Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe
Dirty Computer is the third studio album by American singer Janelle Monáe, released on April 27, 2018 by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records. It is the follow-up to her studio albums The ArchAndroid (2010) and The Electric Lady (2013) and her first album not to be a part of Cindi Mayweather's Metropolis narrative. The concept album was preceded by three singles, "Make Me Feel", "Django Jane", and "Pynk", and one promotional single, "I Like That", and its release was accompanied by a 46-minute narrative film project of the same name. The album received widespread critical acclaim upon release, and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200.
After two concept albums and a string of roles in Hollywood blockbusters, one of music’s fiercest visionaries sheds her alter egos and steps out as herself. Buckle up: Human Monáe wields twice the power of any sci-fi character. In this confessional, far-reaching triumph, she dreams of a world in which love wins (“Pynk") and women of color have agency (“Django Jane”). Featuring guest appearances from Brian Wilson, Grimes and Pharrell—and bearing the clear influence of Prince, Monae’s late mentor—<i>Dirty Computer</i> is as uncompromising and mighty as it is graceful and fun. “I’m the venom and the antidote,” she wails in “I Like That”, a song about embracing these very contradictions. “Take a different type of girl to keep the whole world afloat.”
