Janelle Monae knows how to make an entrance.

“Girl, this is crazy,” she murmurs at the onset of “Q.U.E.E.N.,” the first single from her upcoming album, “The Electric Lady,” as a gut-stirring guitar riff swings under her vocals.

The song, which features a fiery guest shot from Monae pal Erykah Badu, exemplifies soul music at its best – it’s funky and sassy, with winding musical squiggles (a la Prince), thought-provoking lyrics (“Will your god accept me in my black and white? Will he approve the way I’m made?”) and several memorable snippets (“The booty don’t lie,” she informs over the smooth tones of her classy brass).

The Atlanta-based Monae hasn’t announced a release date for “Electric,” but  told me at the Clive Davis party in L.A. in February that the album will contain, “Universal stories told in unforgettable ways. It will be more revealing. It was hard because I’m a private person and I had to think, ‘What do I want to reveal this time around?’ I really wanted to dig deep.”

Take a listen to this funky-fresh offering.