From start to finish, it's nothing less than outstanding - the late arrival of a very important artist.
Ctrl is as tough as Damn is tender, and it knocks as hard as The Sun’s Tirade swoons. It’s weirder than any of them, and maybe funnier, too.
In Ctrl, SZA draws on her personal experience and explores women’s sexuality in a direct and honest way which was so far mostly reserved to male R&B and pop artists.
With Ctrl, SZA proves that the cult following that ballooned with the release of her 2014 mixtape, Z, was not some flash in the pan, but a deserved wellspring of attention from an adoring fan base whose faith in what she had yet to produce helped to produce the project that could eventually stand as the best thing she has ever done.
Rowe admits she’s no idea what she’s doing when it comes to being an artist, but CTRL doesn’t suggest this at all. Rather it shows someone with a novel prose and delivery who uses these tools to explore music in ways those before her were unable to do.
On Ctrl, SZA’s debut retail album, she explores the full range of her voice over laidback hip-hop production that includes the textural variety of live instrumentation.
The record blends alternative R&B with trap influences and aggressive lyrics delivered by her antithetically sweet voice ... On her debut album, SZA successfully flaunts her vocal range and her lyricism.
Languid and soulful, the debut album from New Jersey singer SZA is an immersive dreamscape.
Making these subtle tonal shifts so impactful is a truly rare feat for a debut record and proves that SZA already has a place among our most heart-wrenching writers and vocalists.
Ctrl is a languid, cavernously soulful debut that is never anything but assured – a collection of delicious jams that are equal parts fragile, cozy and piercing.
As a twenty-something woman who’s been single in the age of social media, SZA’s confessional debut album CTRL is strikingly relatable. But what’s remarkable about it is that she has spun her personal experiences into a soulful, touching R&B record with broad appeal beyond her particular demographic.
Throughout the album, the 26 year-old SZA presents herself as an unapologetic femme fatale, often to hilariously blunt effect.
SZA delivers a strong full-length debut that explores the emotional complexities of being the other woman.
It’s ... an assembly of tracks that prevail as mantras of self-affirmation, and it balances the two sides of its character with an awareness that feels like an accident, though it's welcomed all the same.
A decent soundtrack for summer romance, even if some tracks get lost in the background.
If Dj Khaled was laying on these televisions with no shirt this album would've been a 10.
I will be honest I've listened to this album only because I loved SZA's feature in Utopia, So I wanted to give this album a chance. When I've heard SOS I thought the album was decent, But nothing too special or adventures, And I wanted Ctrl to be more powerful and compelling. And well, Its definitely a huge improvement in my opinion.
This album feels more focused, Tight and conceptual than SOS, I ... read more
She Ctrl + C Ctrl + V’d too many TVs on the cover like they were Gmod props
I’ve heard SZA in features before, which was my main drive to listen to this album. I wasn’t familiar with her style, but this was a fantastic showcase of it. I seriously did not expect this to be as amazing as it was.
Ctrl is the debut album of singer SZA. Before this album, SZA would release the odd EP that wouldn't be all that successful commercially or critically, but this album changed the game ... read more
Supermodel - 10
Love Galore - 9
Doves in the Wind - 8
Drew Barrymore - 9
Prom - 7
The Weeknd - 9
Go Gina - 8
Garden (Say It Like Dat) - 9
Broken Clocks - 10
Anything - 8
Wavy (Interlude) - 8
Normal Girl - 10
Pretty Little Birds - 8
20 Something - 9
1 | Supermodel 3:01 | 89 |
2 | Love Galore 4:35 feat. Travis Scott | 88 |
3 | Doves In the Wind 4:26 feat. Kendrick Lamar | 86 |
4 | Drew Barrymore 3:51 | 91 |
5 | Prom 3:16 | 87 |
6 | The Weekend 4:32 | 89 |
7 | Go Gina 2:41 | 83 |
8 | Garden (Say It Like Dat) 3:28 | 87 |
9 | Broken Clocks 3:51 | 90 |
10 | Anything 2:29 | 82 |
11 | Wavy (Interlude) 1:15 feat. James Fauntleroy | 80 |
12 | Normal Girl 4:13 | 87 |
13 | Pretty Little Birds 4:05 feat. Isaiah Rashad | 83 |
14 | 20 Something 3:18 | 86 |
#1 | / | Associated Press |
#1 | / | New York Daily News |
#1 | / | Noisey |
#1 | / | Time |
#1 | / | Vinyl Me, Please |
#2 | / | BBC News |
#2 | / | BET |
#2 | / | Billboard |
#2 | / | BrooklynVegan |
#2 | / | Cosmopolitan |