The long awaited sophomore album, SOS, by SZA, was released Dec 9th, 2022.
Since the release, SOS has topped charts, received the ‘Best New Music’ label on Pitchfork, and even won ‘Best R&B Song’ with Snooze and ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ with Ghost in the Machine ft Phoebe Bridgers at the 2023 Grammys.
The album as a whole was nominated for ‘Album of the Year’ and won ‘Best Progressive R&B Album,’ along with five other nominations.
The album opens with the titular track, SOS, and sets the tone quickly with up-front lyrics (“Know you been more than lost without me”) and background vocals similar to that of traditional gospel music.
The second track, Kill Bill, (“I did it all for love”) became SZA’s first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and had massive radio play and success which earned the song over 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Sonically, the album is an improvement from the already great debut album, CTRL, with SZA showing off her songwriting ability as well as talent in vocals and production.
Blind features soft acoustic guitar while SZA opens up to the listener (“I’m still playin’ the victim / And you still playin’ the pick-me / It’s so embarrassing”), while Grammy-Winning Ghost in the Machine ft alt star Phoebe Bridgers is recognizable by it’s distinct beat with hauntingly soulful lyrics (“Scared of giving mutual respect, all that you hate / You reflect all the godlike, you forget how to love somebody”).
SOS contains 23 songs, placing it at 1 hour and 8 minutes long.
Other notable tracks include Special, a track about seemingly losing yourself, Open Arms, a collaboration with Travis Scott, and Love Language. SZA completed a sold-out tour in early 2023, and will be participating in various festivals around the globe in 2024. Fans of SOS may like Blonde by Frank Ocean, Planet Her by Doja Cat (which features a collaboration with SZA!), and While We Wait by Kehlani.
Final Ranking: 9/10
