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Summary:
The latest full-length release from rapper Noname features gest appearances by $Ilkmoney, Ayoni, Common, Jay Electronica, Eryn Allen Kane, Jimetta Rose, Stout, Voices of Creation, and billy woods.
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- Record Label: Self-released
- Genre(s): Rap
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 10
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Mixed: 0 out of 10
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Negative: 0 out of 10
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The WireSep 6, 2023She’s not one to let ideology or commercial realities kill her sense of uninhibited playfulness. So the scorching “Balloons” with her withering take on white fans buying Black trauma is followed by the flirtatious “Boomboom”, buoyed by the same hunger, the whole even more than the sum of its individually magnificent parts.
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Aug 11, 2023Her striking lyrical flow has become more relentless but comes off more like a constant drip of honey than an imposing assault, at least sonically. On the other hand, the subject matter of the lyrics is rife with Socratic lines of moral questioning and political comedy. Every track excels in a topical focus that will not be spoiled or summarized by the deadline-watching eyes of a critic.
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Aug 22, 2023There are outstanding performances throughout Sundial. Rapper billy woods in “Gospel?” spews magma, and Chicago legend Common drops a verse on the song “Oblivion” that could have easily fit into his great album Be from 2005. The singer Ayoni adds her voice on two tracks to make Sundial feel like a momentous occasion.
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Aug 11, 2023Refusing to take the easy route, ‘Sundial’ can at times be daunting, and the task of following the profound success of her earlier work isn’t an easy one. On repeated listens, however, the project breaks open as a singular work of Black American artistry.
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Dec 14, 2023Tracks like “Balloons” and “Afro Futurism” feature some of the fiercest political critiques and nimbly performed rapping of Warner’s career. Her delivery is poised yet casual, her charmingly nasal voice full of weariness and vulnerability.
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Aug 11, 2023You sense some listeners will find Sundial too ethically complex and contrary. Hopefully many more will flock to Noname, who brings piercing intellect and joie de vivre to tough questions. A librarian, yes, but also a moon stalker.
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Sep 15, 2023Sundial has a harsher tone than Noname's previous efforts, but it still contains many powerful, thought-provoking lines, and her skills as an emcee have never been stronger.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 2 out of 3
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Mixed: 1 out of 3
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Negative: 0 out of 3
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Aug 17, 2023It feels as though I've yet to dive into the source of this material.
Noname just knows how to pack an album with care and impact. -
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Aug 11, 2023
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Aug 24, 2023I like some of the tracks a lot, others come off as just trying too hard to be deep and not very genuine
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