Janelle Monáe

As an avid music lover I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting artists to check out. Recently I discovered a young lady named Janelle Monáe. The first thing about her that caught my attention was the title of her new CD "Metropolis (The Chase)". Metropolis is a classic silent science fiction film and one of my favorites.

The disc is not a full length album, but an EP containing 7 tracks. This EP is subtitled Suite I of IV and following editions will be released every 3 months. This is the other thing that piqued my interest in Janelle Monáe, the fact that she was attempting to try something different.

I have always loved progressive music, bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP, Camel, etc. and especially the idea of creating a concept album, where the songs all connect to a central theme. That is what Miss Monáe is doing here.

The music is kind of a hybrid of R&B, Funk, Punk and Rock and her voice stands out as an instrument on its own. There is a lot going on in the tunes on this CD, so you will hear new sounds with every consecutive listen, which is something else I love about progressive music.

You can check out track samples, see photos and read more by clicking on the picture below.

Home Again

Well, we made it back safely yesterday, despite driving through torrential rain most of the way. There were numerous cars accidents along the way and it seemed that every few miles we saw automobiles in ditches and median strips. At one point a large pine tree fell along the side of I-10, just as we were passing by. Needless to say we are thankful to be home.

Going Home

Freda and I are currently in my hometown of St. Petersburg, FL.

We will be here for the week and hope that tropical storm Fay doesn't cause too much trouble in these parts.