last of what God made, and that’s the truth/But man, keep on trying to hold me back.’’
More fantastic collaborations await on the uber sassy QUEEN (featuring Erykah Badu), the twinkling ballad PrimeTime (featuring Miguel), the brassy Electric Lady (featuring Solange who gleefully sings of Monae: ‘‘You got a classic kind of crazy/But you know just who you are’’), and the gliding Dorothy Dandridge Eyes (featuring Esperanza Spalding).
Dancier offerings such as We Were Rock & Roll, Dance Apocalyptic and Ghetto Woman remind us of the vibrant immediacy of Tightrope.
The album’s latter half serves up a lot less frantic fare. The gorgeous soul ballads It’s Code and Can’t Live Without Your Love allow Monae to show off her sultry vocals often overshadowed by the many layers and flourishes of the uptempo tracks. The aptly-named closer, What An Experience, is a throwback R&B jam on which she concludes ‘‘The world’s just made to fade/And all the parties someday blow away/But the memories come home/It’s funny how they come back with a song.’’ How accurate.
As a whole, The Electric Lady is a thrilling and electrifying album that boldly blurs genres and goes where no one has dared venture before. At the same time, it’s a lot more relaxed and grounded than its predecessor. (As brilliant as the thought behind it is, Monae’s dinner-jacketed alter ego can be a touch distracting.) Thankfully, she’s learned to tone it down this time, and give us the essence of what makes her a great artist.