Ryan Bray of Consequence of Sound gave the album a B+, commenting "This is great pop music with an edge, a record full of good vibes and bad attitude, that somehow manages to work everything out splendidly." Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone awarded the album four of five stars, stating that "After years of being a festival and YouTube sensation, Sultana's thrown down the gauntlet forcefully." For Beat Magazine, Nathan Gunn rated the album 9/10 and commented "This record (Flow State) represents a quantum leap - a major milestone in Sultana's seemingly short career. Critical reception Professional ratings Aggregate scoresĪt Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 4 reviews, an indication of "generally favorable reviews". In Sultana's social media, they make reference to Ben Lopez, and Pat Fox as being responsible for the creation of the art for the single "Salvation”, with Fox being responsible for the album art creation. In an April 2018 interview with online Spanish blog Indierocks, Sultana spoke about the influence behind the name Flow State and said "it's the term to refer to when you access a part of your mind known as your being, and you find something you are passionate about." In a Gold Coast Bulletin interview in August 2018, Sultana commented (regarding alcohol and other drugs in music) "you (I) hear all of the stories again and again and again (sic) from other musicians about alcohol and drugs and while it's fun to do for a bit, I don't know that is fun enough to try to sustain a life". They have subsequently released two further singles, "Harvest Love" and "Free Mind". On 21 June 2018, Sultana premiered the song "Salvation" live on triple j Breakfast with Ben and Liam, and announced the forthcoming release of their first studio album, Flow State. In 2017, Sultana released the two singles. Those snapshots featured footage and imagery of them in the studio. While the timing was pushed back, due to several health issues, and touring delays, Sultana gradually released sneak peeks of the album recording process via their social media channels. In June 2017, in an interview with Fairfax, Sultana described their plans to release an album in April 2018. In between tour dates, Sultana spent time in the studio to work on what was described to be their first album. Prince appears to be more of a role model to Sultana than any British blues guys, given her taste for pop-leaning R&B tunes, emotive high-pitched vocals, bold and personal lyrics, and a well-programmed drum machine.īut Sultana clearly has a mind and a muse of her own, and like Prince she isn't afraid to follow it, with languid, low-key numbers like "Mellow Marmalade" and "Harvest Love" sitting side by side with dance grooves like "Cigarettes" and the attitudinal, hip-hop-influenced "Salvation." Tash Sultana is a modern rarity, a gifted guitarist with a healthy appreciation for flash but practically no rockist impulses, despite the presence of the nine-minute showcase "Blackbird." Sultana could stand to edit herself a bit better, but Flow State is unquestionably the work of a first-rate talent with potential, and if anyone is going to teach young women about the innate coolness of the guitar, she seems like just the person to do it.Following the release of their extended play Notion in 2016, Sultana toured worldwide. These songs have more to do with contemporary R&B than rock & roll, but Sultana has a rocker's love of the big guitar solo, and when she turns up the amps and lets rip on "Big Smoke," "Murder to the Mind," and "Pink Moon," she reveals a winning confidence and an ability to make her instrument snarl eloquently. The 23-year-old Australian first found an audience through YouTube videos in which she created over-the-top guitar soundscapes through the use of looping pedals, and while Flow State is clearly intended to also show off her gifts as a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (she plays all the instruments on these recordings), her guitar work shines pretty bright on this album. Since Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck don't mean much to most folks under 30 these days, they'd like to see some younger fret-wrestlers who will inspire America's youth to step away from their laptops and pick up a six-string.Īs it happens, it might be a guitar heroine who does the trick, as evidenced by Tash Sultana on her first full-length album, 2018's Flow State. With the sales of electric guitars not what they once were, many music business commentators have spoken out on the need for a new generation of guitar heroes.
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