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- Summary: Race, womanhood and relationships are some of themes on the second full-length release for Los Angeles-based violinist/singer Sudan Archives.
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- Record Label: Stones Throw
- Genre(s): R&B
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 17
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Mixed: 0 out of 17
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Negative: 0 out of 17
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Sep 8, 2022Even when Parks tries on different hats, Natural Brown Prom Queen still manages to feel cohesive and genuine. ... Meanwhile, songs like “Ciara” and “Freakalizer” feel like hits ahead of their time.
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UncutSep 7, 2022Natural Brown Prom Queen revels in ear-catching beats and hooks while still maintaining Parks’ mile-a-minute rate of musical ideas. [Oct 2022, p.34]
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Sep 12, 2022Building in the steps of Black women and their sonic architecture, Natural Brown Prom Queen thrives on improvisation, daring lyricism, and technical ingenuity.
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Sep 7, 2022Over Natural Brown Prom Queen’s 53 minutes and 18 tracks, the Cincinnati-born Parks displays her compositional skills, penchant for winning melodies, and versatility as a performer. Most strikingly, the set documents Parks as she integrates myriad approaches, balancing discipline and the hedonistic impulse.
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Sep 12, 2022If the sound of Beyoncé‘s similarly sonically adventurous Renaissance whetted your appetite for challenging, demanding soul, then Sudan Archives’ latest could be just what you’re looking for.
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Sep 9, 2022While this album invigorates and intrigues, in future I would hope to hear her expand lyrically, while exploring the hauntingly melancholic sounds her violin can produce. For now, at least, the defiant joy her work evokes is a stimulating jolt to the senses.
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Sep 7, 2022‘Natural Brown Prom Queen’ is Sudan Archives’ most accessible record to date. An unashamedly brash and confident one, but much more subtle and realistic. Rumbling beats, smooth R&B grooves, with just a touch of the experimental. Yet, in opening itself wider, it loses some of the sharp idiosyncrasies that made the early material so exciting.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 6
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Mixed: 0 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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Sep 16, 2022
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Mar 5, 2023
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Sep 29, 2022
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Feb 16, 2023Boundlessly creative and totally original, Sudan shines brighter and more confidently than ever while also remaining relatable and honest.
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Sep 24, 2022
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Sep 9, 2022
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