Sandwiched between several colorful ATLien-funk boogies that should keep house parties pumping well into the next year, Sir Lucious Left Foot standout “Be Still” finds Big Boi slowing things down a bit to reflect on relationships, ceding much of the spotlight for another bravura vocal performance from his always-stunning “Tightrope” partner Janelle Monae.
Here, backed by a beat that’s anchored with a Prince-esque drum machine loop and set a-flight with starry-eyed synth prettiness and twinkling piano, Monae sets her delivery to relaxed and tender with a slight overcast of sorrow as she speaks on the long-lasting damage a failed romance has brought upon her: “I love being in love/ Then you let me down/…Giving up on love/ Makes my ocean drown”.
The theme may be a tad somber, but when you have Janelle slinking her way into your eardrums with the loveliest lullaby melodies, the threat of getting a lil’ teary-eyed for a couple minutes never felt so inviting.
The second cut from Janelle Monae‘s The ArchAndroid to get the Wondamix remix treatment, this re-haul of “Cold War” tosses out the apocalyptic futuro-funk/ rock gallop of the original and attaches Monae’s emotional crumbling at the hands of public scorn (“I’m tryin’ to find my peace/ I was made to believe something’s wrong with me…”) to a more subdued electro-soul shimmer.
It’s nowhere near the exhilarating sonic trip that was the original (a sort of sibling record to Outkast’s equally bold and genre-blurring “Bombs Over Baghdad”), but hearing Monae’s dramatic belts bathed in meandering New Age synths and romantic Spanish guitar manages to grasp a certain soothing preciousness that makes this 2.0 take an ideal chill-time accompaniment.
Just when we were beginning to wonder what the hell was up with a guest rapper-laden remix to Janelle Monae‘s ArchAndroid jump-off cut, the funky cyborg drops this “Wondamix”, which finds her recruiting a couple new emcees to take a tip on the tightrope alongside her, while also taking the time to loosen up her black & white tux (no other colors needed) and drop a few rhymes of her own.
And while it features killer verses from Lupe Fiasco and (the seemingly everywhere) B.o.B (“There are no apologies/ For dropping all these prophecies/ Breaking over barriers/ You juggernauts ain’t stoppin’ me” goes one of many lyrical highlights in the latter’s feverish sixteen), and a tough whittling down of the original’s hectic JB groove to a lean bass and fuzzed-out guitar combo, it’s Monae-as-B-girl who ends up truly stealing the show, whether cutting down wannabe fashion critics (“T-t-t-talking about/ ‘Wh-wh-why don’t she change her clothes?’/ Well they ain’t seem to mind the last three times I posed in Vogue”) or boasting “I can’t pause/ I balance all like I’m Dominique Dawes”.
If somehow you’ve never managed to come across the eccentric soul-funk-rock dynamo that is Janelle Monae, boy do we feel sorry for you that your life is so lacking.
A super-heroine born out of the wedded universes of Stankonia, Broadway and whatever the hell alternate dimensions Grace Jones, Nona Hendryx and George Clinton and his P-Funk crew came from, Monae rocked music lovers in desperate need of something truly new to their core a few years back with her debut EP Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase, an awe-inspiring mini-set based around fanciful sci-fi concepts and genre-blurring production schemes.
This year marks Monae’s much-anticipated return, she’s set to drop sophomore collection The ArchAndroid in May, and she’s kicking off this brand new era with the unquestionably excellent “Tightrope”, a Big Boi collaboration basically encouraging listeners to follow her lead by doing themselves and doing themselves well with nary a thought given to the opinionated gab of others while pumping out their sweatiest jig in line with the track’s tightly wound, JB-inspired gaiety.
“I tip on alligators/ And little rattle-snakers/ But I’m another flavor/ Something like a terminator/ Ain’t no equivocating,” she breathlessly spews in a vocal performance that’s just as wildly infectious as “Tightrope”‘s rapid-paced mix of tumbling drums, funked out bass, Spanish guitar and sultry horn blasts. And while we would’ve gladly appreciated Andre 3000 gracing the cut with his presence (maybe for the remix?), we can’t easily dismiss his Outkast partner Big Boi’s slick, threat-soaked contribution: “See why you don’t want no friction like the back of a matchbook/ Daddy Fatsacks will fold you in your MacBook…”.
Add this single (available for purchase through Monae’s website) and the May-set release of The ArchAndroid as two more reasons why 2010 is shaping up to be a great year for music.
“Tightrope”:
Below, snatch up the cut that made us first fall in love with Monae: “Lettin’ Go”, a breezy tribute to Off The Hook-era MJ from 2005′s Got Purp? Vol. 2 compilation, that somehow makes getting fired from your job sound just as fun as winning the Lottery.
For months, it’s been difficult to escape the hyping of alt-pop-meets-hip hop, Harvard grad duo Chester French. From the endless “ones to watch” music press/ blog shout-outs to the high-profile support of A-list hip hop figures like Kanye West and eventual label boss Pharrell Williams, we’ve been damn near brainwashed into becoming fans of these cats.
Hoping to build up an even stronger buzz for debut album Love The Future (while further highlighting their cool circle of friends), the team of Maxwell Drummey and D.A. Wallach recently dropped the pre-official release mixtape, Jacque Jams, Vol. 1 – Endurance, which tracks the on-the-rise trek of their previous six years through material both old and new, some amusing skits, and the “exclusive” inclusion of a self-produced Lady Gaga remix, not to mention a laundry list of cameo appearances that includes Diddy, Jadakiss, Bun B, Solange, Talib Kweli and Cassie amongst others.
Preview a couple of MM’s faves below:
It’s kind of sad that Janelle Monae still hasn’t quite set the world on fire with her brilliant sci-fi-soul sound (you NEED to pick up Metropolis The Chase Suite like right now), but nevertheless she makes for a great duet partner on the geeky puppy love ode “Nerd Girl”, a prance-y mix of Beatles vocal creaminess and ’80′s synth-pop tenderness.
“I wear tiny suits and bowties, some might call me strange,” she coos. Oh Miss Monae, that’s hardly a bad thing.
Meanwhile, “Life In LA” details guest stars Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri’s wild and crazy sexcapades with the City of Angels’ bottomless well of overly worked on, coke-sniffing Barbie Dolls atop old school rap drum clatter and space-age ambiance. Unfortunately, the good times are all over for the French boys, who’ve partied all their dough away and now must leave all the fun and sun behind.
As nice as it is to get free music, think of how much better your soul would feel if you purchased it the old-fashioned way.
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(MP3 posts are for promotional and/ or previewing purposes only; if any artist or their representation wish to have the links removed, contact me and I will happily comply!)
Sandwiched between several colorful ATLien-funk boogies that should keep house parties pumping well into the next year, Sir Lucious Left Foot standout “Be Still” finds Big Boi slowing things down a bit to reflect on relationships, ceding much of the spotlight for another bravura vocal performance from his always-stunning “Tightrope” partner Janelle Monae. 
For months, it’s been difficult to escape the hyping of alt-pop-meets-hip hop, Harvard grad duo
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