SZA's Ctrl

It's not SZA's vocals that makes her fascinating, but it's her penmanship and artistry.

Label:

• Top Dawg,
  
• RCA

Release Date:

• 9th of June 2017

Producers:
Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, Terrence "Punch" Henderson, Dave "Miyatola" Free, Bēkon, Craig Balmoris, Hector Castro, Cam O'bi, The Donuts, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Josef Leimberg, Scum and ThankGod4Cody
Features:
Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy and Isaiah Rashad
Genre: 

• R&B
  
• Neo Soul
  
• Indie Rock

TDE's only feminine flavour, SZA, has grown into her ultimate confortablility which was something we had missed on her previous project, Z. Throughout the project, SZA invites us listeners into her relationship life using the subtopics of being the side girl; only seeing her man on "the weekend", and glamourizing herself for her significant other, and feeling herself while doing so. It's not SZA's vocals that makes her fascinating as an artist, but it's her penmanship and artistry. 

SZA seems to turn what would otherwise be a boring, generic track about not letting go of an ex into an explosive emotional experience, enticing listeners deeper and deeper into her personal love life and mind of beliefs such as the aspect of control (Ctrl) that drives us as the youth of technology so unrelentlessly.
​

"SZA seems to turn what would otherwise be a generic track into an explosive emotional experience, enticing listeners deeper and deeper into her personal life and beliefs such as the aspect of control (Ctrl) "

Along the album, SZA learns valuable lessons of life through the words of her mother and grandmother, while still staying confused about many things, something many of the youth can relate with today.
​

On 'Doves In The Wind', SZA informs us in the words of her mother "...I've learned that when I get to that point, and I can acknowledge... that's as much as you can do, I can actually let it... go." the final line of that quote; "I can actually let it go", holds a piece of information that could benefit everyone's life, among technology we sometimes take things too far and over analyze things without a recess. 

Sonically this album seamlessly infiltrates several different genre's from almost Electronic to Urban Trap with 808 slides, and sharp hi-hats that leaves us with a piece of work that sounds like a close relative to Frank Ocean's critically acclaimed Blonde.
​

A handful of the tracks on the project sound like they were created exclusively for festival performance, leaving another other handful that could easily fit on a quiet rooftop at 3:00am, as one dives deep through a web of late night thoughts and ideas.
​

Favourite Tracks:
'Doves In The Wind', 'Drew Barrymore', 'Prom', 'Go Gina', 'Garden (Say It Like Dat)', 'Pretty Little Birds'

Lyrics: A 
Subject Matter: B+ 
Vocals: A-  
Production: A
Delivery: A+
Diversity: B+ 
Features: A
Cohesive Value: B+ 
Creativity: A- 
Theme: B+
Replay Value: C+

Rating: A- or 9/10

​Written by Colin.
​

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