Natural Brown Prom Queen is without doubt the work of an introverted extrovert putting her extroversion on full display. Funkier and friskier than
Athena,
Brittney Parks' first album as
Sudan Archives, this follow-up resulted from a unique recording process with phases of isolation and collaboration. Demos made by
Parks were sent by manager
Ben Dickey to a host of producers for their individual takes. From those submissions (one track in particular yielded six possibilities),
Parks chose what to keep, sometimes selecting elements from multiple versions (while opting to remain oblivious to the producers' identities), and then made more alterations and additions with assistance from
Dickey and other associates.
Parks' debut LP was too impressive and distinctive to be considered merely developmental.
Natural Brown Prom Queen, featuring refined, uninhibited lyricism and diversified vocals -- supplied over much more low end and higher BPMs with unpredictable rhythmic twists -- nonetheless represents a kind of blossoming. Rollicking lead single and first song "Home Maker" gets the point across in more than one way. A hospitable
Parks greets with "I just got a wall mount for my plants," declares "Only bad bitches in my trellis," and a couple lines later, one can sense her smiling as she loses herself in her domestic reverie. Freedom and self-confidence are common themes. The biographical "NBPQ (Topless)" practically barrels with bounding drums, rapid bouzouki and handclaps, and an inexorable
Parks targeting colorism and superficiality before she taunts former lovers "who missed out on all my magic." On "Chevy S10," she leaves the house for a woozy escapist fantasy in which the bassline switches from a G-funk groove to an acoustic one seemingly plucked from a jazz date. "Freakalizer" is seductive, blissed-out electro with none other than
Egyptian Lover working the 808 drum machine. The presence of
Parks' violin isn't as obvious as it was on her earlier work, though she plays the instrument on more than half of the songs, treating it at times with effects pedals to make it resemble bass and guitar, juggling actual drums, percussion, synthesizers, and other keyboards all the while. As a vocalist,
Parks shows even greater versatility, matching modes ranging from breathy siren to tough MC with productions that dish out flickering electronics, atmospheric breaks, blown-out trap, and knocking hip-hop soul. Resilience, joy, and power emanate from all of it. ~ Andy Kellman
