Album Review: SZA’s ‘SOS’ worth the 5-year wait

Joey Perkins
Tue, 13 Dec 2022 02:59:29 +0000
Arts & Life, Entertainment, Instagram Page, Music, reviews, album review, apple music, ctrl, itunes, kill bill, music, new music, new release, phoebe bridgers, release, sos, spotify, sza, sza album, Travis Scott

In this photo from June 25, 2022, SZA performs onstage at Spotify’s Night of Music party during VidCon 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. (Anna Webber/Getty Images for Spotify/TNS)

SZA released her newest album, “SOS,” Friday, and the project comes more than five years after her last full-length project, “Ctrl,” was released in June 2017.

SZA has been relatively quiet during the past five years since the release of “Ctrl,” only delivering a handful of tracks before beginning the rollout for “SOS.” With a large gap since “Ctrl” and just a few singles leading up to the project, listeners were mostly unaware of how SZA would approach her new album. Sitting at just over an hour with 23 songs, “SOS” was well worth the wait.

The album kicks off with the title track, “SOS,” which features distant vocals from SZA with her rapping and singing over a quiet instrumental. Although the track lacks excitement and is far from groundbreaking, it serves as a good introduction to this project’s themes of love, lust and everything in between.

“Kill Bill” dives into the heart of the album’s themes, as SZA sings of wanting to kill for the love she once had and her struggle with jealousy and lust now that she’s alone. On top of the thematics of the track, SZA has an incredibly catchy vocal performance with sinister lyrics over a comparable instrumental. “Kill Bill” is one of the more complete songs in all of SZA’s discography, as she hits on all aspects of the song effortlessly.

The following track, “Seek & Destroy,” is another solid outing from SZA. Her vocal performance and range shine brightly on the track, allowing her sound to take over it entirely.

“Low” features an ominous sound. With great melodies and an infectious hook, SZA successfully paints a gloomy picture. The track contains ad-libs from Travis Scott —? which doesn’t come to much of a surprise, as the dark instrumental is reminiscent of one that Scott would perform.

“Love Language” is a rather dull track. SZA’s vocals are impressive as always, but the track isn’t a showcase of anything new and fails to provide anything unique to the project. The outro contains lyrics from her 2020 release, “Hit Different,” her first release since “Ctrl.”?

Originally teased at the end of the “Shirt” music video, “Blind” received a fair share of buzz prior to its official release on the album. The full track did not disappoint, as SZA’s vocals are angelic over the minimal, ethereal instrumentals, making it one of the best tracks on the project.

Following a couple of solid tracks comes “Notice Me,” an upbeat track with a catchy flow from SZA. Although the track is another quality performance from SZA, it’s not quite unique enough to be a major highlight on the project.

“Gone Girl” features SZA showcasing her incredible vocal range. This heartfelt, emotional track features SZA singing about her relationship struggles amidst her quest for self-acceptance and self-worth. “Gone Girl” is one of the more telling, personal tracks on “SOS.”

“Smoking on my Ex Pack” is a complete turnaround from the previous track, as SZA raps boastfully over hard-hitting instrumentals. While she isn’t known for her rapping, SZA glides smoothly before closing the track out with a memorable vocal performance.

“Ghost in the Machine (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)” is a soothing, melodic track. Both SZA and Phoebe Bridgers use the soft piano instrumental to their advantage, letting the sonics of the track push their words to the listener.

SZA comes in passionately over a guitar-heavy, rock-inspired instrumental on “F2F.” Following that track comes “Nobody Gets Me,” which features stunning vocals from SZA over an acoustic guitar.

“Conceited” is a rather bland track, with a repetitive flow and a hook that fails to stick well. “Special,” however, is exactly that: special. This relatable track features SZA comparing herself to others and wishing to be more than what she is in life. The instrumental is simple yet beautiful, and her soft, delicate vocals bring the track to a whole new level.

After a good track in “Too Late” comes “Far,” a slower, intimate track with a drum-heavy instrumental and infectious vocals. Next comes “Shirt,” one of the singles for the project, which is a spacey, melodic track that contains one of the better hooks on the entire project as well as some of the best verses.

“Open Arms (feat. Travis Scott)” is a beautiful track with great showings from both SZA and Scott. Unlike “Low,” which sounds fitting for Scott, “Open Arms” makes Scott perform in SZA’s wheelhouse, which he does with ease.

“I Hate U,” originally released in 2021, makes an appearance on the album. The synth instrumental paves the way for SZA to vent about her previous relationships in a harmonious way.

“Good Days,” the 2020 single, also shows up on the project. This track, fueled by a moody guitar, is one of SZA’s best performances to date. The optimistic, uplifting nature of the track should not be taken lightly, as both the sound of the track and the lyrics are some of the most complete from any artist over the past couple of years.

The final track of the album, “Forgiveless (feat. Ol’ Dirty Bastard)” begins with an awkward placement of a sample from Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “The Stomp.” SZA raps lightly over the simple instrumentals, ending the album in a less-than-grandiose way.

Despite the disappointing closing, “SOS” is a beautifully-curated, emotional project from SZA, who shows off her top-tier singing and songwriting ability by sharing her pain, joy and everything in between. Although the project is not without its minor flaws, “SOS” is filled with countless awe-inspiring moments that will leave the listener wanting more.

Rating: 4.5/5