Nashville-born, longtime L.A. resident and singer/songwriter Sunny War’s (Sydney Lyndella Ward) albums are filled with an expressive mix blues, folk, jazz, and West-African music, and for her third release Simple Syrup she has written some of her most deeply personal songs to date. Simple Syrup is another vibrant collection of songs focused on the interplay between Sunny War and her community of artist friends, romance, and relationships and less on topical themes of previous albums. Showcased here again is her exceptional acoustic guitar fingerpicking skills, songwriting prowess and deceptively casual delivery of heavy themes. Notable tracks include: the exuberant opening track, “Lucid Lucy”; the funk and blues-driven “Mama’s Milk”; the gentle reflection on her time in the streets “Deployed and Destroyed”; the mesmerizing melodic number “Like Nina”; the jazzy-tinged “Love Is a Pest”; the self-reflective heartbreaker “Kiss a Loser”; the bright vibes of “Love So True”; and the solo acoustic guitar closing track “Big Baby.” Sunny War’s Simple Syrup is another excellent compelling, vivid, and tender collection of songs that are both the personal and political. Ward keeps getting better with each release and I already look forward to future Sunny War releases. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Tré Burt, Samantha Crain, Amythyst Kiah, Allison Russell