SZA

The US star's follow-up to her groundbreaking debut ranges wildly, from pop-punk to traces of Radiohead and a Phoebe Bridgers feature.

But the words are largely downcast, even when they are not dealing with romantic woe, flitting between demands to be left alone – “I need more space and security,” she pleads on Gone Girl – and demands for validation: “How do I deal with rejection?” she ponders on Far. There are tracks that feel as if they were intended to come out in the summer – Too Late and Far have a gentle sunlight-dancing-on-the-water quality – and tracks that feel as if they are emerging from within a dense cloud of weed smoke during a long, dark night of the soul, such as the abstract Low, with its urgent request that you “get the fuck out of my space”. In May, she announced the album was “ready to go”, promising “a SZA summer”. She is a fabulous vocalist, powerful but unshowy, capable of shifting seamlessly into what the Grammy awards call melodic rap: a mellifluous sprechgesang, its flow peppered with triplets that seem less inspired by Migos than Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. There are tracks that recall Ctrl’s lo-fi haze, but there is also Special, which appears to be wondering: “What if Radiohead were an R&B act?” It nods in the direction of Thom Yorke and co both in an intro of lazily strummed guitar and twinkling, celeste-like tones that evokes No Surprises, and its lyrics, or at least some of them. It suggests someone continually adding to and augmenting a project, or perhaps throwing everything they’ve got at it, fuelled by the feeling that they might not do this again.

'SOS' evokes memories of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,' 'Beyoncé,' Rihanna's 'Anti' and even Taylor Swift's 'Red.'

Do these lines (and the many more like them) make “SOS” sound like a slog? (The album’s “general theme is: I’m pretty pissed,” SZA said this week in a radio interview with Hot 97.) Indeed, there’s actually a third rap cut on “SOS” at the midpoint of this 23-track set, and it might be the most stank-face-inducing of all: “Your favorite athlete screaming, ‘Text me back,’” she raps in “Smoking on My Ex Pack,” the words steaming like cooling lava, “I make no exception — the lesser part of me loves all the cap.” Like Swift, SZA writes with pinprick precision about the illusions that prop up ideas of romance and about the grim exhilaration to be found in crashing through them. Working with a varied cast of studio pros including DJ Dahi, Babyface, Benny Blanco, Shellback, Rodney Jerkins, Carter Lang and ThankGod4Cody, SZA paints a detailed portrait of millennial insecurity. (That sound you hear is hundreds of music critics cursing the fact that they published their She describes her fear of giving away what makes her special; she admits that if she were her ex, she wouldn’t take herself back.

SZA dropped her new 23-track album 'S.O.S.,” featuring Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, on December 9.

But “PSA” is nowhere to be found on the new release, which gives us some hope that she was lying when she [said](https://archive.flaunt.com/content/music/sza-new-fantasy-issue-feature) that the album below would be her last. [SZA](https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/sza-ctrl-interview.html) dropped the single [“Good Days”](https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/hear-szas-new-song-good-days-released-on-christmas-day.html) as a Christmas gift to fans nearly two years ago. [“Shirt”](https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/sza-shirt-music-video-release.html) landed on streaming services. “It’s about heartbreak, it’s about being lost, it’s about being pissed,” SZA said of the album [to People](https://people.com/music/sza-confirms-sophomore-albums-release-date-on-saturday-night-live/). There’s representation on S.O.S. S.O.S.

SZA ends her five-year hiatus with the release of her second album 'SOS,' which was released Friday (Dec. 9) via Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA Records.

9) via Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA Records.SOS follows CTRL, her classic debut album that Previously released singles “Good Days,” “I Hate U” and “Shirt” are also included in the album, which have all reached the top 20 of the [Billboard Hot 100](https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/), as well as the full-length version of the oft-teased snippet “Blind,” which she [performed on Saturday Night Live](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/sza-snl-performance-videos-sos-album-1235180830/) last weekend. For the cover story, Billboard had an earlier listen to select tracks of the album and described SOS as her “most daring body of work yet…. S.O.S is an album that certainly justifies a five-year wait.” 9) via Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA Records. 10 edition).

Contemporary R&B songstress SZA (real name: Solana Rowe) is a beloved gem in the genre. Ever since 2011, SZA has been sprinkling her magic with sensual ...

In the song, SZA makes it clear that all she wants is for her partner to act accordingly and make her feel secure so that they can be together without the drama. However, the hitmaker has done a really good job of keeping her romantic relationships out of the public eye. [SZA](https://www.distractify.com/t/sza) (real name: Solana Rowe) is a beloved gem in the genre. In essence, they find themselves falling deeper in love with someone although they’re clearly no good for them and don’t share the same feelings. As fans find themselves jamming to the sensual track, plenty have debated on the actual meaning of the song. [Shirt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdFDrjfW548),” fans are wondering what the song means.

SZA has confirmed that her front cover artwork for new album 'SOS' was inspired by a photo of Princess Diana.

Despite label scuffles and self-imposed pressure, SZA's 23-track sophomore album is a breezy, cohesive pleasure.

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