Five years after releasing her debut album ‘Ctrl‘, the contemporary, distant force in R&B, SZA, is back to drop her latest deluxe version of this record. Fans of SZA would have seen the slew of teasers that she posted on Twitter earlier in the week. With the caption, “unreleased songs from 2017 to celebrate 5”… me thinks”, fans went wild in the comments, begging the R&B icon to release new music as soon as possible.

Born in St Louis and raised in New Jersey, SZA (real name Solana Imani Rowe) began making music influenced by the diverse and maverick likes of Billie Holiday, Bjork, and Wu Tang Clan after leaving college. She self-released a pair of dreamy and alluring EPs in 2012 and 2013, titled ‘See.SZA.Run’ and ‘S’ respectively. To recap on all her glory, ‘Ctrl’ previously debuted at No 3 on the Billboard 200 in July 2017 and the highly acclaimed record was nominated for the Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. Topping off the accolades, the R&B rockstar was also nominated for Best New Artist, Best R&B Performance, Best R&B song, and Best Rap/ Sung performance.

With this latest deluxe album featuring seven new tracks, SZA is now ready to delve deeper into the follow up record of ‘Ctrl’, incorporating a slew of punchy and flawless composition with a distinct cross pollination of musical references shining front and centre. While many of the songs on the album have been leaked, teased or had snippets ripped previously, the new additions are fully the creative outputs of SZA and herself alone. Without any features this time, ‘Ctrl (Deluxe)’ promises the fans that they can wholeheartedly devote their time to the stellar artist through all seven tracks.

Kicking off with the first new track, ‘Love Galore (Alt Version)’ ; it brings on a distinctly beautiful symphony and crunchy beats, shrouded with the alluring SZA vocals. Following up with subsequent tracks like ‘2AM’ and ‘Miles’, listeners are treated to an enticing organic energy. The heavy-laden harmonies and energetic drumbeats put her instrumentation production prowess on full display. Other standout tracks include ‘Tread Carefully’ and the final track ‘Jodie’. These highly catchy tracks are infused with eclectic sounds of drum and percussion, reflecting a true depiction of her versatility and music production capabilities.

At its core, ‘Ctrl (Deluxe)’ is a story of metaphosphoric and creative growth, whisking listeners into an electrifying and uncharted era for SZA. Her music is a journey through experience, circumstances and surroundings told through her impressive knowledge on the R&B production cuts. As she continues to set herself apart with a vulnerable and casually poetic songwriting style, her magnetic voice also shines through with excellence to convey a multitude of emotions and subtle twists. The new record will undoubtedly leave listeners eagerly waiting for what comes next from the heavy hitting R&B queen, with many crossing their fingers that they will not have to wait another five years for a new record.

SZA – ‘Ctrl (Deluxe)’ – Track list: 

1. Supermodel 
2. Love Galore (ft Travis Scott)
3. Doves In The Wind (Ft Kendrick Lamar)
4. Drew Barrymore
5. Prom
6. The Weekend
7. Go Gina
8. Garden (Say It Like Dat)
9. Broken Clocks
10. Anything
11. Wavy (Interlude) ft James Fauntleroy
12. Normal Girl
13. Pretty Little Birds ft. Isaiah Rashad
14. 20 Something
15. Love Galore (Alt Version)
16. 2AM
17. Miles
18. Percolator
19. Tread Carefully
20. Awkward
21. Jodie 

Stream SZA – ‘Ctrl (Deluxe)’ on Spotify now.