Janelle Monae, is she any good?

[General Duke]

Janelle Monae puts the android into R&BAn obsession with science fiction and 60s soul could help Janelle Monae become this decade's most interesting pop star

 

In a world where even surrealists such as Lady Gaga opt for lowest-common denominator beats, and where whole albums, even genres, are constructed around non-specific emotional heft, Janelle Monae's rich blend of historical reference points, uncompromising style and keenly felt pleasure is heady and refreshing.

 

The R&B singer has been slowly building word of mouth for the last three years, and it's coming to a head with the release of her new album, The ArchAndroid, this week. Pitchfork have bestowed on Monae their often career-cementing Best New Music accolade; she gave a stunning performance on Letterman; and P Diddy, who described her as one of his most important label signings, is feeding her constant noisy praise on Twitter ("WE'RE ALL INSPIRED!!!!!!!!").

 

Musically, it's predominantly (and often wildly) uptempo soul – even I start sassily fingerclicking and jiving, which isn't a great look with a ginger beard. But there are also moments of modern syncopated boom-bap, and lush Dap Kings-style retro grooves; she'll even please those poor folks who use the phrase "I mean real R&B, from the 60s".

 

But what makes Monae really stand out is how she deploys and presents these tunes. The new album comprises parts two and three of a concept album quartet, set in 2719 in the megacity Metropolis. Allowing a little artistic licence for the fact that pop fans 709 years into the future are still digging mid-20th-century rock'n'roll, this is the setting for Monae's alter ego, Cindi Mayweather, an android with "a rock-star proficiency package and a working soul" (according to the liner notes of the first part, The Chase Suite), who goes on the run after illegally falling in love with a human; the new album sees her elevated to messiah status by her fellow androids.

 

By drawing in these references from classic science fiction, Monae joins a rich history of black artists looking beyond the ozone layer. Take Lil Wayne's Mars fixation, or Afrika Bambaataa and Rammellzee presenting themselves as beamed-down Afrofuturists. The spaceship imagery of Sun Ra, George Clinton and Herbie Hancock is arguably an extension of the spiritual ascension of John Coltrane and Albert Ayler, all of them perhaps attempting to escape racism and the spectre of slavery. Is Monae, with her own intergalactic canvas, trying to rise above the pigeonholes for today's black female singers?

 

Her styling would seem to confirm this: an androgynous, notably non-flesh-baring suit harking back to Little Richard, sealed with a wetly sculpted quiff. She tweeted recently: "You diss my black and white uniform, you are dissing the working man and woman. My mother and father. Your ancestors." This, blended with her android persona, seems to suggest Monae is also archly referencing black history by creating a robotic simulacrum of a subordinated black musician, who then breaks free. Meanwhile, in Mr President, from The Chase, she creates a passionate social manifesto, recorded in the dying months of the Bush administration.

 

She also joins the recent spate of black artists with multiple albums united under a single banner (Maxwell's BLACKSummers'night, Erykah Badu's New Amerykah, Jay-Z's Blueprints), and also those creating alter egos (Ghostface Killah's Tony Stark). Such expansive gestures can produce unfunny skits and bloated records, but in the case of Monae, she's creating distinctive and multifaceted music that marks her as one of this decade's most brilliant artists.

[Miriam1]

she's amazing !

[General Duke]

^^^Wow, thats what everyone is saying..

[Miriam1]

You have to listen to her song Tightrope. If your an R&B fan - you will find it really hard to hate her - her music gets you dancing.