OK, so it’s been out a little while, but Janelle Monae needs and deserves some further encouragement. For some reason she still hasn’t quite had the profile she deserves in the UK. What’s a girl to do? Get Prince and Erykah Badu to guest on your album? Well, that’s a good start. Write songs with unbelievably complex harmonies that sound as if they were written in three minutes? That’s not a bad idea, either. Or how about you deliver the songs like your life depends on it, but also make sure there’s plenty of electronic funk and soul to go round, enough to start a small revolution? That would be good, too. Safe to say Janelle Monae does all those things, but keeps you coming back for more with her powerful voice and utterly flawless team of musicians. She’s a powerhouse alright, filling the sort of gap that Janet Jackson used to but somehow offering us more than that. Just try ‘Dance Apocalyptic’, ‘Ghetto Woman’ or ‘We Were Rock ‘n’ Roll’ for size. Even the interludes have something to offer. OK, so one or two of the ballads might mean the album is a bit too long, but that’s a very small price to pay when the music making is as vital and irresistible as this. It’s like an energy drink for the soul.
5 out of 5
Reviewed By Ben Hogwood
