SOS / SZA / December 9, 2022
- Joshua Yoo
- Dec 14, 2022
- 2 min read
The five years between now and her widely acclaimed 2017 ‘Ctrl’ has felt like an immense amount of time, and the SZA today is certainly not the same person as before, weathered by the equally immense pressure and spotlight she’s faced since. ‘SOS’ is a big push back against this pressure, with 23 songs and over an hour of multi-genre blends and reflective lyricism that all sounds like she’s making the music that she herself wants to make, regardless of the expectations.
For some parts of the record, SZA wears any one of her more comfortable outfits in R&B, and it’s easy to see how naturally these moments come to her. Whether it’s the more moody and bitter strain of R&B on the “I Hate U”, or the unapologetically romantic side of the genre on “Snooze”, or the more trap-influenced style on “Used”, her confidence and delivery are more assured than ever, which in-turn sell the emotional rawness of the very personal themes she sings about.
By the same token, she carries that same confidence and delivery over to the number of other genres she tries her hand at, even if they don’t always manage to result in the same consistency or quality. The alt-rock cuts at the album’s halfway mark are surprising in their mere existence, yet while they fault in questionable writing, they do show a versatility to SZA’s sound and potential in a refreshing way. The same can’t be applied to the more straightforward styles of pop, accounting for the most unmemorable musical moments on the record (“Conceited”).
But the length of the album is more justified in this sense, given the size of the palette of sounds SZA attempts to explore even if the results aren’t always fireworks; she deserves the artistic freedom.
Highlight(s): Used, Kill Bill, Open Arms, Far, Good Days, Snooze, I Hate U, Blind
Lowlight(s): Notice Me, Shirt, Conceited, Forgiveless, Too Late
SCORE: 6/10
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