{"id":33763,"date":"2022-04-13T19:00:45","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T19:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/featured\/album-review-ctrl-by-sza-2\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T21:08:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T21:08:37","slug":"album-review-ctrl-by-sza-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/culture\/album-review-ctrl-by-sza-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: ‘Ctrl’ by SZA"},"content":{"rendered":"

This June will mark five years since R&B songstress SZA\u2019s iconic debut album,\u00a0Ctrl,<\/em> was released to widespread critical acclaim. I first heard one of her singles, \u201cLove Galore,\u201d back in high school, but it wasn\u2019t until this past year that I finally sat down and listened to the entire album. And yeah, it\u2019s been on replay ever since.<\/p>\n

While in an\u00a0interview<\/a>\u00a0with The Breakfast Club radio show about the album\u2019s title, SZA explained, \u201cCtrl<\/em>\u00a0is a concept. I\u2019ve lacked control my whole life and I think I\u2019ve craved it my whole life. I couldn\u2019t really arrive at it and now, I\u2019m not really looking to arrive at it anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m just happy to be present\u2026 If you try to control a future moment, it\u2019s impossible. There\u2019s no such thing as control anyway. It\u2019s just a concept, a word, a fantasy. But if you focus on the way you feel in the now and what you do with the now, I feel like it leads to having true control in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my track-by-track review of what I believe to be one of the most influential alternative R&B albums to date.<\/p>\n

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Nic Bezzina \/ The New York Times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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1. Supermodel<\/h2>\n

The opening track of\u00a0Ctrl<\/em>\u00a0is a guitar-driven, jealousy-ridden ballad in which SZA confesses her insecurities about her ex-boyfriend leaving her for \u201cprettier women,\u201d asserting \u201cyou know I need too much attention for sh** like that.\u201d Out of revenge, she also reveals she has been secretly sleeping with her ex-boyfriend\u2019s friends because he left her on Valentine\u2019s Day \u2013 a lyric SZA later\u00a0confirmed<\/a>\u00a0to be a true story.<\/p>\n

2. Love Galore (feat. Travis Scott)<\/h2>\n

SZA\u2019s collaboration with Travis Scott finds her reflecting on a past relationship, for whom she still has feelings with despite him being with another woman. Her remaining feelings of love for her ex-partner keep her interested in him despite feeling carefree and striving to take ownership of her life. The line, \u201cGot me lookin\u2019 forward to weekends with you, baby,\u201d alludes to a later track on\u00a0Ctrl<\/em>, \u201cThe Weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Doves In The Wind (feat. Kendrick Lamar)<\/h2>\n

\u201cDoves In The Wind\u201d is one of multiple collaborations between the Top Dawg Entertainment artists, including \u201cBabylon\u201d in 2014 and \u201cAll The Stars\u201d in 2018. This song is probably one of SZA\u2019s most sexually assertive songs on the album. Though she recognizes what she has to offer in a relationship in terms of sexuality, she also emphasizes other important aspects of dating and muses about the things people will do to acquire intimacy.<\/p>\n

4. Drew Barrymore<\/h2>\n

SZA released \u201cDrew Barrymore\u201d at the beginning of 2017 as the lead single off\u00a0Ctrl.<\/em>\u00a0The song\u2019s lyrics reveal her jealousy toward her ex and his new girlfriend, to whom SZA compares herself. She question her worth and wonders if her relationship with her ex was ever about more than just sex. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I\u2019m not more attractive \/ I\u2019m sorry I\u2019m not more ladylike \/ I\u2019m sorry I don\u2019t shave my legs at night,\u201d she sings. This memorable slow jam is an anthem for any woman who struggles with inferiority and insecurity.<\/p>\n

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Christopher Polk \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Prom<\/h2>\n

\u201cProm\u201d is one of SZA\u2019s most vulnerable moments on the album, as she sings about her fears of growing older and apologizes to her man for the areas in which she lacks maturity. She realizes he\u2019s being patient and worries he will leave her if he gets tired of waiting for her to commit to him; however, SZA acknowledges her gratefulness and appreciation for her partner. The song is reminiscent in style of 1980s pop\/disco music.<\/p>\n

6. The Weekend<\/h2>\n

My personal favorite track on the album by far, \u201cThe Weekend\u201d finds SZA exploring her role as \u201cthe other woman\u201d who only gets to see her love interest on the weekends, while he spends the weekdays with his girlfriend. I find the lyrics powerful because SZA unashamedly sheds light on the complicated emotions of knowing she is not the only woman in her man\u2019s life. The steamy R&B song is the third single off\u00a0Ctrl<\/em>.<\/p>\n

7. Go Gina<\/h2>\n

\u201cGo Gina\u201d is a sassy response to the judgment and criticism of others, \u201cGina\u201d being an uptight fictional character whom SZA accuses of bringing her down and spreading rumors about her. My favorite lyrics, \u201cI belong to nobody \/ Hope it don\u2019t bother you \/ You can mind your business \/ I belong to nobody \/ Try not to disturb \/ Mind my business,\u201d show her desire to live independently of opinions coming from those outside of her inner circle.<\/p>\n

8. Gardens (Say It Like Dat)<\/h2>\n

Another sweetly vulnerable song, SZA expresses her love for her man while admitting her fears of intimacy. \u201cOpen your heart up \/ Hoping I\u2019ll never find out that you\u2019re anyone else \/ \u2018Cause I love you just how you are \/ Hope you never find out who I really am,\u201d she croons on the chorus. While SZA acknowledges her insecurities of revealing her truest self in her relationship, she appreciates the ways in which her partner keeps her grounded and calm through her anxiety and uncertainties.<\/p>\n

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Omar Vega \/ FilmMagic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Broken Clocks<\/h2>\n

On the third single released off\u00a0Ctrl<\/em>, \u201cBroken Clocks,\u201d SZA sings about the tensions between her responsibilities at work and her personal life. Thematically, she explores the concept of living outside of time constraints and balancing her relationships. Lyrics such as \u201cBetter day than yesterday \/ I just take it day by day \/ Never hearing what they say \/ I just do it my way\u201d show a self-assured side of SZA as she attempts to live with a positive outlook.<\/p>\n

10. Anything<\/h2>\n

\u201cAnything\u201d finds SZA in a place of questioning her decisions and beliefs \u2013 \u201cMaybe I should kill my inhibition \/ Maybe I\u2019ll be perfect in a new dimension \/ Maybe I should pray a little harder \/ Or work a little smarter.\u201d She also wonders if her partner truly appreciates her, with the lyric, \u201cDo you even know I\u2019m alive?\u201d repeating through the song\u2019s outro.<\/p>\n

11. Wavy (Interlude) [feat. James Fauntleroy]<\/h2>\n

The shortest track on the album, \u201cWavy\u201d is a brief interlude featuring vocals from hip hop producer James Fauntleroy. Lyrically, the song reflects themes of carefree living similar to \u201cGo Gina\u201d and \u201cBroken Clocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

12. Normal Girl<\/h2>\n

On \u201cNormal Girl,\u201d another favorite track of mine, SZA sings about the impressions men have of her. She feels they are attracted to her sexual aggression, but as time goes on, they become bored of her after realizing she is just another normal girl. Lyrics such as, \u201cWish I was the type of girl that you take over to mama \/ The type of girl, I know my daddy, he\u2019d be proud of,\u201d further illustrate SZA\u2019s dissatisfaction with herself.<\/p>\n

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Kevin Mazur \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

13. Pretty Little Birds (feat. Isaiah Rashad)<\/h2>\n

This collaboration with Isaiah Rashad follows their previous song \u201cWarm Winds\u201d from SZA\u2019s 2014 EP,\u00a0\u00a0Z<\/em>. She compares herself to a \u201cphoenix\u201d and a \u201cpretty little bird,\u201d painting herself in a more feminine light compared to her previous track, \u201cDrew Barrymore.\u201d The track finds her expressing her affection toward her partner and reflecting on \u201chitting the window a few times,\u201d alluding to previous failures and heartbreaks in her life.<\/p>\n

14. 20 Something<\/h2>\n

The album closes in a similar style as its opener, with a guitar-led ballad highlighting SZA\u2019s soulful, yearning vocals. On \u201c20 Something,\u201d the singer reflects on similar themes explored in \u201cProm\u201d earlier on the album \u2013 fearing the future, growing up, and self-discovery.<\/p>\n

Up Next<\/h2>\n

Following the 64th<\/sup> Annual Grammy Awards \u2013 at which SZA won her first Grammy with Doja Cat for their collaboration, \u201cKiss Me More\u201d \u2013 she announced to the press plans to release her new album very soon. \u201cI actually just finished it up in Hawaii recently. So, turning it in.\u201d The singer even posted,<\/a> \u201cNot going to any more awards or events till my album out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But until then, enjoy listening to Ctrl<\/em> on replay with me.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n