
Album Review: SZA — ‘Ctrl’
It was a few years ago I first heard of SZA, it was a feature on Willow Smith’s song ‘9’ and instantly I was mesmerised by her phenomenal singing talent. But for some reason I didn’t fully explore her discography, and it wasn’t until earlier this year with the release of ‘Love Galore’ that my love for her reignited. Needless to say I didn’t make the same mistake twice and now I have for you my in depth review of her debut album Ctrl.
The album practically revolves around SZA’s insecurities, her inability to hold a relationship and of course her control or otherwise lack of. The lyrics are especially powerful in portraying her varying emotions; she sways from being strong and independent to being openly vulnerable about her need for affection, sometimes in one single song. ‘Supermodel’ goes from her being brutally honest to an ex, “I been secretly banging your homeboy” (an absolute savage line to have in your opening track), to confessing her longing need for him. The realness of these lyrics really enhance her storytelling abilities, and along with the tight production and compelling choruses every song is essentially irresistible.
Probably the most powerful song on the album is ‘Doves in The Wind’, which features fellow TDE artist Kendrick Lamar. The song is a fascinating ode to “pussy” that doesn’t just dance around the topic but delves deep in to the grotesque details, citing the word “pussy” 28 times. Its a refreshing take on a song about sex, especially one with a rap verse, picking faults in men’s chase for “pussy”. What’s especially effective in this song is the reference to Forrest Gump, saying how he “had a lot going for him” as he “never even pushed for pussy”. On the surface this song could be misconstrued as inappropriate, but dig a little deeper and suddenly its an anthem for modern day feminism.
The clips, through out the record, of SZA’s mother and grandmother discussing their views on control, help provide a through line from beginning to end, keeping the album within the confines of the overall theme. In addition to that, the fact that that they are the two closest women she has as role models makes the messages ten times more effective. Obviously this album is aimed at young women so its hard for a guy like me to relate to the overall message of the album but I get it and I think SZA has created a real masterpiece here.
The instrumentals vary from song to song but not so much that it throws the listener off. There’s a consistency of hip-hop inspired beats: from hard hitting 808s and rolling hi-hats in ‘Love Galore’ to J-Dilla style samples in ‘Doves in The Wind’. But there are times when the songs shift to other genres, none more wide left than the disco-infused pop song ‘Prom’, a song that could easily score a John Hughes film. With that being said, on the album it doesn’t at all feel out of place and merely adds a bit of flavour to what is predominantly an contemporary R&B album.
What’s more is that the production on this album is done to near perfection as SZA’s incredible vocals seem to glisten through every instrumental: from the soft subtle guitars to heavy drums. This was an absolute necessity as most of these tracks are filled with infectious melodies that SZA slays almost effortlessly. Although it’s difficult to pick any song in particular, the song that stand out for me is probably the second single ‘Broken Clocks’: its gorgeous hook is what really got me stanning for SZA and craving the full album.
The only fault I can pick with this album is that the ‘Wavey (Interlude)’ should be a few minutes longer. Its an absolute crime to have a James Fauntleroy feature that only last 1 minute and 16 seconds. Personally, I believe he is one of the most overlooked and underrated figures in the music industry, but that’s a story for another day.
Ultimately, SZA smashed through my exceptionally high expectations for Ctrl, so much so that this could well be my favourite album of the year. There is no doubt that the bar has been set extremely high for upcoming releases, but in the meantime I sincerely urge that you listen to this album… back to front… multiple times…like now.
