Existing in layers, The Electric Lady revels in its polarity. The overriding statement, however, is that Janelle Monae has arrived.
The Electric Lady features so many different styles yet each one is done near perfectly. Moving between genres is seamless and each track is so full of character as a result of this diversity, the exemplary arrangements and, of course, Monáe herself leading the way.
The Electric Lady is also a dazzling artistic statement, a fiendlishly clever album that oozes enough feminine charm, wit and charisma to endow dozens of regular pop starlets with.
What could be unwieldy becomes a vast patchwork of influences buoying empowerment.
This is smart, intelligent, thought-provoking music. And it will make you want to dance.
All in all, it is one of the most exceptionally realised albums to enter the world since her last release, and confirms that both as an artist and a role-model Monáe really ought to be celebrated as Electric Lady number one.
The Electric Lady is rich with musical sustenance both classic and futurist.
Janelle Monáe has not simply lived up to our expectations here; she has shattered them, delivering a confident, creative, and enormously entertaining record that marginally betters her sublime debut.
While The Electric Lady is meant to challenge those who hear it, it’s an album that sounds cheerful, amorous, and elated, prepared to confront a world of haters, hated and cynics with dizzying abandon, open arms and shaking hips.
Taken as a whole, The Electric Lady is a convincing argument for the virtues of micromanagement, but some of the most powerful, tender moments come from acknowledging limits.
The songs themselves are undeniably empowering without being especially overt or sloganeering about it; where Beyoncé claims that girls run the world, Monáe has gone ahead and created her own world, one with her own rules.
Janelle Monáe thankfully narrows her sonic scope on The Electric Lady, her equally epic and frequently wonderful second album.
At its best, The Electric Lady is audacious, intrepid and brilliantly executed.
Each homage is perfectly realised, and for an artist whose conceptualism has been decried as having a distancing effect, Monáe has visceral passion and crackling emotional immediacy to burn.
The album is admirably steeped in pop music history without seeming derivative and where The Electric Lady triumphs is in its ability to connect with the listener.
Equally as detailed and as entertaining as The ArchAndroid, The Electric Lady is likewise a product of overactive imaginations and detailed concept engineering, and it also plays out like a sci-fi opera-slash-variety program with style and era-hopping galore.
It’s a very large world, but one stocked with charming character, tasty pop, and enlightening lyricism that shines like an electric heart through the android framework.
Monae transcends what we’ve come to see and hear from current Pop stars.
It’s a rare treat to feel so included by an album, and even more so for an artist to work so hard on achieving that inclusion. This isn’t her masterpiece (that’s to come in the sixth and seventh suites), but it’s only a sliver away.
Don’t be put off by her appetite for the esoteric – what we’re dealing with remains beautifully performed, instantly addictive pop music constructed with enough nuance to reward repeated listening.
Conceptually, she maintains her status as ‘s concept-album queen, bloating her collections of divergent pop tunes with campy sci-fi story and mythology. Musically, she’s a time- and genre-traveler—frankly all over the place—with a backbone of big beats, big choruses, and big ambition.
With The Electric Lady, singer-songwriter and composer Janelle Monáe adds two more suites to her ongoing metropolis series. This time, she seems to embrace her classic influences in the worlds of R&B and soul closer than ever.
''I defy every label.'' With The Electric Lady, the American soul sensation's second full-length album, Monae is true to her word, even if the album comes close to being wilfully eclectic.
It is possible to love The Electric Lady, even if deep listening may be required to seal the deal. She certainly works hard for our devotion.
There are some nice moments, but listening ultimately only makes a case for pop’s past, rather than the present.
YALL BE SLEEPIN ON HER 😴😴 BUT WE ALL KNOW 🧠🧠 SHES ONE OF THE BEST TO EVER DO IT 👑👑
"The Electric Lady", sees Janelle Monáe continuing to expand upon her previous release, "The ArchAndroid", by creating even more soulful disco and R&B that proves why she's one of the best to do Funk within the past decade. It's filled with passion and colour, being equally as grand and creative as her previous album. Sure, this takes a more contemporary approach ... read more
🎤 🎤 🎤 🎤🎤
There are very few artists I've praised as much as I have Janelle Monáe. Her debut, "The ArchAndroid" has gone on to be my favourite album of all time, due to the emotional potency, the cinematic quality front to back, and the incomparable passion carrying every moment.
Easily one of the most inventive R&B albums ever. With that project alone, she's proven herself to be capable of melting within next to any genre she wants. Her range and ... read more
The Electric Lady is the most past-oriented of Janelle Monáe's discography, and is not as extraordinary as her debut, but it is a very fruitful album.
The homage to Stevie Wonder and Prince is impressive.
Highlights : Ghetto Woman, Dance Apocalyptic, It's Code or Sally Ride
EDIT (80-->82) WE WERE ROCK N' ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There exists a mysterious link between the height of a human being and their ability to create great soul music. Prince always maintained the stature of a thirteen-year-old boy, James Brown never stood taller than a barstool. This peculiarity of life can become clearer to our minds provided we delve into the fundamental component of this music. Far beyond, or rather well below, the vocal acrobatics executed on the heartstrings of heartbreak ... read more
I was familiar with a few Janelle Monae songs, and with her amazing performance in Glass Onion, so I checked out this album and I liked it a lot. It's apparently the third album in a sci-fi concept series, so I'm missing some context, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying these psychedelic soul bangers. You know how you can tell from the get-go that this is a great album? Prince is on the second track. PRINCE. And that's not even the best song on the album. "Electric Lady," ... read more
1 | Suite IV: Electric Overture 1:37 | 87 |
2 | Givin Em What They Love 4:26 feat. Prince | 88 |
3 | Q.U.E.E.N. 5:10 feat. Erykah Badu | 93 |
4 | Electric Lady 5:08 feat. Solange | 91 |
5 | Good Morning Midnight (Interlude) 1:22 | 81 |
6 | PrimeTime 4:40 feat. Miguel | 87 |
7 | We Were Rock n' Roll 4:19 | 86 |
8 | The Chrome Shoppe (Interlude) 1:10 | 77 |
9 | Dance Apocalyptic 3:25 | 85 |
10 | Look Into My Eyes 2:18 | 85 |
11 | Suite V: Electric Overture 2:20 | 86 |
12 | It's Code 4:05 | 84 |
13 | Ghetto Woman 4:46 | 89 |
14 | Our Favorite Fugitive (Interlude) 1:23 | 77 |
15 | Victory 4:12 | 87 |
16 | Can't Live Without Your Love 3:54 | 82 |
17 | Sally Ride 4:08 | 86 |
18 | Dorothy Dandridge Eyes 4:15 feat. Esperanza Spalding | 88 |
19 | What An Experience 4:41 | 87 |
#2 | / | No Ripcord |
#3 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#4 | / | Paste |
#8 | / | TIME |
#9 | / | The 405 |
#9 | / | The Guardian |
#11 | / | PopMatters |
#11 | / | Slant |
#12 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#13 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |