You can’t accuse Janelle Monáe of lacking ambition. Despite scooping award nominations and widespread acclaim for her glittering debut, ‘The ArchAndroid’, in 2010, she’s continued on an upward career curve following a guest appearance on Fun’s all-conquering We Are Young, displaying a singularly intelligent, forward-thinking approach to modern pop.
Three years on from ‘The ArchAndroid’, Monáe has returned with another fresh supply of soulful electricity on Suites IV and V of her Metropolis-influenced odyssey, and by drafting in a number of collaborators, including Prince, Miguel, Cee-Lo Green, Big Boi and Erykah Badu, she has adopted a broad canvas for her second full-length. With a monstrous 19 tracks the record creates an explosive, catch-all theme of multiple genres, from R&B and soul, to funk and All That Jazz-themed cabaret. ‘The Electric Lady’ adds up to something that will endure.
Monáe picks up where she left off with her debut and carries on the theme of her Android alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather. Against a bed of strings the opener, Suite IV Electric Overture, is every bit as theatrical as its title suggests, with enough orchestration to soundtrack the next Bond movie.
The dramatic introduction builds beautifully to the introduction of Monáe’s unmistakable voice before segueing into the first of many stellar moments in the form of Give 'Em What They Love, an epic collaboration with Prince that’s all lissom guitars and marching drums.
Victory is a charming gospel offering, while a hi-hat-driven, jazz-infused, Dorothy Dandrige Eyes (featuring Esperanza Spalding), owes more to Ella Fitzgerald than any of her modern day contemporaries. On the title track, Monáe checks in with the hip hop crowd, backed by fellow neo-soul star Solange Knowles. Together, the pair combine the bad-girl swagger of Lil’ Kim with the innocent pizzazz of Janet Jackson. It’s catchy and sassy and every bit classy.
'The Electric Lady' also percolates a curious trio of radio DJ interludes. On Our Favourite Fugitive, the man behind the decks quickly cuts an opinionated caller off for shouting “robot love is queer”, one of a number of references to the veiled yet intelligent take on sexuality that has come to characterise much of Monáe’s output.
Jaded ballad Prime Time, featuring Miguel, is sluggish compared to lead single Q.U.E.E.N, which sparks thanks to an appearance from a modern day soul queen, Erykah Badu. Their quicksilver flow is impressive and their rhymes espouse the pace of the funky, thumping bassline masterfully.
On her glittering new effort, like a jazz-age flapper teleporting into a 23rd century R&B jam, Monáe proves that she’s just about everything pop music has yearned for, and then some.
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