26-year-old LA based folk punk singer/songwriter Sunny War was born in Nashville but spent much of her childhood moving around and living on the streets as a teenager where she honed her musical chops busking and playing in punk bands. War’s appreciation of old time music comes from her grandmother who exposed her to jazz, blues, bluegrass and old country music of the South. As a musician, War is a skilled self-taught guitarist employing a “crab-claw picking” style most commonly used on the banjo. War’s warm soulful vocals are reminiscent of the British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading with bits of Elizabeth Cotton and Mississippi John Hurt thrown in. War’s third album, With The Sun, is a gorgeous, meticulously crafted record that is intimate, honest, and evocative. The songwriting on the LP is poetic with a somber and reflective tone. Standout tracks include: the gorgeous album opener “If It Wasn’t Broken”; the moving “Gotta Live It”; the Black Lives Matter inspired song against police brutality, “I’m Human”; the anthem confronting domestic abuse on “Violent”; and classic heartbreaker “Finn”; the raucous stomp-and-clap number “Til I’m Dead”; and the ominous “The Change You Make.” Wise beyond her years, Sunny War’s With the Sun is a beautiful and complex album well worth seeking out. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Joan Armatrading, Elizabeth Cotton, Rhiannon Giddens, Mississippi John Hurt, Valerie June