Flow State＜Black Vinyl＞

20種類以上もの楽器を自由自在に操る新世代マルチ・アーティスト!
ストリート・ミュージシャンとして活動していた模様がソーシャル・メディアで動画投稿され、口コミを通して瞬く間に話題を呼び、無名ながらも2017年3月にリリースしたデビューEP『Notion』が母国オーストラリア・チャート39位を記録し大きな注目を集めたシンガー・ソングライターのタッシュ・サルタナ。
海外メディアでは"ジメヘンの再来"と比喩されることも多く、ギターに加え20種類以上もの楽器とエフェクターを駆使したパフォーマンスが大きな話題を呼んでいる。2018年8月にリリースしたデビュー・フルアルバム『Flow State』(今作)がオーストラリア・チャート2位を獲得すると、翌年以降＜コーチェラ 2018＞や＜ロラパルーザ 2019＞など数々の大型フェスティバルへの出演を果たす一方で、英アート・ファッション誌POP MAGAZINEが毎年発表する＜POP AWARDS＞では見事「Album Of The Year」、「Emerging Artist Of The Year」の2部門を受賞。

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 dont mean much to most folks under 30 these days, theyd like to see some younger fret-wrestlers who will inspire Americas 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, 2018s 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 Sultanas 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&B than rock & roll, but Sultana has a rockers 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 Australians taste for pop-leaning R&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, isnt 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