 | Janelle Monae |
Janelle Monae released this album to much acclaim and buzz this year for not only the album but also her invigorating live performances (notably the performance of “Tightrope” on Letterman). She has created an album that feels very classic yet is also modern and brings together the best elements of classic R&B stylings with more modern hip-hop and beat driven styles of music. From the beginning of the album she delivers this hybrid with the utmost style and substance possible and has created a great work of modern R&B music. It is well written, well executed and finely produced high concept to work as a great start to finish album with great style and soul.
The album kicks off with an fully orchestral intro, which sets a classic mood which segues into the true opener “Dance or Die” in the best possible way. The way the song kicks in with its snaking bass line is absolutely brilliant and the combination of the two tracks is an excellent opening to the album. The album jumps between more rhythm based tracks such as the opener and more soulful, vocal showcase kinds of songs, and impressively Janelle is more than up to the task on both. She also delivers all of the tracks with a great style and command of the material that is very impressive. She handles every vocal belting out and every rhyme with the utmost ease and style. The album also jumps styles around the historical influences from swing-ish kinds of cues to more bluesy/loungy kinds of cues. The first several tracks of the album all run together into one, shape shifting, intriguing journey through a bunch of musical styles.
There are chilled out tracks (“Sir Greenwood”) and there are high tempo brawling tracks (“Cold War”, “Come Alive”). She even has her great R&B ballad type song with “Oh, Maker” halfway through the album, which has some great style and vocal delivery in it. Her ability to skirt that line of hip-hop deliveries and full on R&B stylings is a great asset on this record. The centerpiece/masterpiece here, “Tightrope” sits right in the middle of the album and is a truly exceptional track. The beat and old school style to the song is so incredibly well done, and the Motown bass line really drives it all together. One of the best tracks this year so far, and it is a great showcase for Janelle’s style in both singing and otherwise, and Big Boi’s appearance is very solid and icing on an already quite decorated cake.
There are even off beat moments, which really show the depth and complexity of what Janelle is going for with the album, notably her collaboration with Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal on “Make The Bus”, which is a kind of R&B/Of Montreal love child that is very strange but also fun to listen to. You can feel Barnes’ influence very strongly on the track, but Janelle holds her own in there, and hearing her deliver some classic Barnes-ian vocal cues is intriguing and very different, but very cool.
While I will say that this album does have a very strong R&B flavor to it, both old school and new school, and if you are opposed to R&B you may not be in love with this one, but I feel like her style and substance on the record are both really impressive and lead to an excellently done record overall. She has shown a mastery of both very old school styles as well as some great modern elements to it, which makes it a very well-rounded and diverse album, which you can’t usually say about a lot of croon-y R&B albums. This is a very strong album and shows a lot of talent on the part of Ms. Monae, and she has shown some real signs of being a great talent out there in the music world of today. This is an album that is fun and different, and keeps it interesting from beginning to end.
Janelle Monae – Dance Or Die – From The ArchAndroid (Amazon | iTunes)
Janelle Monae – Tightrope – From The ArchAndroid (Amazon | iTunes)
