Metropolis: The Chase Suite

"A stunning introduction to music's freshest new voice!" boasts the hype sticker on my copy of Janelle Monáe's Metropolis: The Chase Suite EP: a bold claim, but not, in my opinion, too much of an overstatement. This "Special Edition" of Metropolis came out in 2010 around the time her major label debut album The Archandroid was hitting the shelves. Its original release (as Metropolis, Suite I Of IV: The Chase) had been in 2007, with two further tracks included here.

The scene is set by the opening number 'The March Of The Wolfmasters', where pseudo-orchestral music underpins a spoken introduction to the fictional world of the tracks that follow. The fun really begins with the uptempo 'Violet Stars Happy Hunting!!!', a thrilling rollercoaster ride through that world. Almost as good is 'Many Moons', where real world imagery overlays Monáe's imaginary city. 'Cybertronic Purgatory' is a short, ethereal interlude. Another highlight is the plaintive 'Sincerely, Jane', the last of the original five tracks.

The extra songs are less essential. 'Mr. President' is a tuneful plea for improvements to education, health-care & the like which sounds rather more like it would have been addressed to President Obama than to Bush Jr. And 'Smile' is a straightforward cover of the old standard, with Monáe's vocal accompanied only by guitar & keyboards. The packaging is good, with full lyrics and detailed credits, plus some further world-building background text.

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