Originally published Friday, August 22, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Janelle Monáe: an alternative R&B voice
R&B singer Janelle Monáe indulges in retro styles and sci-fi musical theater
Seattle Times staff reporter
Janelle Monáe
9 p.m. Saturday, Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 26th St.; $10 (21 and up; 206-632-2020 or www.nectarlounge.com).Janelle Monáe will tell you she's a lot of things — robot, superhero, alien from outer space — and that's all fine and good.
What is she really? A good singer and a beautiful young woman — and she matters because she desires to be an alternative voice in mainstream R&B.
Frankly, there's no pop genre more boring than what passes for R&B on MTV and Clear Channel "rhythm" radio, where female groups are assembled by outside forces into Maxim Magazine photo ops (Danity Kane, Pussycat Dolls) or promote sexual subservience to shocking new lows (hot singer Casha's wailing "Give me the business!" on vapid rapper Yung Berg's momentary hit "The Business" is a sure sign of the apocalypse).
The 23-year-old Kansas City-born Monáe makes music that sounds like the past and the future. When the present is so bad, why not?
Her new seven-song EP "Metropolis: The Chase Suite" is half and half. The futuristic part sounds digital and up-tempo, clearly inspired by what André 3000 from Outkast was doing from 2000 to 2006 (from "Bombs Over Baghdad" to "Hey Ya!" to the soundtrack for "Idlewild").
The nostalgic part sounds like a soul band, similar to Amy Winehouse but without the pathos. Monáe's elastic voice is better than average but hard to pick out of a lineup; it helps that she's willing to act with it.
On "Sincerely, Jane," she rips the line "Are we really living or just walking dead now?!"out of her nose with Broadway brass; she floats around through a version of "Smile" (from the Charlie Chaplin movie "Modern Times," made famous by Nat "King" Cole and Michael Jackson) with the lazy swing of a coy jazz singer. She's packaged "Metropolis" with sci-fi imagery and a radio-drama-style story line.
Monáe is almost a star, thanks to some help from hip-hop moguls in Atlanta and New York City. Outkast rapper Big Boi (the less weird one) gave her an early co-sign, and Bad Boy Records CEO Sean "Diddy" Combs gave her her own label, Wondaland Arts Society; both men executive produce "Metropolis."
It's a safe bet next time she's in Seattle, probably after her debut full-length album comes out in January, Monáe won't need an introduction. And it won't be for just $10.
Andrew Matson: 206-464-2153
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Anjulie mixes musical styles into a lot of fun
Mose Allison, pianist and composer, still shoots from the hip at 82
Retro celeb-popsters Cherdonna and Lou on stage for 2 nights
Review: A night at the Seattle International Cabaret Festival

Opening day at Crystal Mountain
Skiers crowded the slopes at Crystal Mountain for one of the resort's earliest openings.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks
- Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
- Razor found in muffin an accident, 'mortified' baker says
- Suspect's family shaken by slaying of police officer
- Mountlake Terrace woman reports razor in muffin
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
632 - Seattle man to pack a pistol into community center to protest mayor's ban
247 - GOP clueless as families struggle with health care
178 - Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
177 - KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
141 - Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
132 - Wright State game thread
97 - Person of interest in custody in connection with Greenwood arsons
96 - Rang says Locker not ready for NFL
85 - Licata looks at boosting traffic-ticket revenue
74
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Washington in race for federal education funds
- An 802.11n upgrade could make a big difference
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Goodwill's Glitter Sale is Nov. 14-15








