Miss Prince

So what is this all about? Actually, it’s a personal review of one of my favourite albums., and a timely reminder that there is always great music around in the present as well as the past. Janelle Monáe's "Dirty Computer is a testament to that.

The double meaning in the post title is deliberate. In the mid-seventies I got an album "The Book of Invasions" by Horslips. That album didn't leave the turntable for two weeks, and it kept all my other music off the record player. This was before I had a Walkman so music wasn't really that portable, but if I had had one that would have been taped and on continuous play.

I wrote about "Dirty Computer" two posts back in my PAINT DRAW WRITE post about my friend Nicky's Event Exhibition.

This week I took delivery of "Dirty Computer" by Janelle Monáe and I have been impressed by her previous output and to be quite honest this is more of the same, except even better.

The opener, the title track fades far too soon and is a surprising duet with Brian Wilson supplying heavenly backing.

Every song you want to keep playing but when the next one starts you know you want to hear that.

A lot of this is in a similar realm to Prince so if you miss Prince, Janelle can be your Miss Prince, but for me, she is Janelle Monáe an amazing visionary artist.

Songs like "Pynk" and “Screwed” are pure single entendre but absolutely great songs. "Make Me Feel" is "Kiss" rebuilt and reimagined by Janelle.

I watched the "Dirty Computer [Emotion Picture]" which is a film to accompany the album and features all the music from the album and is very impressive, very female power orientated and with impressive setting and some great American classic style hover cars in the "Pynk" and "Crazy, Classic Life" sections and there is a wonderful line:

"Mansplaining - I fold 'em like origami"

Janelle Monáe is an incredibly strong definite female who challenges the patriarchy on her own terms. She is an absolutely amazing artist, although I do think this album is her magnum opus encompassing the film as well as the music. Since it came out the price has become very reasonable but it should be listened to as a whole.

The album is definitely one of the most impressive I have heard in recent years and is continually played either on my CD player when I am working or on my phone when I am walking.

As I have said before it reminds me of Prince in that Janelle Monáe is a complete artist. Yes, she can collaborate and borrow certain items and completely owns her sex on these songs but she welds them into a perfect album which has no weak points and is really a stonewall classic.

You can compare it with other classic albums by black artists and this will stand along with them right on the front line.

You can pick bits out but in reality, like any absolute classic album, every song is as good as every other. There is no waste on this album.

Watch this film, it is 45 minutes but you will want to watch it again and then get the album. I really need to listen to something else but at the moment this will not move from my player. I think you may find the same.

I think the film contains all the music from the album. You can watch the YouTube version or buy the extended director’s cut from Amazon Prime.

I know my friend Craig Puranen Wilson / Sheena Revolta would have loved this, but we said farewell to him/her, you can read it here.