Grammy-award winning singer and songwriter SZA has been an influential part of the music industry for quite some time now. With multiple studio albums and countless collaborations with other famous artists, it’s safe to say that she has taken the world by storm with her angelic voice and raw, emotional lyrics. As a long-time listener and fan of her music, I found her newest release: “SOS Deluxe: LANA”, a deluxe version of her 2022 studio album “SOS”, to be a masterpiece.
The deluxe version of the album consists of 38 tracks with 23 songs from the original “SOS” album along with 15 new releases. SZA continues to explore topics such as dealing with heartbreak and toxic relationships but in her new songs she also focuses more on getting through those tough situations and finding power within yourself. Many classics such as “Blind”, “F2F” and “Nobody Gets Me” (which were all part of the original “SOS” album) provided a sense of nostalgia for me. I spent all of 2022 listening to these songs but eventually moved on to other artists. When the deluxe version was released, it gave me the opportunity to fall in love with these timeless works of art again.
While I enjoyed listening to all of the new songs, a couple of them particularly stuck out. “Crybaby”, the tenth track on the album, was one of my favorites. In this song, SZA shows a more vulnerable side of herself, opening up about her struggles with mental health and insecurities. The music in the song is mellow but it really showcases the lyrics of the song and the emotions in SZA’s voice.The song perfectly encapsulates some of the universal struggles that many women around the world face such as body image issues and other insecurities due to the unachievable beauty standards set by society. Overall, I felt like “Crybaby” was an amazing addition to the album because of its vulnerability and relatableness.
Another song that I really liked from the album is “30 for 30”. This song is a collaboration between SZA and Grammy-award winning artist Kendrick Lamar. The pair have released multiple songs together throughout recent years and “30 for 30” was another great example of their excellent chemistry. My favorite aspect of this song is the way both of their voices build on each other while also showcasing their distinct individual styles. The song had a good balance of both artists singing individually but also working to harmonize and come together as one.
One song I enjoyed because of its uniqueness would be the 14th track on the album titled “Another Life”. To me, this song stood out because of its individuality. Some of the songs seemed to repeat themselves a bit but “Another Life” was fresh and original to me. This song encapsulates the feeling of the timeless cliche: “right person, wrong timing”. SZA has continued to release hit album after hit album as a result of her ability to create music that her vast audience can connect to
The deluxe edition of the album showcased SZA’s incredible talent and ability to combine multiple genres such as hip-hop and R&B together while providing an empowering message through her lyrics. If you’re looking for a melancholy, heartfelt album to listen to, this is the perfect album for you.
