SZA
Ctrl
(Top Dog Entertainment/ RCA Records)

I hate to start off this review bragging, but I have a confession. I’m convinced, I have to be the second coming of Quincy Jones or Sean Combs. Why am I tooting my own horn? Well, right before SZA debuted CTRL I was listening to, and doing my research on her. I instantly loved her approach to music. After finding out it was a talent she sorta discovered accidentally it made sense. I was happy to see a Young Black Woman with an alternative edge making her way. Born in St. Louis, but raised in New Jersey, SZA has a unique approach to music and an almost unorthodox transparency about writing. After releasing two mixtapes , she signed to Top Dawg Entertainment alongside a number of incredible artists including Kendrick Lamar. CTRL was released this past June, and the verdict is in, she has truly reached a demographic of young women, and that’s amazing for a new artist.

From first glance she seems shy and introverted, but the visuals for her new single, “Love Galore” (featuring Travis Scott) prove that there is more than meets the eye. She’s a rebel. She breaks rules. She’s super honest and relatable. Her raspy, but ethereal sound is soothing. This defines to me the true freedom of interpretation.

Her next single, “Supermodel” is the average woman’s heart in a song. It’s worth a listen. “Go Gina” is one of my favorites. I’m a fan of bizarre sounds with looped infectious melodies. “Garden (Say it Like Dat)” is poetry in motion. It’s a beautiful run on sentence in the form of a song. I love “Broken Clocks,” it’s the perfect example of what I deem alternative R&B. “Drew Barrymore” is another fan favorite and a good moody sing-along song. The album flows and is conceptually in sync. It’s definitely appropriate for the culture, and young music lovers and makers alike.