SZA’s “SOS”: Provocative yet Soulful

The popular singer, SZA, released her second album, “SOS”, in early December. I love this album, and haven’t been able to stop listening since it was dropped! “SOS” is more enjoyable than her previous album, “CTRL”. The songs in “SOS” are more relaxed and upbeat, yet they maintain a stable rhythm throughout the duration of the album. 

SZA is able to convert personal opinions into songs that feel both deep and relatable. In SZA’s exceptional premiere album, “CTRL”, she lets her voice flow smoothly through the beats, to convey her thoughts.

“SOS” features various collaborators and producers, applying old styles and integrating recent ones. In one of her most popular songs, “Kill Bill,” SZA imagines killing her ex and his new girlfriend. The song appears both threatening and lighthearted. In “F2F,” SZA begins with steady folk-pop and rushes into rock as she claims that she’s only cheating with someone “because I miss you.” 

“SOS” consists of twenty-three tracks, and nearly each one is trending online. There were over seventy-thousand videos made to “Kill Bill” on TikTok, and her SNL song “Big Boy” has over one-thousand tags on Instagram. Personally, I enjoy scrolling through posts related to this album. Whether SZA’s songs are sped up or slowed down, I always enjoy watching each post. 

The combination of SZA’s stunning voice, her ability to transform her inner monologue into song, and the steady flow of each tune results in “SOS” being one of the best albums I’ve heard yet. “SOS” entails a diversity of emotions, ranging from wrath to satisfaction, allowing for a minimum of at least one song to match your music taste. “SOS” is by far one of my favorite albums – give it a listen and it may become your favorite as well!