A lot of artists make the attempt to cross genres in their music. They want to be touted as diverse and original by bringing in elements from other musical lanes into their sound, the act of doing this is easy, but doing it well is extremely difficult. Sometimes it feels forced and these outside sonics can sound out of place and you can argue that a misplaced horn section or a rap verse on a pop song is only there so an artist can be seen as multidimensional. When this process is done correctly, it unlocks new sounds and melodies that can create breathtaking results. On Sudan Archives’ newest effort, Natural Brown Prom Queen, the classically trained violinist and songwriter toys with unpredictable arrangements and finds a steady middle ground that allows her to tell her life story through tempos and vivid storytelling.
As soon as you finish track one, “Home Maker”, your head is already spinning with lush strings and house-influenced drum patterns. Archives could not begin her sophomore LP on a better foot, the combination of her signature string sections and bouncy melody melt together over the rest of the instrumental to welcome the listener to what is about to be a roller coaster of an album. This track foreshadows what is to come on Natural Black Prom Queen, a grab bag of sonic elements that surprise you throughout the project.
The way Archives plays with bridges and pre-choruses adds so much depth to the structure of these songs, adding a sense of mystery as to where she is going to take her well-crafted melodies. The slow-pacing on a song like “ChevyS10” shows how much time and care Archives put into every little detail on Natural Black Prom Queen.
This album is full of personality, not just in Archives’ autobiographical songwriting, but in the arrangements she decides to tell her story over. She’s able to switch between slow-burning soul tracks and braggadocious rap flows one track after another, like we said, not an easy task to accomplish. Archives’ has almost perfected this melting pot approach to structuring an album, almost is the key word there. While there are certain points on the album that can be seen as lulls or skippable tracks, taking a step back and understanding how songs like “Loyal” fit into the full story she is telling is crucial to fully grasp the concept behind Natural Brown Prom Queen. Archives is tasking herself with the difficulty of painting a self-portrait through her music, a process way more difficult than crossing genres.
Sudan Archives truly elevated her songwriting on this album. While she has always had a natural knack for melody and structure, the confidence in her lyrics and vocal work on Natural Brown Prom Queen blow her past releases out of the water. Throughout the project she details the story of her life, touching on topics like homesickness and failed relationships. There is a certain struggle to be found in these songs but it is hidden underneath her self-assured cadence. Her storytelling on this album is direct and authentic and introduces us to a new side of Archives’ creative personality.
Breaking the barriers of genres is not an easy accomplishment, there are going to be missteps and songs that sound over-produced for sake of diversity. On Natural Black Prom Queen, Sudan Archives hit a certain stride that allows the songstress to play around with different tempos and elements without sacrificing the album as a whole. She has a story worth telling and she made sure we heard this story on her sophomore LP. Through dense arrangements and beautiful vocals, Sudan Archives achieved a sonic balance that allows her to express herself fully without taking away from the music itself.
