{"product_id":"flow-state-3","title":"Flow State","description":"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. 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. As it happens, it might be a Gen Z-er who does the trick, as evidenced by Tash Sultana on their first full-length album, 2018's Flow State. The 23-year-old Australian first found an audience through social media videos in which they created over-the-top guitar soundscapes through the use of looping pedals, and while Flow State is clearly intended to also show off Sultana's gifts as a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (they play all the instruments on these recordings), their guitar work shines pretty bright on this album. These songs have more to do with contemporary R\u0026amp;B than rock \u0026amp; roll, but Sultana has a rocker's love of the big guitar solo, and when they turn up the amps and let rip on \"Big Smoke,\" \"Murder to the Mind,\" and \"Pink Moon,\" they reveal a winning confidence and an ability to make their instrument snarl eloquently. Prince appears to be more of a role model to Sultana than any British blues guys, given the Australian's taste for pop-leaning R\u0026amp;B tunes, emotive high-pitched vocals, bold and personal lyrics, and a well-programmed drum machine. But Sultana clearly has a mind and a muse of their own and like Prince, 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 themself a bit better, but Flow State is unquestionably the work of a first-rate talent with potential, and if anyone is going to teach younger artists about the innate coolness of the guitar, they seem like just the person to do it. ~ Mark Deming","brand":"InnerSleeve","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42035716751525,"sku":"858275049237","price":34.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/6007\/1077\/files\/53e40e3b2c0cd4bd03b1239ea78328a2.jpg?v=1777583577","url":"https:\/\/www.innersleeve.com\/en-gb\/products\/flow-state-3","provider":"InnerSleeve","version":"1.0","type":"link"}