Janelle Monae and The ArchAndroid

December 29th, 2010 | By

Watching Janelle Monae perform is an experience. The retro-futuristic funky soul energy she creates with her band is extraordinary, especially during a period of creative stagnation in pop music (think one-hit-wonder singles artists and dime-a-dozen stale pop outfits). I discovered Monae by accident; she was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award in the same category as Maiysha, an artist who I worked with at Scott Jacoby’s MAZE Studios NYC. I played bass and worked as assistant engineer for Maiysha’s song “Wanna be”, which was nominated in the same category (Best Urban/Alternative Performance) as Janelle Monae and her song “Many Moons”. The fresh sound of “Many Moons” captivated me and I instantly became a fan of Janelle Monae.

Amy Winehouse was the breakout artist for neo-retro-soul in 2008 with her album Back in Black; producer Mark Ronson created some of the most creative retro-soul music ever by capturing the sound of classic Motown and taking it into the future. Unfortunately Winehouse melted down shortly after rocketing to the top of the charts and hasn’t yet released a follow-up album (although Rolling Stone reports that a new album is in the works and should be released in January 2011).

Now Monae is taking this Motown-inspired style to new heights with creative songwriting and tight live performances explode with energy and enthusiasm. The lyrics are clever, the production is simultaneously funky, futuristic, retro, organic and polished; in short, her new album The ArchAndroid is one of the must-have albums of 2010, and it’s single “Tightrope” is definitely one of my favorite songs of the year. Don’t take my word for it – Rolling Stone and Spin both agreed and featured Tightrope and The ArchAndroid on their Best of 2010 lists.