SZA finally drops SOS album after five-year wait and the verdict is in: ‘SZA you are mother’

Collage of SZA smiling at the camera and SZA sitting on a diving board surrounded by ocean

SZA has dropped her new album SOS to rave reviews, hydrating fans after a five-year drought.

SOS arrives almost two years after its first single, “Good Days” – one of almost 23 songs that made the final track list, after SZA wrote more than 100.

After years of speculation SZA confirmed the album just weeks ago and dropped its artwork, showing her sitting on a diving board looking out to the sea.

Sound familiar? Well SZA confirmed it was directly inspired by the near identical photo of Princess Diana taken shortly before her death.

Speaking about why she chose it, SZA told Hot 97: “I just loved how she isolated she felt, and that was what I wanted to convey the most.”

As the album dropped, one person tweeted: “Princess Diana would have loved SZA’s new album.”

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The album is a mix of R&B, alt/rock, country and hip-hop, and has been widely praised for its versatility and for SZA’s artistic growth.

A Rolling Stone review read: “The 33-year-old’s sharp register is stunning – a loopy lilt full of acrobatic twists and turns.

“She weaves in and out of pockets effortlessly, issuing barbs that land with tense, automatic-stop precision. There’s nothing scatterbrained about her music.”

Talking about the five year gap between SOS and SZA’s debut, Ctrl, one fan said: “Usually people that have a huge success on an album, crumble under the pressure and put out garbage after that. Not SZA!!! She perfectly crafted this album and has only increased her stardom. The wait was worth it 100%”

Meanwhile, when it comes to SZA range, there is something for everyone on this album, with another person saying: “SZA is giving r&b, hip-hop, pop, rock, and country all on one album. You wanna talk about versatility???”

The incredible vocals, lyrics and transitions have left fans on their knees, with one person writing: “This new SZA album is fixing the economy, solving climate change, ending wars, and curing my depression.”

People are particularly thrilled that SZA seems to have created the ultimate “no skips” album, with every track a veritable hit.

“SZA held my attention over 23 tracks. These songs ride, the production is nice. She switched it up a few times. Let me see how this feels over multiple listens. But I feel like she did what needed to be done on sophomore album,” one person observed.

So buckle in because this album is riding us through the new year. And yes, it is a totally normal response to make this album your entire personality.

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