SOS makes waves months after its release : SZA’S ‘SOS’ ALBUM REVIEW
SOS is Sza’s second, long awaited, studio album. While I have some mixed reviews, I can confidently say she did not disappoint. SOS, to me, was a story on just how complicated love can be, and the rollercoaster of emotions that love and healing take us through. Emotions such as infatuation, envy, pleasure, regret, excitement, rage and more. SOS was a public display of Sza being honest with herself and coming to terms with things that are out of her control. Things such as facing rejection, feeling alone and dealing with envy. Things a lot of us can relate to. This could explain why Sza receives so much fan love, she’s just like us, she wants her lick back too! She’s angry just like me! Although we all know SZA to be the type to open up about heartbreak and relationships, it was refreshing and fun to listen to some tracks where you can feel the confidence in her lyrics as she talks her shit on songs such as ‘SOS’, ‘Smoking on my Ex Pack’ & ‘Conceited’. Saying things like “he screaming get back together, i’m screaming back of the bus trick” and "I just got my body done and got no guilt about it”.
Photograph courtesy of SZA Instagram
Similar to Ctrl, SOS has a range of different musical genres that leaves the listener truly wondering what the next track is going to sound like. The tracks ranged from pop,R&B and soul to soft rock, rap, and indie rock. The album had features from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott and even had an unreleased snippet of Ol' Dirty Bastard. It’s true to say that when SZA collaborates with other artists, she’s able to tell beautiful stories often centered around heartbreak with melodies that are pleasing to the ears. Not only is SZA such a great story teller, but the way she carefully places each of her songs with intentional transitions shows how serious she takes her craft and makes us feel as if we’re going on this journey with her.
From the harmonious beats, to the use of violins and piano, paired with the layering and slight pitch changes of Sza’s vocals on certain tracks, it's no surprise to see why the production of this album was something that I fell in love with. When it comes to my favorite song off the album I have to go with ‘Gone Girl’. ‘Gone Girl’ comes in as track 10 and appears to be a personal message to SZA from SZA.
A message full of self realization and transparency that are shown through lyrics such as “Trying to find a deeper meaning in the nonsense, Trying to grow without hating the process," and “I decide what demons I digest” sung with a choir alongside her. ‘Gone Girl’ gives us a sneak peek of the grown and more mature Sza, who is now facing her own personal demons while working on her inner self. The true beauty of SOS is watching Sza allow herself to express her array of emotions without any guilt. She’s showing us that Yes, It’s okay to be angry, it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to give yourself grace. She's showing us that healing isn’t linear and that healing is a practice that one continues forever. Overall I would give SOS an 8.5/10.