Jack Harlow is back with Monica, his fourth full-length studio project, which finds him taking inspiration from the rich history of Electric Lady Studios in New York.
For those unfamiliar, Electric Lady, originally envisioned as a revived nightclub space by the late Jimi Hendrix, kicked off its decades-strong legacy in 1970.
The roster of artists who have temporarily called the studio space their home is undeniably massive—Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Weezer, Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, and Sabrina Carpenter have all recorded there—but one classic captured behind its Greenwich Village doors feels particularly pertinent to Harlow’s current chapter.
Voodoo, the acclaimed 2000 album by the late D’Angelo, was crafted across extensive sessions at Electric Lady. The album, notably, also falls squarely under the larger umbrella of the Soulquarians. The collective of musicians also counted Questlove, Erykah Badu, Common, Mos Def, Q-Tip, and other artists among its ranks.
Other Soulquarians-associated works of note include The Roots’ Things Fall Apart, Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, and Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun. Upon Monica’s arrival, listeners have been quick to make connections to D’Angelo and more, as have critics.
Writing for Clash, Robin Murray writes that the new album, Harlow’s first since 2023’s Jackman, finds the 28-year-old “deep in his R&B lane,” with D’Angelo and Badu both getting mentions in the same paragraph.
Asked on a recent episode of Popcast if Electric Lady alumni like D’Angelo and Badu served as “some of the north stars” he was following as he put together his new album, Harlow underscored what he sees as the serendipity of his use of the same studio space and his own move to New York.
“Even when I was trying to figure out the project before this one that got scrapped, I was at Electric Lady and I loved that studio,” he said, as seen here. “It just so happened that all these variables came together and it makes this beautiful sense. I’ve always loved that music. I’ve always loved D’Angelo. I’ve always loved Erykah. I’ve always loved the intimacy and plush quality of that music.”
In the same chat, Harlow pointed to “little hints” of this influential sound in his earlier catalog.
As the rollout continues, take a look at some of the early reactions below, with an emphasis on the album’s Electric Lady-informed construction and heavy neo soul influences. Ravyn Lenae, Omar Apollo, Robert Glasper, and more were enlisted to help bring the Monica vision to life.