You Need This Album: Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid

I stumbled across this album, the first full-length effort from Ms. Monae, last week and have not been able to stop listening to it since. It’s pretty rare that any one album is so masterfully executed and so genre-defying that I can say there really is something for everyone on it.

Maybe you like the smoky-bittersweet ballads of  Mary J. Blige, the quiet reflection and calm melodies of Joni Mitchell, or the energetic, non-cookie-cutter electropoppy goodness of Goldfrapp or Imogen Heap? You’re covered.

Maybe you like soaring, operatic vocals, backed by full-bodied strings? The great soul and disco-diva goddesses of the 60′s and 70′s? You won’t be denied.

Are you a fan of Joan Jett? Lauryn Hill? Kirsty MacColl? The Carolina Chocolate Drops? You’ll be at home here.

In at least one the 18 tracks of The ArchAndroid, no matter if your Pandora stations usually play the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gloria Gaynor, Gnarls Barkley, or Erykah Badu, you’ll find something that makes you go “Ooh, yeah. That’s good. That’s really good.”

It helps that Janelle Monae is young, beautiful, and wearing this fantastic, Stargate-looking getup that, along with the album’s title, hints at a possible giant nerd within her. I also can’t help but feel that she’s real – displaying true artistry and expression, where the Lady Gagas out there come across as manufactured and created by committee.

Check it out! Let me know what you think. You can listen to the whole album online at her website here, or if you have access to Spotify, you can find it there as well.

Here’s a little taste of what you’ll find:

You’re welcome.