The ArchAndroid/Flesh Tone

Janelle Monae
The ArchAndroid
Rating: Grrrr



Kelis
Flesh Tone
Rating: Jeez Lady

I am reviewing the debut full length cd from Janelle Monae along with the latest cd from Kelis for one reason. Sonically the two artists couldn't be more dissimilar, but both are comparative based on amazingly quirky debuts that forecast interesting and rich careers. Hard to say what the future holds for Janelle, time will tell; however, with Kelis, the future didn't really pan out the way I expected it to.

Kelis came out of nowhere with her first cd Kaleidoscope, and the deliciously weird first single "Out There," which was punctuated with Kelis screaming "I hate you so much right now." While the whole cd did not live up to that wonderfully bizarre opening salvo, it was quirky and distinct enough for me to think she was well on her way to a very interesting career. Strangely, after several cds, she finds herself in a odd place. She came out of the gate as the outre-weirdo, but never really caught on with the public, aside from her wonderful single "Milkshake." Now, she finds that the public has caught up with what she was doing ten years ago, but the public has moved on to the Lady Gaga's of the world.

What she comes out with on Flesh Tone is just generic dance music. There is nothing there that is distinctive. She aligns herself with IT producer of the moment David Guetta, but he does nothing to make her stand out. Kelis still has a lovely, smoky voice, but it is essentially held to one tone throughout, and all the whirring synths and Ital-disco/techno trappings just push her into the background.

The only song that really stands out among the mere 9 tracks is first single "Acapella:"



The rest, including second single "4th of July (Fireworks):"



are just hollow, predictable dancefloor material that any generic dance diva could sing. I'm not writing Kelis off yet; as I noted in my review of The Chemical Brothers yesterday, there is always the chance that an artist will redeem themselves. Flesh Tone just sounds like a stab at making a very huge hit record, and instead ended up being something that belongs in a bargain bin.

Unlike Kelis, who doesn't seem to know what she wants to do, Janelle Monae comes out with The ArchAndroid (a supposed album suite about a time-traveling android) which showcases her firm grasp of what she wants to be. Through many different styles of music, Monae shows an almost perfect sense of melody, pacing and simple joy for making music.

She moves effortlessly between genres, be it the old school R&B of "Faster"



The toe-tapping, butt-shaking funk of "Tightrope"



The psychedelic pastoral folk of "Sir Greendown"



Or even the freak-out fest with Of Montreal, "Make the Bus"



Janelle Monelle just excites at every turn, like an artist going through their eclectic record collection and wanting to make an album in tribute to favorite bands and singers, but making it solely their own. It is an infectious listen, one that I find something new in each time. The album is far from perfect; it is overlong and not everything she attempts is perfect, but I applaud her for not trying to pigeonhole herself in one style. There is a lot of room for her to grow. I just hope in the future she doesn't find herself in the position Kelis finds herself in, adrift and looking for a port in the storm.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or spent more time on.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.