A Baker's Dozen for 2010 #6 - The Archandroid

Janelle Monae is ridiculously beautiful. An angelic face with a voice to match. In the show I saw her at, her movements were smooth and calculated. She is always in control, and owns the spotlight. The album she released this year reflects that control and beauty, almost to a fault. But there is no denying the ambition. If The ArchAndroid is a taste of what's to come, she will be a star among stars.

For now, though, we'll settle for an extremely complex genre-stuffing album. Classical intros? Check. Psychedelic trip-outs? Yep. ATL crunk? Uh huh. Honestly, it would be faster to name the pop influences that don't show up than to name the ones that do. It can almost be overwhelming. You gotta really listen to this album. Passive background noise this ain't. But the consequence of this celestial jukebox style that surrounds a strange Asmovian robot love story is Janelle the woman is distant. It doesn't make this record bad, obviously. But it makes me want more of her.
One moment that bucks this trend is at the end of "Say You'll Go" where Janelle vamps over a simple piano as she sings a simple lullaby to her lover. Very powerful stuff. And because of the it's sci-fi surroundings, it's that much more powerful.
Since this album is Suite 2 & 3 of a larger story, it ends kind of like Empire Strikes Back. You know you've experienced something special, but wanting closure. What the hell happens next? I'm looking forward to Janelle's next step. She has the chops to put her in the pantheon of great R&B freakout artists like Prince and Sly Stone. But she has to remove the facade and open up about real emotions. Until then, this is one amazing album from someone so young.