The ArchAndroid

Very interesting range of styles and I enjoyed a number of the tracks. Can’t give it anywhere close to the five star rating many have given it, but she is talented.

This was a little surprising. The album contained a mix of music with the arrangements being reasonably sophisticated. Although I did not completely love the album, I enjoyed listening to it.

I loved this album when it came out and there are still some fun tunes in the top half but some of the shine has definitely worn off and the drop off in the back half is pretty rough.

I love Janelle's world building prowess, but I never got into this album. A relisten didn't move me either.

not a bad album, was a drag to get through. id call it average at best

some nice and sexy tracks, saved

Wanted to really enjoy this one, but honestly the theme didn’t do a lot for me, and while it’s very well made, only a couple of songs stood out to me. Those songs are very good, but the rest of the album was just decent.

Ambitieus project, waar je moeilijk een vinger op kunt leggen. Dat komt deels door de vluchtigheid van stijlen, waarbij je soms richting een rock-opera gaat en soms meer naar een broadway show lijkt te luisteren. Maar ook deels door het concept wat in zijn moderne composities best sterk naar voren komt, maar voor de rest qua storytelling een beetje over m'n hoofd vliegt. Momenten als Mushrooms & Roses, en de gitaar in Neon Valley Street, grijpen aan, en doen me ontwaken uit een enigszins wazige luisterbeurt. Die eerste is heel erg Eddie Hazel-Funkadelic, I like it. Zo zijn er wel meer momenten die breken met de iets wat gezapige rode draad, maar voor een album van ruim een uur hielt het niet echt over. Ik denk wel dat dit een plaat is die valt na meerdere luisterbeurten, en ik zie ook wel de creatieve intenties. Voor nu hou ik het op een 6,5. 6,5/10 Highlights: Tightrope Mushrooms & Roses

Its good. The symphonic parts are good, we love an Of Montreal crossover, great vocals, wide range of songs, interesting beats. Didn't fully connect and nothing in it became an earworm, but solid all around.

Songs like "locked inside" definitely deserve the comparison to some Michael Jackson stuff. It sounds like a sequel to a specific song that I think has the "mama say mama sa" part. Overall, this was very nice. A wide journey of sounds, but I enjoyed it.

Suite ii overture - 3 Dance or die - 4 Faster - 3/4 Locked inside - 3 Sir greendown - 3 Cold war - 4 Tightrope - 5 Neon gumbo - 2 Oh, maker - 4 Come alive (war of the roses) - 4 Mushrooms & roses - 2 Suite iii overture - 3 Neon valley street - 3 Make the bus - 3 Wondaland - 3 57821 - 3 Say you'll go - 3 Babopbyeya - 3

Elle sait (quasiment) tout faire, et ça se ressent dans l'album. La plénitude d'instruments utilisés augmente ce constat vu qu'elle arrive à faire ressentir ça dans un contexte pop, rock, classique ou hip-hop Par contre : - Certaines chansons trainent dans la longueur - Certaines chansons sont oubliables et n'ajoutent pas grand chose sur l’ambiance générale de l’album Mais les chansons qui, je trouve, sont dans aucune des catégories au dessus, sont très très bonnes Un album qui passe bien

This is the debut for Janelle Monae. The album exceeded my {low) expectations. The arrangements were good and there was a wide variety of musical styles here. My only criticism is that some of the later tracks were mediocre. I think if a few of those were eliminated the album would be stronger.

When this came out, I didn't like the singles. I also read her book recently and thought it was just OK. But I do admire the vision of this project. Starting off with an orchestral overture is cool. It's not for me in practice, but it could have been in theory, so that's worth 3 stars. Highlights: 'Faster', a little backwards decoding fun on 'Neon Gumbo' Today in "there are only 5 bass lines": I thought 'Come Alive' had sampled 'Blister in the Sun' because it sounded so similar, but Wiki mentions it also sounds like 'Rock Lobster', which made me realise 'Blister in the Sun' sounds the same as 'Rock Lobster' :o

It’s hard to believe this came out over 10 years ago. Clearly Janelle Monáe is talented and has a vision. There are some gems on this album. I have to wonder if she wasn’t a woman if the album would have received more attention.

Sympa à écouter mais ça ne m’a pas marqué au final

Pretty good, very different genre to what I’ve listen to so far!

Quite good, with a varied sound. Bothered me how often she used "schizo" as some sort of generic adjective

2.5 I like the first half better than the second.

Compared to yesterday’s album, this one feels like a gem. Sadly I only had time for a single listen, but I like a few things here, mainly how incredibly eclectic and hard to pin down it is while still staying accessible. Some tracks sound really good, I like how versatile is her voice, and I will definitely give it another spin and it might even deserve 4 stars. Not sure yet.

Very diverse album with many different moods and beats. Some songs weren't exactly my style, but I still enjoyed most tracks. I'll have to give it a relisten both to add a few songs to my playlist and to take a closer look at the lyrics.

This is the first album to really challenge my rating system, and is making me have to think about how it is codified. On one hand there's a LOT to like about this album. On the other hand, that "LOT" is a double edged sword too, I think. There's some great funkiness, guitar and it's very creative. but it's also all over the place which makes it hard for me to immerse in it, and there a couple songs that make that immersion more difficult. It's like it tries too much. It's very artsy/theatric. I guess you risk that with a concept album. Concept albums rarely get beyond something in the 3 range because I personally cannot lose myself in them. Generally I'd lean 3.5, which would round to 4, because honestly it, as an effort, is overall quite good. But per my own rating system, 4s would see themselves in my rotation pretty often. I don't think this would. I could definitely queue songs from this album though, which would make it at least a 3, and I guess from artistic and production perspectives, it might get a bump as well. Perhaps future listens would move this to a 4, I don't know. It is really making me wish we had half stars here, though. I'm going to have to give it a 3.49 and be satisfied with that. There's a lot of strong stuff on this album, but as a whole I would not be listening to it a lot.

Some brilliant songs and some filler. Was a defining album for her. Just overblown a little.

Muy interesante con sonidos que recuerdan a Withney Houston. Las historias de las canciones muy futuristas.

It was somehow better at times than what I expected but also worse at times. Not bad, but not good.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Very inventive and it had a nice flow.

I don’t think I will ever return to this album. I did save a couple songs, but I don’t think I I will ever sit through this whole album again and it’s an entirety. She did provide some great performances and it’s just nothing that stuck with me if that makes sense like the song that I did like are probably gonna end up on my liked song playlist and then I’m gonna be listening to this cool

Was pretty solid but a bit long to stay into it the full time, would visit a couple songs again like Dance or Die, Faster, and then Tightrope has been a song I’ve heard and enjoyed previously. Album seems overproduced at times.

An interesting album. It takes some big swings and risks. Not all of them pay off, but more hit than miss. I like it.

Very very cool. I remember when I first saw this all over streaming services and gave it a try. Way too much dance-pop for my taste. I never gave it a second thought. In this analytical listen I can really appreciate Janelle's creative style. As I've stated in the past, I'm a sucker for any good concept album and this is certainly a good one. Still too "dance-poppy" for me. 3.5

Definitely not my cup of tea, but it's clearly well made pop music, and a product of its time. Favorite Track: Dance or Die

This is not what I was expecting at all. It was so diverse and fun, I had a good time listening to this record. A fun mix of R&B, hip hop, jazz and a bit latin infused, truly fun album overall. Great vocals as well.

Remember it coming out and still great.

Lots of good music here, I just couldn't get into the flow of the album, it's too long with too much variety. Maybe it's unfocused or maybe I wasn't focused enough on it, idk

Pretty fun pop album with some unique sounds and fun songs.

Better than expected

Попса Чуть сложнее аранжировки и атмосфера чем обычно в жанре

This was just okay for me. Nothing special, but not atrocious or hard to listen to. Not my style, though.

decent

Amazing! I really enjoyed this. Not a "throw this on to dance to" record, but it has such range! Makes for fun listening

This is good maybe a little to cinematic for me

I quite like this! Cool combination of classical and electronic elements.

A little too abstract for me, but good and creative

Þetta var hressandi og margt mjög gott. Ömurlegt record lable samt.

Afskaplega vandað og þægilegt.

A varied and enjoyable album. A second listen may reveal how much I enjoy this album

Nice pop record. Bit too polished for my taste sometimes. 3.5.

love janelle, not this album tho

Eclectic worth a second lustef

Exceptional pop, but still pop. Not my genre but I could appreciate it on some level.

3 out of 5. Took me pleasantly by surprise and great production.

It's just so much going on

Very impressive debut album. Genre-defying and interesting. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I'd come back to it.

Enjoyed it, but likely won't listen to it again

I found this album a bit confusing, definitely couldn't call it samey because practically every track is a different genre, but it's also just a bit all over the place - for me there's no real cohesion as an album besides the odd robotic vocal. I like Janelle's voice, and I liked songs that highlighted it. Wasn't a huge fan of the interlude tracks like "Neon Gumbo" and even the intro "Suite II Overture". They just didn't fit for me. Highlights: "Tightrope" - loved the funk "Come Alive" - nice edge to the vocals (and nice vocal variety in general), bit of a swing, bit of a bop. Playlist submission. "Say You'll Go" - bit repetitive, but really nice vocals "BaBopByeYa" - nice vocals, interesting exploration of themes/ideas, nice instrumentation For me, it's a really mixed bag of an album - nothing actively unpleasant to listen to, but certainly some songs that just didn't interest or click with me. Honestly the lack of cohesion is probably my biggest issue with it. Some 2s, some 3s, some 4s. Going to average out at a 3 as a cop-out.

Solid album with some fun songs. Def some I wasn’t about though.

I really liked this for some strange reason, maybe because it was a bit strange. The stand out tracks for me were 'Mushrooms and Roses' & 'Cold War'. If all Soul was like this, then it would have been a genre I could have got into more.

A lot of amazing stuff but a little long and some misses

This album doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up. An eclectic mix of beats and rhythms across genres. The album is polished enough to keep you listening but not entertaining enough to keep you engaged.

Her debut album. Pop / Soul. Very slick and well produced. Some great vocals too. It went by quick for a sixty-eight minute album. Very busy with nice arrangements. Pretty good.

This is an interesting album because I remember trying to listen to it previously (Couple years back) and absolutely not liking it. And going into it, I was expecting not to like it. Listening to it not, I honestly can't remember why I didn't like it, it's a really solid album. The first half of the album has some absolute bangers, especially Tightrope. However, the second half of the album does fall off a bit for me. Between the length of the album and it really falling into (This is a poor description, but it's the only thing I can think of) Disney soundtrack-isms (?) and some psychedelic pop that I don't really like, the second half just isn't my thing. A lot of the second half doesn't really have the bangers that the first half did. Was ready to give it a 4, but it kinda fell off to a 3.

Wel lachen maar soms ook irritant ofzo

Not bad but not really my style overall. I can see why its highly rated though.

Reminded me of a musical or a Disney movie in the bg. Not exactly my cup of tea, but overall fun!

This was a cool and quite musically varied album. It's not quite up my alley though and I didnt walk away finding any of the songs being hot bops I'd want to listen to again

This was a pleasant surprise. I had never listened to any of her music prior to this, but I know Dirty Computer received a lot of praise when that came out. I think the latter half of this went a little far into the “could be a stage musical” direction for me. If it stopped after Mushrooms and Roses I would have given this a higher score. Favorite songs were Faster, Cold War, Tightrope, and Mushrooms and Roses.

stellar effort, very creative and I have to say I was impressed - I liked Tightrope when this came out but got sick of it quick - this is from 2010 - over the yrs she has shone more as an actor - hidden figures for ex. and I like her more on screen than as a singer

Eclectic really interesting blend of genres. I thought this would be bad hip-hop. I was pleasantly surprised.

hypnotiserend!

Overall good, forgettable in parts and maybe a bit long. Interesting use of different genres, would listen again

There is something to be said for the ambition of this album. The sheer volume of sounds, genres and interesting things it tries in it's hour plus length are staggering. It's all here, to more traditional R&B tunes, psychedelia, orchestral arrangements, more hip hop adjacent tracks, some rock tinged tracks, and what feels like showtunes-lite for good measure. For a good portion of these tracks, Monae feels at home and takes advantage of strong vocal ability to bring them home. Some, however, are huge misses- particularly tracks like "Come Alive (War of the Roses", where Monae's vocals are melodramatic and shrill and the production borders on cartoonish. The track that follows it, "Mushrooms & Roses", an attempt at Beatles-esque psychedelics is a dreary and uninspired low point on the album. Monae clearly has talent on display on her first studio album, in terms of both her vocal and production ability, but I feel as though a lot of the grander ambitions of this album could've been checked and reigned in by a seasoned producer looking to hone this into a more focused experience. Another small thought on that front, this album front to back has variety lush, maximalist production, which is great, but this borders on it seeming sterile, in the same way a lot of work from the early 2010's does, which I don't think has aged well and helps to draw away from and render imperfect some of the attempts at Monae's expansion of her genre horizons. Favorite Tracks: Faster, Sir Greendown, Neon Valley Street Least Favorite Tracks: Come Alive (War of the Roses), Mushrooms & Roses, Make the Bus

It's certainly an ambitious album. I doubt very many R&B artists would open their debut studio album with an overture fit for a Nutcracker performance or producing something like Come Alive (War of the Roses). But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the future Emmy winning creative was perhaps more interested in exploring the art form than releasing a highly focused project. I found myself looking for, and finding, pieces throughout the album that I really enjoyed, such as Dance or Die and the orchestral moments. Unfortunately, some of the more jarring pieces such as Oh, Maker and Make the Bus really detract from the experience. Overall I'm very appreciative of the variety presented, and the quality of technical execution across that variety is truly impressive.

Intergalactic cabaret music.

Couple of songs are really cool, eg oh Maker, but the rest not quite my taste

first song is a skip but the rest of the album is good

Some bops, I will be honest I'm only keeping it a 3 because I don't think I'm currently in the right headspace for this particular album. I WILL SAY THO, I love Monáe's work, and that every track just slides into the next one seemlessly 🩷

The likes The Beatles.

Very Cool album Could be a bedtime one

This had a little bit of everything

first track was really interesting I will I will be going back to this I did enjoy 8.5/10

Interesting. Listened to twice and can't get my head around what it is. how do you describe the music? How do you describe the story? Is the album saying anything? Neither negative nor positive, just confused. Solid 3.

Very good album, beautiful voice

of montreal wtf you doing here

Kind of like listening to 12 albums in one, so a bit messy but a lot of fun.

Starts with entertaining but after seeing 5 or 6 it really becomes a dated and difficult album to listen to

Good lp. Psychedelic Afrofuturist. Wondaland is a great song.

Good album, but not something I would have found myself!

Haven’t listened to Janelle Monae is years. It was nice to revisit (3.5)

This is really well made and a lot of fun but there is just something about it that doesn't fully mesh with my sensibilities. I really appreciate it though. (3.5)

This was surprisingly good. I enjoyed this record and everything that it had to offer. Great music, production, writing, vibe, etc.

A super fun listen! Super diverse melting different genres into an album!

I listened to some of it in the background of getting ready. It was unique and I enjoyed it. Didn’t listen to the lyrics so I’m not sure if I would’ve liked it more or less if I had. Overall not bad I liked it

It's easy to understand why this would be on the list. You see so many classic influences, from David Bowie to Stevie Wonder, and they're being used decades later for the blending of genres with more contemporary legends like Big Boi— that dash of OutKast elevates the experience. I feel like the vocal aspect is a little forced at times, like pushing to achieve something grand, and it's achieved, I just don't love noticing that effort. That might be the concept's fault. I do like the way the concept of the record gave the experience a north, and even though it doesn't begin or finish the story, it feels like a complete record experience. I also feel like it forces the artist to explain things so that it makes sense, but it makes a more dense experience. I imagine this was a killer live performance, though. Not something I'd revisit. 3/5

good stuff, i like that all the songs i downloaded were added to a different playlist. interesting and versatile album!

Creative, funky and cool

Die Kollabo mit of Montreal hat mich kalt erwischt! Of Montreal sind so großartig … Janelle schon auch - nah an 4 Sternen

very much an album of two halves for me. LOVED the first half but the second half didn’t appeal as much

A good album, I liked Suite II Overture and Sir Greendown the most.

This was alright, I’d never heard of the artist before

J: It’s crazy how many genres and instruments she packs into this album. It’s very fun sounding. Mixed well, it never feels too crowded despite the many instruments and sounds. None of the songs had an immediate deep connection with me, but I like them enough to go back and re-listen every now and then. It is a very interesting exploration of what you can do when you decide to break away from the boundaries of genre. Will need a deeper listen to get more out of it, specially the lyrics. 3.5 V: I would listen again, especially like hour 12 on a road trip. I liked the upbeat songs the best, and I was amazed at the mixing and blending from song to song. Her voice surprised me as well, how it could change within the micro genres of the album.

This was cool. Fun bits with big boy in it. Obviously insane talent. Not my sound. 6.8/10

Gesang top, trotz der Länge abwechslungsreich und trotzdem bleibt für eine hohe Bewertung etwas zu wenig hängen. Knapp an 4 Sternen vorbei.

Wasn’t expecting Of Montreal to feature on one of these songs.

like beyonce but not as shit

Alku oli yllättävä, mutta sitten levy vaihtoi tyyliä. En kuunnellut loppuun, ainakaan nyt. 2,5/5.

Def a vibe.

It's not bad, it just doesn't grab me in any real way. It's very produced and I don't think that's a bad thing here; still the glossiness and refinement kinda make me tune out pretty quickly. I had some friends who played this album a lot when it came out, and I had the same feelings then as I do now. But again, it's not bad music at all. It's very entertaining. It's a thing where I'm more into actually seeing it, which of course Janelle Monae is spectacular visually, in dance and movement, and 'cause she's so damn good-looking. She's got tons of charisma, there's no denying that. Just not something I'd ever put on or even really want to listen to. But it's not bad.

Good, 3.5

If I ever have an hour to kill, I might go back and listen to this one in full because I’m not sure what I think after skimming through it. Concept is interesting and it sounds ok, but I have a feeling I’d be sick of it after 40 mins let alone 68

I understand why this is an interesting album and a good piece of work, but I don't need to listen to the whole thing to know I don't like it. I'll give it an average rating though.

This is a bit of a funny mix of an album. At times it wears its concept lightly, in particular the beginning of the album (minus the classical overture) but also other tracks dotted throughout. What I appreciate about it most is the boldness to have two primarily classical tracks and the other “full concept”tracks where you really have to buy in to that. This could easily have been a dull pop album if you lopped off a few tracks, but then maybe that was never going to happen with a lady of many talents like Janelle Monae.

I think "Tightrope" feat Big Boi summed this up.  Great energy, excellent vocal range hip hopping between a rap / Beyonce style warble.  Later you have "Oh Maker" which has delicate parts that has yet another musical and vocal style.  "Come Alive" is then like a musical with a rock edge.  You get the idea. Talent, no doubt, so probably this just comes down to your musical preferences.  I cant find any specific fault in the music here so unusually going to come out of my hip hop / mainstream closet and give this a decent thumbs up. I will continue to explore my musical sexuality with this album its not bad.

I wasn't taken with the first third of this album. To my ears, it was just another generic pop album. Something changed around 'Come Alive (War of the Roses)' and it started to become something a bit more interesting. I like a concept album. They risk a bit of self indulgence and can sometimes be bit too much concept and not enough actually good music. This album treads the line on both of these things but I applaud the effort put towards making something genuinely different and artistically risky. The overview mentions David Bowie, which elicited a sceptical snort when I first read it, but actually I can hear some Bowiesque elements in this. It is the sort of thing he might have made if he was born with different race, gender, generation, and nationality. Overall, I have to say I quite liked this. There were some cringy moments but you can't make an omelette without cracking a few eggs. And you can't make a double disk concept album about coming to Earth as an Alien Android without having a few weird moments.

Not bad but not my thing

Ganz nett

Beats, vocals, instrumentals. This album was hitting. Max vibes!

Good energy, solid production, but not something I’ll come back to.

Arrancó con todo y con el correr del album se me fue apagando la chispa. Un gran pop igualmente, con cosas a MJ, y una voz increíble de una artista que no conocía. Pero siento que con unos minutos menos el álbum me cerraba más. Después también supongo tiene toda una historia detras que me deja de lado por el idioma. 5/10

3.1

Lyxigt album med många höga toppar, men också en del tråk tyvärr. Kan tänka mig att det växer mycket om man djupdyker in i dess värld. Respekt!

Började lyssna i söndags kväll på min raska promenad runt elljusspåret men var tvungen att byta till podd för jag hann inte med mina egna ben. Det gick så fort. Så otroligt fort. Jag tycker det är ballt men är lite för långt och stressigt. Fin helthet ändå.

jag respekterar verkligen visionen!!

Solid

Ofc Faster and Tightrope are great songs. Dance or Die, Cold War and Come Alive were also good. Locked Inside has a vintage disco vibe that I like. TBH - the album could have ended after Come Alive.

This sounds like a soundtrack. I think that was the intention. It is a little long for a new artist. Quite ambitious. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. Album came out 15 years ago and I never heard of this person or album. I'm not even entirely sure what genre this would be classified. Could have probably died and not heard this album though. 1001 albums might be too many albums.

2.5. A little too random for its own sake. But not too bad.

Not bad, not really my thing

at its weirdest, it's cool.

The ArchAndroid is an interesting kind of genre-bending album that made for a really nice listen. It's poppy, rocky, soulful, and full of surprises. It isn't really what I expected at all, and I'm glad for it. A lot of the songs were catchy and I liked the string arrangements strewn throughout. It gives the album a weird vibe though; you never know quite where it's trying to go or what its attempting to achieve. Some sort of classical steampunk futuristic pop scene? It's a bit disjointed. There was an almost Beatles-like feel to a few of the songs. There's maybe a little twist of James Bond-esque spy thriller thrown in. It's interesting though, I'll give it that. Standouts for me were "Cold War" "Oh, Maker" "Mushrooms & Roses" and "Say You'll Go." Overall, this was a refreshing dreamy album that made for a fun listen. The album cover is a little cringy but it does kind of encapsulate the vibe of the album. I'd gladly listen to some of this again if it came on, but it's a little too poppy for me for regular listening. I think this is an album that would for sure grow on you with more listens. It's a pretty good 3.5/5 for me.

I remembered liking this more when it first came out. Now it just didn’t do much for me. A lot of what just seemed free form to me.

2010. Guitar solos are cool. Orchestral arrangements are cool. Janelle Monáe is such a cool weirdo.

Bisschen eintönig. Eigentlich aber ganz nice

Some songs I really loved, but others left me waiting for the next one. Interesting, but also a bit boring

Interesting album, especially because I had never heard of it or the artist. After the first songs I was expecting an rollercoaster-like experience but it feels like every song just doesn't get it's point across. Cold War and tightrope would've been such great songs if they were Drum and Bass, the best parts of the classical intermezzo's are the parts that are copied from the classics and the rest of the album blends together a bit. In theory a great idea but it fails to execute it properly

Sadly one of the i see the artistic value of this but it just does nothing for me. Its just fine but not memorable in a good way or even a bad way. It just is. It does well at creating this futuristic art deco type thing its going for. The transitions are all well and good. It feels like a whole statement. But its just not thay interesting. The music, the performances, the everything is nothing but forgettable. Also it tries some vocal manipulation on a couple of tracks and that is downright awful. Just nails on a chalkboard for me. In the end its fine and I will always lean on the side of seeing a project for its artistic intent when it lands in the fine zone. As long as you dont offend me im happy to give you a positive review. And this is one of those times

Really enjoyed this. Poppy but with some substance. Definitely will come back to. 7/10

interesting concept album. i'll definitely never listen to it again though. some of the lyrics are just cringe.

Ok Not really my scene. Reminded me of prince

If you strapped a heart rate monitor to me while I listened to this you'd see I was completely unmoved for the 1 hour and 8 minute runtime. I was not shaken or stirred, I simply endured.

interesting album. not what I would typically listen to and I doubt I will return to it, but it was fun to listen to

Pleasant, upbeat album. She has a great voice. The album has the air of a film score or musical theatre about it. Standout track - Wonderland. Lowlight - BabopbyeYa (just drags on too long)

Kind of funky, but nothing crazy.

Found this to be very average overall. That makes it a three. But then add one because she has a great voice. But then take one away because production sounds very muddy. It just can’t get away from being a three I suppose.

"You might as well keep dancin if youre not gonna run" - sterk start på et album som kanskje er litt for langt? BIK-BOK-musikk.

Pretty decent, wild Of Montreal feature on this one

I've had T-Mobile, Metro, LG, and Samsung. I've never heard of this brand.

I enjoyed this album so much more than I thought I would. I’m a sucker for a fun concept album, but it’s a dangerous game; a bad one is really bad (I’m looking at you, The Decemberists — The Hazards of Love). Unlike a lot of these types of experimental albums, I thought this one did a good job of being fun and interesting instead of being punishing and hard to listen to. And yeah, some of it was pretty weird but a lot of it was also really beautiful and cinematic.

I can appreciate how talented she is but don't particularly love a lot of the chaotic songs (Come Alive) or soundtrack/broadway-show adjacent songs. Tightrope was a standout for me.

Not my fav album of hers but I just love her style so much.

Eclectic, jazzy, robo, funky, theatrical, Big Boi, folky, theme music, BABOPBYEYA!

★★★½

There are some very good tracks on here. I probably won't go back to it, but it's a good album.

Not for me but otherwise good staff

ok again, but not me

Didn't really like the intro overture. Everything else is enjoyable, her singing is very good. The song cold war is bad, nvrmnd its getting better, i dislike the chorus or main refrain "this is a cold war, you better know what you are fighting for." Neon Gumbo -> Oh, Maker is crazy switch-up and joyous.

I used to like this more. It sounds generic now. Which perhaps isn't fair because it was innovative at the time. I just can't tell the difference in my head.

føler det er et album jeg aldri frivillig har valgt. litt kjedelig før, men var litt bedre denne gangen. vet ikke om jeg kommer til å fortsette men ja det er litt fengende og smooth til tider

14/1001 First listen. Not normally my thing but a creative, interesting and well done enjoyable album. I’ll get back to this one sometime.

for modernish pop, interesting. potentially worth a revisit

Fun theme and some really good tracks, but held back by some generic songwriting (O Maker, Sir Greendown), boring soundscapes (Wondaland, 57831), and the occasional grating vocal effect (Mushrooms and Roses, Neon Valley Overature). Vocal performances by Monae are mostly great but the features are very hit or miss. When it comes together (Dance or Die, Faster, Come Alive, Babopbye) it works fantastically, and the instrumental tracks are nice too. 3/5.

Interesting.. Some real interesting bangers on this album. Set my algorithm in an interesting direction.

De la soul un peu expérimental par moment, quelques titres sympa

Ambitious but fell short for me

The good songs and bad songs average out

I will probably never listen to this again but it’s for sure creative and I appreciate the originality

A delicious slice of R&B infused soulful pop. Would I have it on my own 1001 list, probably not. Did I enjoy it on a cold, rainy Friday morning, I sure did.

Some bangers in the first half and some really weird songs in the second.

Pretty fun. Didn't quite listen to the full thing.

Lots of respect. Not really my jam.

Songs are very diverse and the vibes are smooth, but I did not think it was a super special pop album

Some decent pop tunes. Some tripe 3 star

I first heard Janelle Monae in 2018 on the critically acclaimed 'Dirty Computer'

Great sounds on this album with some standout songs that really hit.

A lot was going on. I couldnt have predicted what the next song was gonna sound like. Incredibly multidimensional album which can be a good thing but unfortunately I was unable to keep up with it. Still an enjoyable listen overall but unlikely to be anything that I would go back to.

Undeniably impressive album. The production was through the roof and I enjoyed the concept aspect to this. Also totally wild it was her first album. That being said it just wasn't really my taste and a couple of the more poppy songs were a tad over the top.

Monáe is obviously incredibly talented and she also - which isn't a given - seems like a genuinely cool person. And I really want to like or even love her music. Because nominally, it sounds like it would be right up my alley. The problem is - besides the occasional song here and there, somehow... her music doesn't quite grab me. But I'm willing to keep trying.

On a busy day it was hard to find time to listen to such a long album with my full attention. It has a lot going on in it. Given enough time and focus, I’d probably like it. That being said, if it were something that I really resonated with, it would have cut through the business of my day.

Never heard of her. Passable easy listening with a few interesting tracks

Yeah, I mean, I think she's from a different planet than we are. I was really fully fucking with Suite II, Suite III lost me a little. I thought "Dance or Die" and "Faster" were fucking crazy as I raced to Mama Lu's in Pasadena. "Tightrope" and "Come Alive" stood out on first listen, so yeah it's all in that second Suite. I read more about her and just kind of wish I were half as cool as Janelle Monáe. That being said, I think the biggest L of ArchAndroid is the lack of focus on her killer pipes. Sometimes I just wanted the music to shut up for a second so I could hear her sing. She was bringing it back with "57821" and "Say You'll Go," which was rivetingly beautiful. A much more enjoyable listening experience than yesterday.

3+

Pre-listen: So, I've never heard of a R&B/Hip Hop sci-fi concept record, so this is kind of exciting. Listening notes: I love the big-band work. Production is strong. There are a lot of moving parts to this, and it's put together really well. I love the idea better than the execution though...though, to be fair, the genre isn't something I gravitate toward, so that might be part of my problem. Truth is, I think everything is done really well, and it's interesting, at least from a technical standpoint. I think where it falls kinda flat for me is the front half of the record. The back half picks up some, and she goes in some crazy directions musically that I didn’t expect, but the front half kind of drags. Ultimately, I could see where this record would appeal to some people, and I'm not hating on what this seemingly really talented artist is doing here. But, as weird and unexpected and eccentric as the record is as a whole, I probably won’t revisit it on account of the first handful of songs. 3.7/5

I felt like this was challenging to listen to while working but I appreciate her singular talent and capacity for wide ranging styles.

Thought "Oh no" after the first song had a distinct rap sound to it. Thankfully that was the only one. The rest were actually quite refreshing. Some R&B influences in there, with enough differentiation from run of the mill artists to make this quite good to listen to.

Honestly this album is a very nice break from the other stuff we’ve gotten so far. Kinda the opposite of the mountains of 70s rock. A lot of the tracks are pretty creative and approach a lot of genres that pop like this wouldn’t normally deal with. It also sometimes feels like it’s doing more just for the sake of making a greatest albums of all time type album. The rhythm guitar is really fun though. Some tracks also narrowly avoid falling into annoying target music, but do avoid it nonetheless. It’s also really really long so I kinda got sick of it by the end. Standout Tracks: Dance or Die; Sir Greendown; Oh, Maker; Say You’ll Go 4/5 deserves to be on this list

Electrónico. Me recuerda a Metrópolis. Muy original. Me aburre en momentos.

3.6

Loved the first 7 songs and Tightrope is awesome!

Eh

For today's 1001 albums to hear before I die I got an album I did not expect to be hearing today of all days with Janelle Monáe's acclaimed debut album The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III). While this album isn't nearly as direct and in your face about following the story started on Suite I, it does in fact add chapters to the overall story and continue building Janelle's own world. This album is theatrical and grand while never feeling cheesy or over the top. I completely get it if some of y'all want to call me crazy for this, but I far prefer Suite I to this album. Don't get me wrong I still like this project but man did I definitely feel like I was getting lost in the entire tracklist by the time it was coming to an end. It is such a huge project in terms of scale but if you aren't super invested in what is going on like with the flashy Suite I, you can definitely drift out of this album's focus without it ever picking you back up. Unfortunately that is exactly how I felt despite really liking some truly amazing tracks here like Faster, Neon Valley Street, and Dance or Die. I can appreciate all the time and effort Janelle put into this project but it just wasn't as much for me as I had initially thought.

Concept albums are not always weird. Not always great either.

Interesting. Lots of sounds. Enjoyed going through it but didn't save anything. Neutral.

Funky modern soul. Top track: Locked Inside

I found this OK but couldn't really get into it...

Beautiful voice. All over the place. Sounds like it was produced from hell to back.

3.5 much better than I expected

Any album from the 2010s seem to either be older muscisians who became famous earlier or RnB/Soul. This is of course the latter. I think I was just really tired yesterday and this wasn’t the music I was in the mood for so take my review with a grain of salt. This album has quite a mix of music styles but focused on RnB. The RnB is fine and somewhat catchy but it feels very 2010s (although this maybe one of the albums that led the charge?). I wasn’t a big fan of the classical music interlude, it felt somewhat cheap to put in “Clair the lune” (great piece) to give the album gravitas. The album felt a bit long but it was an ok listen. It never made me pause to listen more carefully though. Giving it a 3 for now.

Good production! Interesting album

Not for me

Han egstra hüt namal driglosst, willi s meiste vergesse han unds em Timy gfalle hed. Also uf de klassische Neduzen Skala isch das es 3. Na schön aber au nöd meh. Im hintergrund guet, im Vordergrund vlt denn mal langwilig. Eich scho sehr vill gueti Teilstück, aber halt scho au sehr poppig. Würi uf de Timon Skala Bewerte gäbs e klassische 1 Sterner, Aber wär au chli gäzig hehe 3 Arche Noahs liebe Timon

Lot of different vibes going on here, definitely some gems though.

it is produced greatly, but just not my thing

Very commercial.

No private session used for Spotify, not sure what I was getting in to and, to be honest, I am still not sure what I got in to after listening to it. Quite a lot of different musical styles going on here and there is nothing wrong with that but it does make it hard to dial into it. I didn't have time to give it a second listen, but I need to go back to it.

Catchy tunes

Some decent stuff in here, just gets a bit repetitive and generic. Not exactly my speed.

Good variety of songs. Favorite track: Tightrope other picks: cold war, dance or die, locked inside

Eccentric…

Good album, some really nice songs but overall did not really stand out for me.

i wanted to like this so badly. it starts of quite nicely and is reminiscent of prince in terms of the funkiness. there's a lot of fun stuff in the first two thirds! the last third of this album is a lot more dramatic and orchestral and i found it a bit less interesting and not as fun to listen to. it's definitely not a bad album, but i think overall it does end up feeling a little bloated.

This is interesting, because ever since I saw her perform live on tv I was looking forward to listening to her album, but then I just found it to be pretty flat. I really wanted to like it more,

Intressant, helt ok

Good album. Don’t think I’d listen again. The double album format made it feel a bit unfocused.

Funky. Enjoyed revisiting this after not hearing it for over a decade. Didn’t need to be so long

*** Interesting album, although not my music

Bit of a strange listen, as sitting in on chapters 2 & 3 of Monae’s RnB opera about robots and distant futures was…disorienting without context, to say the least. I enjoyed the soundscape she achieved on many songs, but then others were so derivative as to sound almost like a middle school play. Somewhat paradoxically, then, the album shone best when it leaned more heavily into its musical theater roots (“Maker” and “BaBopByeYa” were the two standout tracks, and both would have an easy home in a real Broadway play.) I’m interested in listening to the whole work and then revisiting my thoughts here, but this was overall a hit-and-miss record with some nice highs and a lot of filler otherwise.

2.9 good artistic direction and concept. good beats and not bad just did not connect w me or leave me wanting to listen again

janelle i like ur met gala looks

Sorti en 2010, je dois avouer que j'étais complètement passé à côté de l'album de Janelle Monáe. L'année 2010... J'avais quarante balais, le magasin de disques n'était plus qu'un souvenir, et mes oreilles commençaient sans doute à se faire sélectives, voire un peu paresseuses. On le vendait à l'époque comme un chef-d'oeuvre, un truc de dingue qui réinventait la soul, le funk, le R&B, et probablement la recette du quatre-quarts. Le genre de discours qui, avec l'âge, a tendance à me faire fuir plutôt qu'autre chose. Et puis, le grand algorithme des 1001, me l'a refilé et au final, "The ArchAndroid" est un album surprenant et vraiment étonnant. Il faut d'abord savoir que "The ArchAndroid" n'est pas un album. C'est un opéra, un film de science-fiction, une comédie musicale futuriste montée sous acide. Une putain d'odyssée de 70 minutes qui raconte l'histoire d'une androïde messianique, Cindi Mayweather, envoyée pour libérer ses congénères opprimés dans une ville nommée Metropolis. Rien que ça. Quand j'ai lu le pitch, j'ai failli lâcher l'affaire, moi, le type qui a grandi avec le rock'n'roll le plus direct, le punk le plus crasseux, me voilà face à un concept album afrofuturiste. J'avais l'impression de devoir réviser mes cours de philo de terminale avant de mettre le disque sur la platine. Et la musique, bordel... La musique ! Ça part dans tous les sens. TOUS LES SENS. L'intro est une ouverture symphonique digne d'un film de Kubrick. Puis, sans prévenir, on est catapulté dans un funk P-Funk période Mothership Connection, puis dans un rap frénétique, une ballade folk pastorale à la Nick Drake, un cabaret berlinois, du rock psychédélique qui tache, de la pop orchestrale... C'est un tourbillon. Une machine à laver musicale qui essore tous les genres que tu as pu entendre dans ta vie, et même quelques-uns que tu n'imaginais pas. Objectivement, c'est brillant, la production est pharaonique, les arrangements sont d'une complexité folle. Janelle Monáe chante, rappe, murmure, hurle avec une maîtrise qui force le respect. On sent qu'il y a une vision, une ambition démesurée derrière chaque note. C'est cohérent dans son incohérence, si vous voyez ce que je veux dire. Chaque morceau, aussi différent soit-il du précédent, semble être une pièce indispensable du puzzle narratif. On sent l'influence de Prince, de Bowie, d'OutKast, de Stevie Wonder, mais tout est digéré, recraché pour servir ce récit de SF complètement barré. C'est là que mon 3 sur 5 prend tout son sens car cet album m'a lessivé, épuisé. Il n'offre aucun répit, c'est une agression permanente, un bombardement d'informations sonores. Chaque titre est une suite de montagnes russes. Ça monte, ça descend, ça vrille, ça repart. T'as à peine le temps de t'habituer à un rythme que, paf, on te balance autre chose. Cette énergie, cette profusion, cette volonté de tout mettre, tout le temps, partout, ça finit par créer une sorte de tension, une anxiété. On est constamment sur le qui-vive, et ça, ce n'est pas une sensation que je recherche particulièrement en écoutant un disque. L'album est un grand écart permanent entre une pop song ultra efficace comme "Tightrope" et des expérimentations vocales ou des envolées orchestrales qui te perdent complètement. C'est le disque d'une artiste qui a tellement d'idées qu'elle ne sait pas lesquelles jeter. Alors elle garde tout. Le meilleur comme le trop-plein. On est face à un génie, c'est indéniable, mais un génie qui ne sait pas canaliser son flux. Honnêtement, j'ai eu beau reconnaître la qualité intrinsèque des morceaux, la virtuosité de l'ensemble, j'attendais la fin avec une impatience non dissimulée. J'avais besoin de silence, de calme, de quelque chose de simple, de direct, de normal, de classique, de moins schizophrène. Cet album, c'est l'antithèse du "less is more" car ici, "more is more", et encore, ce n'est pas assez. Alors oui, 3 sur 5, c'est la note parfaite pour un album qu'on admire mais qu'on n'aime pas. Un album qu'on respecte pour son audace et son ambition, mais qu'on ne remettra probablement jamais sur la platine, de peur d'y laisser sa santé mentale. C'est une expérience, une vraie et certaines expériences n'ont pas besoin d'être vécues deux fois. "The ArchAndroid" est un monument un peu écrasant, un peu angoissant, mais un monument quand même. Allez, sans rancune Janelle, mais la prochaine fois, pense à nous laisser respirer.

I love Janelle Monae! Haven’t heard this album yet somehow. Not enjoying how many times they are using “schizo” as a descriptor, considering from what I have researched, they do not have schizophrenia. Decent first album, not my favorite of theirs.

Je m'attendais à un truc archi nul, et c'était pas archi nul.

Alright

Ok but not as special as the reviews suggest. Starts with disco which could have been recorded at any point since about 1976 and then moves on to an entire range of other familiar genres.

Some good tracks, but the “story” is confusing to follow. Too many faceless slow songs near the end.

Fun dance tracks. Unpopular opinion: she should be as famous as Beyonce

Big fan. Just a little too long

Me pareció un buen álbum en tanto que tiene impronta de pop comercial, pero transgrede el estilo rompiendo con recursos que se salen de la norma. La combinación con estilos de música afro, la eclética variedad estética en los temas, los distintos recursos utilizados en la voz. Todo esto hace que el álbum sea especial. Además, al ser desarrollado como un trabajo conceptual, la fluidez entre los temas está pensada excelentemente y hace que la escucha como álbum tenga cohesión y sentido. Aunque si considero que el álbum es excesivamente largo, y podría prescindir de varios tracks para generar un mejor impacto. A nivel personal no conecté mucho con los temas, por lo que no es un álbum que particularmente me guste a pesar de que aprecie el trabajo.

норм альбомыч, забавный. Но концовка слита

Loads of variety. Sometimes urgent and compelling, sometimes gentle and twee. Didn't even mind the rap too much.

Not my thing but she is obviously very talented and creative. It has its moments though!

I really enjoy Janelle Monae as an artist. She is incredibly unique, and I'm so happy to see her included on this list. She's very talented. This album has a bit of everything, touching on multiple genres and some songs which are a unique genre all on their own. Yet, somehow, it's a cohesive product. It's not really the type of music I go for, but I thought it was a fun modern album to listen through.

This Album felt like it was out if a movie. Cool music and all, but not somethjng tjat I would listen to again.

I remember loving the singles from this when it came out. Wonder what the whole thing is like. Orchestral prelude. Interesting. It does slip into a loungey soul bit briefly. The album starts proper with a broken beat/salsa/rap kind of thing. The brukt rhythm track morphs into a quickstep for Faster. I stopped the album to watch lindy hoppers for a while after that. Locked On continues to borrow from british soul 4Hero/Gilles Peterson type stuff. Beat kind of lacks groove though. It kind of starts to get pretty psychedelic at this point, Sir Greendown could have been a Doors song. Cold War is a bit meh, a bit Disney? The single Tightrope recovers the groove. I paused again after Suite III Overture to go through Simon Reynolds' review of Love Island grime tracks. Make the Bus is fun for sounding like a really ADHD Prince track. The album kind of continues along on this trajectory, there's neo-rockabilly and neo-rnb and neo-soul and neo-funk, psych-funk, afrofuturism etc. ect. all very pop-centred. Its a testament to an amazing songwriting talent to have so much material. Unfortunately it suffers the same fate as a lot of prog albums that its kind of over-long and virtuosic. It would have been much more powerful with more focus. Like the Kate Bush album it does the spoken word samples littered throughout, the smoking gun of prog. This really should be my thing but its just hard to stay engaged for the full hour.

I often lament the death of music, rock n roll in particular. Part of the complaint is that most popular music doesn't have a lot "real" instruments. Just a keyboard and a drum machine with some young diva yowling or some rapping. No bridges, no time changes. Blech! Oh, and a conversation from just a day or two ago about what concept albums are. Tricky to pull off, but when good, they can be great! (Operation Mindcrime, The Wall, Pink World and more.) Then along comes this pop diva that I had written off as the same old (new) thing because I'd only ever heard Tightrope and it falls into that blech territory. But this is actually quite interesting. All kids of musical instruments, all sort of genre hopping, and it's a concept album! Serious credit to this young lady for taking these chances. I don't know that she got as much credit for all of that. I certainly never heard anything about it. (I read a lot of music news and am always seeking new, good music.) While I do give her all that credit, it's still a bit out of my wheelhouse. I don't imagine I'd listen to it more than once or twice again. But for folks that are younger that have been raised on simple beats and cicada drums, this might get them to explore a bit. I want to give it 4 stars to attract attention to it and show respect for the gumption it took to do this in the modern music environment, I have to score it based on how much I liked it and would I listen again.

Nice variety

2,6/5

Bah

Had no idea what to expect from this one. A few of the songs I really liked, and the others were “meh” for me. She does have a lovely singing voice when she chooses to use it. Anyway, it is three stars for me.

If R&B, funk and dance sat down and watched Disney Fantasia and decided to make music together.

The story behind this album sounded cool, but some of the songs were trying to be more.. futuristic and it didn't seem to compliment the rest of the songs

Cold wars = 5* Tightrope = 4* There were some other good son but I felt the album was too experimental and had too much filler, so it really dragged and there were a lot of "songs" that just shouldn't have been there. I think this artist has the potential for a 5* album though

Another angle on the idea of a concept album. Not bad and quite well executed. It's a bit too long for my taste. You can hear all the different influences she had incorporated deliberately in a way that one can spot them. But that's about it. There is nothing that triggers me to revisit this.

Quite liked it, went on a bit too long though

very high concept but not that listenable in terms of how good the music is. its ok but definetly overrated. 6/10 Favourite: Locked Inside Least Favourite: Wondaland

This album had all of the Janelle Monáe songs I know on it

I can appreciate the feat of making this album. It just doesn’t hook me.

I listened to this years ago and it really didn't click for me then. But, I listened to it in full today and I was really impressed. There are so many styles that she has done so very well. This album is dense, there's a lot to unpack here. Will definitely listen again.

Futuristic sounds fusing Afro beats, Hip hop, jazz, classical, big band, dance and R&b in a Theatrical/futuristic style. An audiophile’s treasure trove of sounds. The lyrics bring love, feminism, self identity and expression. Sounds like Barry Manilow , Beyoncé, OutKast, prince, Michael Jackson. Songs are good for workouts!

Like her voice. I enjoyed this album

Kivannäkönen tyttö kannessa. Lauloikin ihan kivasti

Kivaa taustamusiikkia.

Ok

This album falls into the category of I appreciate the artistry, I'm glad I listened to it, and I probably won't again.

I felt like this album couldn’t decide what it wanted to be and suffered dearly for it.

Not a bad album, cool blend of classical music but a lot of the songs lack structure, but Janelle Monae is still a great artist.

Come Alive(war of the roses) is quite good. I am quite impressed at the range of genres shown here.

Me gusto mucho. Descubri una artista nueva en la que investigar mas. Grandisima voz y fuerza en un disco con muchisimas mezclas y fusiones de jazz, rock y ritmanblues, por tratar de definirlo de alguna manera. Disco con mucha fuerza 💪🏼

OK

Super

Good stuff talented

Rätt coolt!

Enjoyable and offbeat

This album could easily have been 2 complete albums, and I think it might have been better for it. Suite II Overture -> Mushrooms & Roses was really good. Suite III Overture -> BaBopByeYa was not as solid, but that could have just been listening fatigue. That said I really like the concept of the concept album. Cyberpunk r&b/hiphop is definitely not what I was expecting.

I felt like this album dragged on a bit. There were some cool songs and sections but the length of it was a bit much. Although the album as a whole seemed a bit scattered to me, there did seem to be a bit of a theme throughout which I appreciated. It was an interesting listening experience but I don’t think I’ll ever return to any of these songs.

3,5

It’s well written and well produced, and there are actually a selection of pretty good songs on here. It’s much more interesting and fun compared to other artists in the same category

It can be a lot at times but when it all comes together it’s something to behold.

Album 835 of 1089 Janelle Monáe -The ArchAndroid (2010) Rating : 3 / 5 This one really caught me off guard—in the best way. I went in expecting some straightforward hip-hop, but what I got was a genre-hopping journey with touches of soul, funk, pop, even orchestral flourishes. The production is wild (in a good way), and the variety keeps things moving without feeling all over the place. Hard to pin this one into a single category, and that’s part of the charm. Always nice to stumble onto an album that completely surprises you.

Variadito i qualitat però no és massa es meu rollo. Te algun tema xulo. Referències funk, groove, clàssica, hip hop i fins i tot dnb.

I do appreciate how stylish, imaginative and well produced it is. Yet, I can't name a song on Archaandroid that grabbed my attention, or made me feel anything beyond intellectual approval. Another album that would be great as soundtrack or background music on a venue, but not as charged and encompassing as I prefer it to be.

some good songs but too poppy

Never been a fan, but this album is iconic

I really wanted to love this album, but I don't fully connect with it. The songs are interesting and I like the transitions but some of these songs are almost painfully of their time. I think I'd be more into this if I discovered it in '10/11. 3.5/5

I appreciate the eclectic nature of this album—something for everyone. I probably wouldn't listen again, though, as the tunes weren't necessarily memorable to me.

I'm not sure what I listened to, twice. Absolutely ambitious, sometimes interesting ,sometimes beautiful. A little too poppy for me overall, but respect.

Will rate later… for now, will give it 3* as it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be...

Ambious and skillfully executed and of course Monae is a really good singer. Still, I didn't feel connected to the music. Maybe the songs aren't good enough or maybe it's the overproduction that is killing the spirit of the performances. I really liked the orcestral pieces, though. I appreciate the talent, but I don't think that I'm going to listen to this album another time.

Decent variety between songs. Not my thing, but I appreciate the talent.

Talented but not for me.

groovy so far

First time I've listened to the whole album, although I obviously recognise some of the standout tracks. I agree, it is a bit long and there are some unnecessary fillers in there, but she does have amazing voice. Worth another listen at some point.

Let’s get weird

Not really what I'm into, but it is well done.

I felt like she was through stuff at a wall to see what stuck. More stuff stuck than didn't, but as an album it felt a tad bit disjointed.

Pretty interesting soul stuff, cool orchestration, liked half the songs

Surprised by this, don't think I'd ever heard anything by Janelle monae before, enjoyed quite a few songs, probably would not listen to the full album again but would revisit some songs

Great album. Nice to be reminded of it, I remember listening to it a fair bit when it came out. Although I’m not sure I would ever quite get to the end - I still think it’s a bit too long.

Great collection of hip-hop, r&b, soul and show tunes on this album didn't know what to expect but it was an interesting listen.

Would be a great EP

The album starts strong and ends strong but in the middle I lost interest in a lot of the songs. I'd give it a 3.5 if half points were possible.

I appreciate the ambition… but the album kinda exhausted me.

Quirky...interesting

I liked it, but it suffers a bit by the length of the album

Well, it’s fine, but I don’t remember it at all. And I’m not sure it needed well over an hour of my time.

Locked Inside - I love it! Wondaland - Catchy! 3.5 stars

Very pleasantly surprised. This straddled the hip-hop/pop line pretty well for me. Was close to a 4 but some of the lyrics were tough and it’s just too damn long

I enjoyed looking at the Spotify profile picture

Out of left field, I enjoyed this modern opera. I don't know that many songs stood out in particular, but the flow through different genres was well done and I think I'll come to appreciate this album more when I come back to it

79% Best: Dance or Die; Locked Inside; Tightrope; Come Alive (War of the Roses); Neon Valley Street Must-Hear? Almost

Another very eclectic album. Quality is a little inconsistent, for example, “Oh, Maker” and “Neon Valley Street” are really great tracks from a songwriting, production and vocal perspective, but songs like “Cold War” and “Come Alive” were just exhausting listens and felt a little “commercialized” and uninspired if that makes sense. She is undeniably talented and has a great voice. Worth a listen but not my cup of tea.

Definitely lots of respect for this artist, in all the aspects of her art - acting, fashion, and her music. This sure is all over the place stylistically, but in a good way.