WaterInYourBath said:

I think "Many Moons" deserved to be a massive hit 2 years ago.

I honestly think. and i HOPE Janelle Monae is gonna blow up big time. It really just has the feel. I've gone to two best buy this week and both we're sold out of the ArchAndriod which means it's already selling more then it was expected. Then i went to Hot Topic they had Janelle Monae t-shirts. I picked one up and the girl working there started raving about her! And i noticed they only had one copy of The ArchAndriod left in their store. It's selling well on i-tunes. I really think she'll about to blow up. I think the success of someone like Gaga will actually just help Janelle Monae. People are into the "eccentric girl" thing right now, and that with her EXTREME levels of talent will launch her into the BIG BIG time.
[Edited 5/22/10 21:04pm]

I'm kind of late "discovering" Janelle, I saw her appearance on Letterman and was impressed enough to order the ep and album but I was hoping someone could give me some info about her first, unreleased album (The Audition).

When was it recorded/originally slated for release? (I've read 2003 and 2005)

Was the album ever legally available either as a cd or download?

Are there any writer/musician credits online anywhere?

Thanks.

"Locked Inside" really needs to be heard! This album is pure bliss!

rialb said:

The album was never properly released in a sense. you can not buy it in stores or online. It's an album she sold just out or her boarding house while in College in Atlanta. It has been found upload online, and that's likely the only place you'll ever find it. Some of the songs on there have been released such as Lettin' Go as a single on i-tune and Time Will Reveal on the Big Boi Got Purp? Vol 2. project. As for the writers as far as i know it's the same team as both Metropolis and ArchAndriod (Janelle Monae, Nate "Rocket" Wonder, & Chuck Lightning) but i'm not 100% on that.

P2daP said:

Thanks for the info. I guess since I can't legally buy it I can download it guilt free.

"Wondaland" reminds me of Tom Tom Club
[Edited 5/27/10 6:51am]

comment from somebody on Lala.

Best album of the year imo. Like the days of old she dropped a CD I can play for anyone and they have tracks they like. Real melodies, real singing, real arrangements. Producers have something TO produce! I can't get enough. In my car all the time now. And I keep turning people on to it. And my faves keep changing.

Janelle's gonna be on Ellen tomorrow afternoon.

Lopez tonight Thursday night

Last Call w/ Carson Daily Friday night.

benjaminira said:

OMG YES!! That is the BEST song on the album!!!

Here's my review:

Janelle Monáe is a star. The world of popular music seemed to be spoiled for choice when it came to stars in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. While there have been many would-be stars in the ensuing decades, most seem to lack either the talent, ambition, passion or mystique that defines a star in my eyes. The birth of the underground star has assured that great music has still been made, but mainstream acts have become increasingly more familiar, girl/boy-next-door and down to earth, at least to me. I want my stars to be... stars! I don't really care to know the goings-on of their daily lives or what products they endorse. There is something to be said for that fundamental distance that separates the fan from the star, and this is something that Monáe understands.

Of course, such a distance is easily created through the character she adopts with her music. Comprising two suites known collectively as The ArchAndroid, Janelle casts herself again as android outcast Cindi Mayweather, continuing from the theme set forth in Metropolis: The Chase Suite. I admittedly adore many of the future dystopic novels and films which serve as obvious reference points for this album, but the songs here are strong enough to stand on their own. And while science fiction has been successfully mined in the past by greats such as George Clinton and Gary Numan, rarely has it been painted with a palette of such breadth of emotion and style. Taken as an album, The ArchAndroid is an epic, sprawling mass of pop brilliance spread across 18 tracks that work wonderfully on their own and even better in context.

The first half of the album consists of Suite II, which opens with an enticing instrumental teaser before launching into the first delectable trio. The nocturnal boogie of "Dance or Die", the sassy funk curl of "Faster" and the uplifting soulful splendor of "Locked Inside" joyously weave together with seamless transitions like movements of a singular composition. Following the opening rush, the dream-like "Sir Greendown" would offer a slight respite if it wasn't so disarmingly beautiful and sexy. Tantalizingly short, it nonetheless is an astonishing piece, as it serves as both a segue between the first and second sections of the album and a gorgeous song in its own right. What follows is her brand of renowned frenetic pop in the form of the galloping "Cold War", which recalls "Many Moons" in tone, message and even structure, as it vibrantly scrambles along and erupts into a blistering guitar solo before some chilling strings and lush background vocals bring it back to Earth. "Tightrope" follows with a vintage funk flavor serving as a backdrop for the album's most youthful and spirited vocals. It stands as perhaps her most rhythmic track yet, daring the listener to stay still. A reprise of the ending of "Many Moons" played in reverse serves as a bridge to the final trio of songs for Suite II. The soul of "Oh, Maker" is drenched in a sort of stately folk, offering one of the album's many great surprises. It gives way to the reckless, swinging abandon of "Come Alive (War of the Roses)", which is punctuated by a spiky, fat bass lick and features a surreal segment of bells and haunted vocals before returning to the main riff guns (and voices) blazing. Finishing off Suite II is the midtempo, psychedelic impressionism of "Mushrooms & Roses", a song framed by some gorgeous strings and heavy on soloing guitar distortion that combusts under its own weight.

After the relentless sequence of shocks provided by Suite II, Suite III takes a more subdued but no less impressive approach, starting with the classy love-tinged soul of "Neon Valley Street", graced by woodwinds and lush strings. The twisted, theatric pop of "Make the Bus" makes a nice pairing with the playful earworm of "Wondaland", which gives the Studio of the same name a sort of theme song in the same vein as Prince's "Paisley Park". The plaintive, lilting traditional folk of "57821" breezes by in a sort of hush, ascribing a mythological feel to Cindi's character, and the closing duo of "Say You'll Go" and "BaBopByeYa" close the album with grandiose elegance. While finishing the album with three slow numbers may seem odd, it is more likely to serve as a sort of quiet before the storm of Suite IV.

The ArchAndroid is a startling pop album. In my book, it sits with Songs in the Key of Life and Sign o' the Times as adventurous, expansive and kaleidoscopic benchmarks of pop music. With Metropolis, Janelle Monáe revealed that she had the talent, presence and personality to be a star, and with The ArchAndroid, she now has a full album in testimony to it. Whether she becomes a star for the whole world to enjoy or just my star, Janelle Monáe has succeeded beyond all reasonable expectations.

The ArchAndroid comes in at Number 17 on the Billboard 200.

Moonbeam said:

Come on dude, you are stretching SOTT and Key of Life.

Alamine said:

In your book, perhaps!

Moonbeam said:

No, in many peoples book. You compare it to Sign O' The Times and Songs In The Key of Life? What the fuck are you smoking?

Moonbeam said:

Come on dog, you must be deaf or confused - Sign of The Times, Songs in The Key of Life

Your post belongs here




[Edited 5/28/10 15:22pm]

Moonbeam said:

Excellent article on Janelle. She is performing tonight in DC, and scheduled to be in NYC on June 7th at the Roseland Ballroom.
[Edited 5/28/10 17:26pm]

Bester24 said:

It's just my opinion! It's in that ballpark to me. There's nothing sacred about Sign o' the Times and Songs in the Key of Life where they can't form the basis of a comparison.

Moonbeam said:

Songs in the Key of Life was my first album. Saved my money to buy it and wore it out. Sign O The Times stayed in my cd player for months. And I agree with you - this album hits right up there imo.

Zannaloaf said:

Yes, they are very, very special albums! Maybe it's too soon to say it, but this Janelle album is hitting me the same way.

Fantastic album. Not what I expected, but not surprising at the same time.

She is a talent and is working within a collective that all seemed to be focused on progression, excellence and inspiration! It's a beautiful thing to witness, experience.

Am going to the show @ Roseland Ballroom on the 7th. Am very excited as both artists (Badu & Monae) have released albums with which I am completely in love.

Bester24 said:

I agree. Janelle's album isn't THAT good. I actually read a review where the critic compared it to RN1814.

trueiopian said:

takes out butterknife

"the writers and the artists are all paid to tell us lies, to keep us locked inside..."
CHURRCH!!

where I can find a girl like this?!

Moonbeam said:

You are comparing a production driven record with songs that used stankonia/TLB blueprint vs two musicians that played, wrote, produced and sang their own album.




There is nothing to compare. It's not even in the ballpark, son.

Get her clit out your mouth.

Sure, the album is good, but it has nothing on SOTT and Songs in the Key of Life, and that's a fact.

Moonbeam said:

It was, it was >> OUTKAST - B.O.B. >>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVyVIsvQoaE

way too stay classy alamine....

trueiopian said:

One thing I admire about Janelle, is that she stated she wasn't going to let the fear of criticism of her music stop her from expressing the creativity in her music or performance. We need more artists like her these days, instead of the manufactured artists they have out today. So far she's doing pretty good since the album came out, and her fan base is increasing during this tour. I love her style, boldness of her music and performance.
[Edited 5/29/10 21:51pm]