Janelle Monae - 'The Electric Lady'

By Rhett Henry

Janelle MonaeThe Electric LadyBad Boy

Janelle Monáe is a living human treasure.Her sophomore album is a sweeping R&B space opera overflowing with matchless talent and imagination. Whereas her debut album The ArchAndroid was impressive in its scope of represented genres, Monáe here hews closer to a triad of funk, soul and R&B.Don't mistake this as meaning she's limited her sound; in fact, Monáe has deepened her mastery of these genres while still managing to draw on influences that make ridiculous descriptors like "spaghetti western sci-fi jazz" and "doo-wop punk" totally comprehensible.The Electric Lady’s list of featured artists is a who's who of R&B greats and rising stars, from Prince to Solange, Erykah Badu to Miguel. Monáe's own talents as a singer have improved over her already beautiful debut skills, and the few times she raps show that she's better than most out-and-out rappers in the game today.The Electric Lady is an album of the highest caliber, rich with uplifting messages of liberation and love and featuring performances that are roundly excellent.Every human being should listen to this album.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEddixS-UoU