New Music Tuesday: Janelle Monáe

The ArchAndroid By Janelle Monáe
Imagine someone with Janet Jackson’s pipes and James Brown’s moves, and you have Janelle Monáe. A petite dynamo taking audiences by storm with her powerhouse performances from her second studio album The ArchAndroid, telling the story of her android alter ego Cindy Mayweather and human Sir Anthony Greendown. Her themes speak to freedom of expression and the outcast feelings we all encounter. Her incredible versatility as an artist is making her a tough act to follow, one minute she’s channeling Michael Jackson, the next Simon and Garfunkel and before you know it you’d swear she was covering a David Bowie track with Of Montreal or an Etta James ballad. It is near impossible not to move your body to the infectious beat of “Tightrope” or swoon to “Say You’ll Go”. Her rich arrangements and soulful voice will conquer the winter blues and it’s all of these qualities that make her the toast of the town.

Get it at Co-Op Records.