Sunny War albums

2023

Anarchist Gospel - 89%

Sunny War appeared on the scene this year showing the wisdom and age of someone who has been at this forever. Her soft folk/soul hybrid music will undoubtably be compared to another great folk troubadour of our time- Tracy Chapman- but there are many difference in her songs that set her apart. There is a catchy undercurrent to so many of her songs, the little tingy guitar part in lead single “No Reason” and the fingerpicking of “His Love” and the gallop of “Test Dummy” should not go overlooked. Using some famous friends helps out too, like My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on the solemn “Earth” which goes to some interesting touching places, David Rawlings on several tracks including the mother earth chanting “Shelter and Storm” and the serious contemplation of “Higher”.

For an album called Anarchist Gospel, there is far more order than chaos. Sunny War taps into a rare thing: quality songs that also manage to be charming and lively. She even manages a couple of miracles of songs highlighting her diversity in building a soul song out of Ween’s hilarious “Baby Bitch”, touching on that above mentioned blend in the amazing “Hopeless”, and harnessing the power of all that came before in the epic seven minute “Sweet Nothing” that stays entertaining the whole length. The album may even end with the best song of all, the ballad “Whole”, telling us “No pain could ever by your soul/ or ever make your whole.”

Best Songs: Whole, Shelter and storm, Test Dummy, No Reason

2025

Armageddon in a Summer Dress- 84%

Sunny war keeps evolving and changing into something only partially recognizable. She retains so many of her qualities in songs like the soul searching "Walking Contradictions" that talks about users and abusers (with the line "funny how you don’t see them as people anymore?") and "Cry Baby" with an eternally resonant chorus. New avenues are explored that take her into unknown more genreless exercises like the moody "Ghosts" that is friendly but sort of cosmetically distant at the same time. "One Way Train" and "Debbie Downer" are songs that are bouncy and catchy, but Sunny War gets there in a very organic way. Sunny War takes her sort of confrontational history and stance and makes it friendlier than ever on most of these tracks (though it is still very ‘in your face’ at times).

"Gone Again" is the most interesting to me, a collaboration with John Doe from X that truly sounds otherworldly and psychedelic all at one; strange again that two punk rock veterans ended up at this kind of psychedelic crossroads. “No One Calls Me Baby Anymore" is another huge addition to her cannon, as it’s just...Sunny War in her own genre- excellent feelings, vocals, and expert finger picking. She in a brilliant guitarist I have seen her live many times in Chattanooga, Tennessee (our current hometown!). “Scornful Heart” and “Lay your Body” are songs a bit more rooted in the past hence they don’t fit in as well but those songs both still have their charms. Sunny War is pushing her self to find a song that has nothing to do with trends but everything to do with being true to herself. Armageddon in a Summer Dress is an album that shows Sunny War searching for the absolute truth, and truth through music is found.

Best Songs: Gone Again, One Way Train, Ghosts, Cry Baby