August 31, 2008

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.


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