React & Review: SZA - SOS (Part 2)
SZA's album is Special.
Alrighty, let’s keep er goin’. Back at with part two of my SZA SOS reaction and full review.
If you missed the first part of my reaction, you can read it here.
Ghost in the Machine (featuring Phoebe Bridgers)
I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of Phoebe Bridgers, I have a few of her songs. It’s been a while but I’ve tried getting into her music before but was largely unsuccessful. That’s a lot of words to effectively say this could go either way and I don’t really have a leg in this race.
The plucked guitars at the beginning are great, though. Definitely more banjo than acoustic guitar, but they’ve had their highs cut off and gives it a very home-y feeling.
I love SZA’s vocal pacing here. I’ve only heard the first verse, but it’s very good. Her chorus vocals are exceptional. I love the use of reverb there. Phoebe Bridgers bridge is great. I forgot how much passion and grittiness is in her voice.
The voice note at the end is lovely. Just adds to the ambiance that I loved so much about this track.
F2F
I love how forward and treble-y that acoustic guitar is in the intro. Oh shit, we’re getting a punk-pop track. Let’s go.
The first chorus demonstrates that exceptionally well. It’s definitely giving early 2000s punk-pop, especially since the track (thus far) has a very compressed sound. The kick drum and bass are bottoming out like crazy and the treble after the first few seconds of the song is cut significantly.
This track is a certified head bopper, full stop. Admittedly, it might be because of nostalgia but I don’t care. It’s so good. It’s definitely a top three track for me on this album.
Nobody Gets Me
An acoustic ballad? I’m here for that, too. So far, I’ve appreciated how diverse this album is. It seems like she’s going for an "there’s something for everyone" approach and I can’t say I hate it.
Her backing vocals during the chorus are exceptional. So is the if-you-blink-twice-you’ll-miss-it bass here. It’s very low in the mix and blends exceptionally well with the acoustic guitar.
I’m not sobbing, you are. Different situations, but I definitely feel this track in my soul. Feeling left out and feeling like Nobody Gets Me. I relate to this so much.
The soft ending is just the icing on the cake. Another absolute banger of a track.
Conceited
Love the heavy bass there, so much sub bass. I probably say this a lot, but this track would absolutely slap on a proper speaker setup. I, however, am listening on headphones. That sub-30-ish Hz bass is killer. My headphones don’t quite do it justice.
Sadly, this track is a skip for me, I think. That sub-bass production is absolute perfection, but I couldn’t connect with the rest of the track.
Special
I love the soft opening with the muted acoustic guitar and the treble-y synth.
I’m not crying, you’re crying. This track is so incredibly sad. If it means anything, I think you’re special and are not a loser, at all. The complete opposite. But what they did to you? That’s fucked up.
Yeah, I just love how comforting and soft this song is. Nothing too sub bassy, and nothing on the top end either. It’s a great track.
Too Late / Far
Hate to say it, but this track was another skip. Same reasons as before, just couldn’t connect to it. I didn’t find the track terribly interesting during my listen. Nothing really stood out, sorry.
I’ve never combined tracks like this, but I had the same feeling with Far as well. I just could not connect to this track.
Shirt
Oooo, that bass line in the intro is fantastic. So much definition and detail there. I love the hi-hats, too, with its high-pass filter to cut off much of the top end. And then her vocals split the difference and cut that midrange? So good.
It’s the first track in quite a few tracks, but this is a certified head bopper. I find myself tapping my foot to this track.
This track is a perfect example of why sometimes a simple production is all you need. I’m in love with it.
Open Arms (featuring Travis Scott)
This track has a slow burn to it. I’m about a minute in and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It’ll probably be one of those tracks that need a second listen.
For now, I’m staying neutral. I’m not sure if I love it, but I don’t necessarily think I hate it. I will say though, that Travis Scott rap is very good. I’ve admittedly not heard much of his music, but I feel like his feature on this track felt very natural.
I’m not going to claim I know the significance of what’s being played through the last 45 seconds of the track. Not at all. If anything, please enlighten me. But I think it’s a cool sample to close out the track.
I Hate U
Killer beat. I’ll add this track to my library purely for the beat. The pre-chorus is excellent, her layered vocal harmonies are so good here. I love that her main vocal is fairly dry, and her harmonies not only add that reverb layer but are EQ’d to give it that midrange forward effect.
The chorus vocals take on a completely different effect. It’s her usual vocal, but with a backing vocal with little effects added. Very satisfying.
Yeah, this could easily be in the top three tracks on the album for me. It’s a certified head bopper. I think what I’m figuring out while listening to this album is that I’m becoming attached to some of her more simple tracks.
Good Days
That intro sequence is... wow. I heard the first kick and was expecting another, but it never came. Very ambient, I think is the best way to describe it. I like that that chaotic energy continues into the first verse a bit.
To be honest, I got lost in the sauce on this track. I feel like I connect to this song on a spiritual level. Everything just came into place. Needless to say, I’m adding it to my library and this is easily a top two track for me.
This song is lovely in every possible sense of the word.
Forgiveless (featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard)
It’s the last track, let’s make it a great one. Yes! I straight up hip-hop track? I’ll take it. I’ve admittedly never heard of Ol’ Dirty Bastard, but kicking the track off with a rap was an absolute power move and it paid off big time.
The bass is so subtle here, with it occupying a small portion of the sub bass range. That kick drum is taking most of those lower frequencies. Also, those oooh’s scattered throughout the track are a fantastic voice-as-an-instrument play.
I feel like a broken record, but her simple tracks really do resonate with me more than the more complex ones on this album. But more on that coming up in a minute.
Conclusion
Wow. It’s done. I’ve finally listened to SZA’s SOS. My feelings are mixed if it weren’t obvious. Firstly, I completely understand why this album was so popular. There are a lot of good tracks on this album.
I came into it with an open mind, and as a pop girlie I’m honestly surprised how much of the album I ended up loving. Sure, 66% is still a D grade, which isn’t great. But that only tells one part of the story.
The songs that I did end up adding to my library were absolute bangers. They were exceptionally strong. And the ones that I didn’t? Well, I can’t like everything. And just cause I didn’t like it doesn’t make it a bad song. We may just have differing tastes, and that’s okay.
With all that being said, I would still highly recommend SZA’s SOS. Even if you don’t love every single track, it’s worth a listen.
NOTE: This album reaction and review was completed after listening to SZA’s SOS on Tidal (24-bit, 44.1 and 48kHz mixed) on the Tidal desktop application with an active Tidal subscription.