Drew TewksburyToday, KCRW continues their series of live shows from esteemed producer Bob Clearmountain's Berkeley Street Studio with an incendiary performance by the genre-blending diva, Janelle Monae.
The show was taped in front of a live audience of about 100 and crackled with the energy from Monae's electric stage presence, her stratospherically soaring voice and that hair, which reaches to the heavens (the Sampson-like source of her tremendous vocal power?).
To simply call this soul or R&B does a disservice to Monae's sound and vision. She's a little bit of everything.
At times, she channels James Brown's foot work, dishes out David Bowie's theatrics, and leads her extremely tight band like a rocker. But all comparisons fall short with her — Monae is something all her own.
Listen for yourself, when the show airs today at 11:15 am on Morning Becomes Eclectic with Jason Bentley.
But when it comes to Monae, seeing is believing. Here's the full video of her performance and Jason Bentley's interview.
Walk that tightrope!