SOS by SZA (Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA)

“Said what’s on my mind,” SZA professed within the first observe on the prime of her long-awaited second album, SOS. And that’s precisely what she does. The album comes after over 5 years since her debut album, Ctrl. The relatability of SZA’s lyrics, her vocal prowess and her experimental takes on the R&B style reminds us why audiences fell in love along with her within the first place.

SZA’s first album Ctrl was praised amongst followers and critics alike, with a number of songs charting within the prime 40s, a Grammy nomination in 2018, and it was even AP’s Album of the Year in 2017.

In the time between albums, SZA was nonetheless releasing hits, together with singles Good Days, and I Hate U, that are featured on SOS. She sang on the Oscar-nominated Black Panther observe All the Stars with Kendrick Lamar, and the Grammy-winning Kiss Me More with Doja Cat.

With 23 songs on SOS, the overwhelming observe checklist manages to maintain audiences captivated from begin to end.

SZA’s vocal vary and lyricism is clear within the album. The artiste can go from a ruthless rap observe Smoking on my Ex Pack to traditional R&B ballads, Gone Girl, to even acoustic in Nobody Gets Me.

In Special, it’s a change of tempo with an intimate acoustic sound and painful lyrics exploring physique picture and insecurity. Her relatable lyrics additionally dive into the disappointment and the blind anger that comes with heartbreak. Kill Bill, explores fantasies of revenge, however was nonetheless in a position to seize the sensation of loneliness. She sings within the final line: “Rather be in hell than alone.”

Collaborations vary from Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott and the late Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard and show she will be able to nail conventional R&B sounds, however isn’t afraid to experiment with indie different, pop-punk, lo-fi and extra.

Ghost within the Machine (feat. Bridgers) is a mix of R&B and indie different that was probably the most surprising on the document, but additionally the most effective collabs. Both artistes are in a position to channel heartbreak, however in several genres, their distinctive sounds mixing collectively completely.

The outcomes of the five-year wait: an extended, bold album with hardly a single miss. SZA proves in SOS she nonetheless is a voice of this era.