My first impression of Metropolis by Janelle Monae was, "man, she can sing!" Monae has a very unique voice that accompanies her style of music very well I think. This album had a futuristic, spacy, out-of-this-universe feel to it. Her songs incorporated different instruments that included guitar, trumpet, robot/techno noises, and of course vocals. I think the narrative she tries to paint is that love with a human is forbidden for the cyber world. Thus, there is a 'chase' to catch Cindy Mayweather because she has fallen in love with a human named Anthony. Bounty hunters are now after her. In the bigger picture, her message may be that love between different people can be frowned upon in today's society or in future societies. This album cannot be classified in just one genre. There are multiple genres that this album encompasses: R&B, pop, dance, punk, soul, and hip-hop. Since this album samples different genres, I would say that it doesn't fit into just one genre. She incorporates her own style into each one of her songs off the album. Some songs are more upbeat, such as "Violet Stars Happy Hunting!", while others have a more mellow side to them, such as "Cybertronic Purgatory." It seems that each song has its own unique sound that someone can't quite fully identify, but that is the beauty of it. Her sound is so unique that I cannot compare her to anyone I've heard before. In my opinion, Monae's characteristics that may most influence her music sounds are her dress and her gender. She has a very unique hair style and outfit attire on the album over. Her dress is a robot being disassembled which is not a common album cover style. Her 'out-there' and unique style of hair and dress correspond to her unique song titles and musical sounds. Also, the fact that she is female may also influence her song choices. I believe she aims to represent women in a more influential and creative way. I believe that she has the ability to explore certain issues like love because of her ability to sing. She also critiques the president in the song "Mr. President" which brings to attention the struggles of today's society. I really haven't listened to R&B genre of music but I love the way she incorporated not only that but also other genres into her album.
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/39522/Janelle-Monae-Metropolis-Suite-I-of-IV%3A-The-Chase/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis:_Suite_I_%28The_Chase%29
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