SZA’s long-anticipated comeback has finally arrived, and the artist has granted 15 new songs to her massive audience. SOS Deluxe: Lana is a reflection of the artist and her mindset all throughout 2022 and is considered to be part of a period she’s left behind. The album explores Alternative R&B, a blend of electronic and synth-like beats with the soulful voice that the artist has been known for since her debut. The album is definitely an acquired taste and features many tracks that are not the type to be mainstream or easily digestible like other pop albums recently. But SZA’s masterful lyricism and production skills still shine through, and her talent is what drew in many of her listeners, including me.
Her most significant out of the deluxe is “BMF,” the most digestible song off the album and what hit mainstream media the fastest. This song, once leaked around two years ago as “Boy From South Detriot, is an interpolation of the song “The Girl From Ipanema,” a bossa nova song from nearly 60 years ago. Many listeners recognized the familiar melody and jumped to point it out on social media, and others instead pointed out its popularity upon initial release. However, this song is not the most impressive out of her tracklist and the album only gets better as it goes on.
My personal favorites are “Love Me 4 Me” and “Crybaby,” two songs that are more heartfelt and soulful. They focus more on the artist and how she feels about the public’s perception of her, among other things. For example, “Crybaby” talks about the pressure put on her by being a major artist and how the public now perceives her as someone who complains and criticizes everyone. She acknowledges her own bad habits and cycles of self-sabotage while calling out the public for being harsh and disrespectful to her. Although brief references to her love life were made, the artist barely points it out and avoids speaking about her love life publicly. “Love Me 4 Me,” however, is directed towards former lovers who didn’t treat her with respect or care. It talks directly about how she felt she was treated and respected herself enough to leave people who treated her this way. The two songs are more personal and feature her voice most prominently, creating a larger impact and inspiring listeners.
Overall, SZA’s deluxe album features a variety of sounds and moods but explores a genre that is underappreciated and unwelcome by many music listeners. Upon its release, SZA received criticism from fans and peers alike, but the relatability of her lyrics and the skill she placed into producing these songs are what drew people back in. The artist’s next releases will only build off of this and grow into something truly appreciated by the public.
