Trystan Casey
Janelle Monáe's second studio album, *The Electric Lady*, was released on 6 September 2013 by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records, and Atlantic Records. The album, which consists of 19 songs, is the follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut studio album, *The ArchAndroid* (2010). *The Electric Lady* is available on Spotify and features songs such as Dance Apocalyptic, Q.U.E.E.N., Electric Lady, and Ghetto Woman.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Album name | The Electric Lady |
| Artist | Janelle Monáe |
| Year | 2013 |
| No. of songs | 19 |
| Genre | Hip hop soul, funk, gospel, jazz, rock, pop, reggae |
| Features | Solange, Prince, Erykah Badu, Miguel |
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What You'll Learn
Janelle Monáe's second album
The Electric Lady consists of 19 songs and incorporates influences from hip hop soul, funk, gospel, jazz, rock, pop, and reggae. It serves as the fourth and fifth instalments of her seven-part Metropolis concept series, which involves the fictional tale of Cindi Mayweather, a messianic android.
Monáe worked with her tight-knit Wondaland collaborators, including guitarist Kellindo Parker, Nate "Rocket" Wonder, and Roman GianArthur. The album also features guest spots from Prince, Erykah Badu, Miguel, and Solange.
The Electric Lady has been described as looser and more physical than Monáe's debut album, with a focus on dancing, sex, love, and abandon. It includes songs such as "Dance Apocalyptic", "Q.U.E.E.N.", "Electric Lady", "Ghetto Woman", "We Were Rock and Roll", "Give Em What You Love", and "Can't Live Without Your Love". The album explores themes of connection, loneliness, and emotional vulnerability.
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Electric Lady's features and collaborators
Janelle Monáe's second studio album, The Electric Lady, was released on 6 September 2013. The album serves as the fourth and fifth instalments of her seven-part Metropolis concept series.
The album features guest appearances by Miguel, Erykah Badu, Solange, Prince, and Esperanza Spalding. It also features production from previous collaborator, funk duo Deep Cotton, as well as soul music composer Roman GianArthur.
The Electric Lady includes emotional and personal songs, with Monáe's lyrics telegraphing a desire to break away. The album includes soul ballads like “It's Code" and "Can't Live Without Your Love", which feature some of Monáe's most emotionally bare and abject singing.
The album also includes “Dance Apocalyptic”, which illustrates many of Monáe's artistic ambitions. The song "Q.U.E.E.N." also stands out for its knockout details, such as the rusty poking bedspring of a guitar.
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Electric Lady's musical influences
Janelle Monáe's second studio album, The Electric Lady, was released on 6 September 2013 by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records, and Atlantic Records. The album serves as the fourth and fifth installments of her seven-part Metropolis concept series.
The Electric Lady incorporates influences from a wide range of musical genres, including hip hop soul, funk, gospel, jazz, rock, pop, and reggae. The album also features guest appearances by artists such as Miguel, Erykah Badu, Solange, Prince, and Esperanza Spalding, with production from previous collaborator, funk duo Deep Cotton, as well as soul music composer Roman GianArthur.
Thematically, The Electric Lady continues the dystopic cyborg concepts of its predecessors while experimenting with genres beyond conventional funk and soul music. It also explores more plainspoken, personal territory, including woozy and sensual vocal ballads.
Monáe's centrality of dance to her aesthetic reportedly led to an obsession with "how the human body might respond to [her music]". This focus on dance and movement is evident in the music video for "Dance Apocalyptic," which repurposes the dance styles of minstrelsy into an allegory about the decaying infrastructure of the urban community.
The Electric Lady received universal acclaim from music critics, with Metacritic giving the album an average score of 82 out of 100 based on 37 reviews.
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Electric Lady's critical reception
Janelle Monáe's second studio album, *The Electric Lady*, was released on 6 September 2013. It received universal acclaim from music critics, with an average score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 37 reviews. The album serves as the fourth and fifth instalments of her seven-part Metropolis concept series.
Thematically, *The Electric Lady* continues the dystopic cyborg concepts of its predecessors, while experimenting with genres beyond conventional funk and soul music, such as jazz, pop punk, and gospel. The album features guest appearances by Miguel, Erykah Badu, Solange, Prince, and Esperanza Spalding, with production from previous collaborator, funk duo Deep Cotton, as well as soul music composer Roman GianArthur.
Monáe promoted the album by hosting listening sessions for press and VIPs in various locations across the United States. Three short films were also uploaded to her official YouTube account as cinematic advertisements for the album. The music video for "Q.U.E.E.N." won Best Art Direction at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Paste magazine placed "Q.U.E.E.N." at number one on its list of "The 50 Best Songs of 2013". The A.V. Club ranked *The Electric Lady* at number fourteen on its list of "The 23 best albums of 2013".
The Electric Lady debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 47,000 copies, making it Monáe's highest debut-week sales at the time.
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Electric Lady's lyrics and themes
"Electric Lady" is a song by American psychedelic soul and R&B singer Janelle Monáe featuring singer Solange. It was released on July 30, 2014, as the fourth and final single from Monáe's second studio album, "The Electric Lady". The song serves as the title track from the album and is one of the more up-tempo tracks on the album.
The song "Electric Lady" takes on the concept of female empowerment and focuses on the need for women to be themselves while simultaneously maintaining self-control over their bodies and sexuality. This, in turn, takes the power over women's bodies away from men. Monáe raps the climax portion of the song to further emphasise her point.
In the song, Monáe describes an "electric lady", praising the mythical title woman. She raps:
> "She can fly you straight to the moon into the ghettos/Wearing tennis shoes or in flats or in stilettos," and "Illuminating all that she touches, eye on the sparrow/A modern-day Joan of her Arc, or Mia Farrow."
Writing for Rolling Stone magazine, Ryan Reed describes "Electric Lady" as "a perfect showcase for Monáe's eclectic talents, as she praises the mythical title woman over soulful horns and a shape-shifting groove."
The album "The Electric Lady" is divided into Suites IV and V (out of a total of seven) of Monáe's Metropolis saga, which follows the story of the ArchAndroid Cindi Mayweather. As with the whole Metropolis saga, this album uses science fiction as a driving tool to explore similar themes of freedom from oppression, self-expression, and romantic love.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Janelle Monáe's album The Electric Lady was released on Spotify on September 6, 2013.
There are 19 songs on the album.
Monáe collaborated with Wondaland artists such as Kellindo Parker, Nate "Rocket" Wonder, Chuck Lightning, and Roman GianArthur. The album also features guest spots from Prince, Erykah Badu, Miguel, and Solange.
