Poise Janelle

Certainly one of the most celebrated artists of the modern era, Janelle Monae's latest album is sure to be highly anticipated. It is said to be her 'queerest' and 'blackest' album and has already yielded lead single 'Float' featuring Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 - a swaggering, brassy victory lap which bodes well for the remaining contents.

Named “Révélations Radio-Canada 2016-2017”, Marina Thibeault travels the world as an ambassador of the viola. Contributing to the repertoire of her instrument by commissioning new works is a vital calling for Marina. Contemporary works for solo viola by Canadian composers Ana Sokolovic and Jean Lesage are paired with romantic and modern pieces by Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Kymlicka, Martinů and Hindemith. She is accompanied by pianist Janelle Fung.

At long last, Janelle Monae - the inimitable, award-winning, songwriter, performer, producer, CoverGirl and avant-garde funkstress - is back again, ready to release her another full-length “emotion picture” to the masses. But as always, Janelle is not ready to talk about music just yet. She’d rather talk about her past and how those fertile powerful experiences forced her to create her album "The Electric Lady".

With "Smoke & Mirrors," Rachel Janelle ups the ante on previous albums by canvassing the entire musical spectrum of genres. Songs like "MIrror, Mirror" and "Doubt" glide along with breezy vocals and instrumentation, while more hard-hitting faire like "Take It Back," "Scorned" and "Send The Foxes" showcase a woman hellbent on emoting everything she's feeling. Newcomers abound this time around, as Andrew Casey adds perfect guitar on the masterful "Same Girl," Adam Crowell gives Chili Pepper-esque guitar backing to "Scorned" and hip-hop ingenue Lil Pharaoh cuts his teeth on the bouncy "The Future." Overall, Rachel's demeanor has shifted to one of dominance while still laced with heartache and empathy, but it all adds up nicely in one of the most evocative LPs in recent years.