Janelle Monáe - 'ArchAndroid'

Janelle Monáe's ArchAndroid vacillates from one genre to another without compromising quality.

Janelle Monae first broke out with her memorable guest turns on OutKast's Idlewild soundtrack and Big Boi's Got Purp. Vol II mixtape. On her debut LP, Monáe is unshackled by the constraints of genre. She's as much at home with a cathartic ballad ("57821") as she is with a frenetic rocker ("Faster") or an Oprah-style self-motivational anthem ("Tightrope"). But stylistic variety means nothing without the memorable performances to back it up. No worries, Monáe injects spoonfuls of personality in these songs on ArchAndroid.

Monáe’s debut is akin to a sugar rush -- the more you consume, the more desirable it becomes. Musically, ArchAndroid splits the difference between trunk-rattling Afro-punk and psych-rock. The album kicks off with a bang and unfolds in a steady pace, riding big basslines and G-funk production.

ArchAndroid boasts one of the best sequencing on an album in years. But this is a gift and a curse. On one hand, it attains musical continuity by bleeding each song onto the next. When she's not doing that, she creates musical links that weave the songs together. In other words, you can pop this in and do your laundry without needing to stop and change a track. The songs are dissected in different suites, so it sounds like you're listening to two different albums with seamless transition. Throwing a house party? No problem. Press play, throw back, and watch DJ Monáe dictate the mood. The flip side of this splintered structure makes it tedious to navigate at first. Once your ear adjusts to this initial hump, though, you’re in for a thrilling ride to Wondaland.