Critic Score
Based on 25 reviews
2022 Ratings: #37 / 816
Year-End Rank: #50
User Score
2022 Ratings: #129
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Critic Reviews

100
NME
The US star's first album in five years – and her last ever, she says – is sprawling, superb and rarely puts a foot wrong.
100
DIY
The drought may be over, but SZA left no crumbs.
100
Dork
A great leap forward from now indisputable pop superstar.
100
The Telegraph

It may have been five years in the making, but SOS is well worth the wait.

93
Still Listening

Ctrl showed that SZA, aka Solána Imani Rowe, was not someone who was to be confined by genre, and SOS doesn’t disappoint in this regard.

90
AllMusic

It's an advancement from Ctrl in every respect apart from cohesion, a feature purposefully disregarded by SZA and main songwriting/production collaborators Rob Bisel and Carter Lang.

90
The Forty-Five
Five years since her triumphant debut ‘Ctrl’ signalled a turning point in alternative R&B, the singer returns with a boundary-pushing second album that both reimagines her lo-fi roots and fearlessly ventures into new territory.
90
Exclaim!
In an era where bloated albums built to inflate streams are increasingly frequent, SZA has delivered a 23-track masterwork on which nearly every song fits, each individual piece made with purpose and feeling.
90
Spectrum Culture

SZA’s widely anticipated sophomore record SOS delivers on all fronts. Her honest lyricism, vocal work, collaborations and genre versatility keep the tracks fresh and make each an individual step forward in her artistry.

88
Beats Per Minute

SOS gives a glimpse into SZA’s life for the last five years and it re-establishes her as the most natural voice of a generation desperately needing a spokesperson.

87
Pitchfork
SZA’s long, ambitious, luxurious new album solidifies her position as a generational talent, an artist who translates her innermost feelings into indelible moments.
80
Clash

This is an album about growth, however messy and non-linear it may be.  Finally prized from the hands of a perfectionist, you’d hope going forward, ‘SOS’ vindicates and releases it’s creator from the burden of expectation.

80
Hot Press
SZA makes her comeback well worth the five-year wait, with a sprawling magnum opus that requires multiple listens.
80
The Sydney Morning Herald
Revenge is the bedrock of SZA’s second album – she’s out for blood, and ex-boyfriends are the target. It’s a formula that’s been done over and over again, but in the hands of the chameleonic 33-year-old musician, the results are intoxicating and addictive.
80
The Needle Drop

SZA goes the distance on SOS.

80
Northern Transmissions

SOS isn’t likely to disrupt any pre-planned ‘Best of 2022’ lists, but within its 23 tracks, there’s bound to be tracks that resonate with listeners. With her sense of humor, vulnerability, and ability to craft purposeful and monumental songs, SZA is one of the most down-to-earth musicians today.

80
The Guardian

The US star’s follow-up to her groundbreaking debut ranges wildly, from pop-punk to traces of Radiohead and a Phoebe Bridgers feature. You’d give it a trim were the quality not so unerringly high.

80
Slant Magazine

Locating a middle ground between assuredness and fragility, a sweet spot of purified authenticity, is a line SZA regularly straddles on her sophomore effort, SOS, an unwieldy, unruly, and, at times, deeply beautiful album.

80
Rolling Stone
R&B superstar delivers sharp barbs and juicy revelations on her long-awaited sophomore LP.
80
The Line of Best Fit

Did SOS need to be 23 tracks long? Not really. However it doesn’t feel like SZA is trying to make the blueprint for the album arc – she’s making a SZA album, no one else's.

80
HipHopDX
SZA has proven that her strength as an artist lies in her sharp writing and the blending of genres to build her own unique sound world.
80
musicOMH
Emotional heft, piercingly astute lyrics and a versatile delivery mark a triumphant return that comes with lush production, some A-list guests and wild mood swings.
70
Gigwise

With the enormous growth of her fanbase over the five year hiatus, SOS serves to please every member of this cult, experimenting with today's trending sounds regardless of genre but ingraining her SZA flair on each cut regardless.

60
The Observer

Two years ago she threatened to do “a dump” of unreleased tracks; although SOS is not that, it treads a fine line between swashbuckling versatility and a lack of cohesion.

60
Sputnikmusic

As it stands, S.O.S. shows that if SZA were to separate her expression as an artist and her output as a pop entertainer, she would be more than capable of an album deserving of all the hyperbolic acclaim this album is currently receiving.

MattsReviews
70

This is like playing the automated "SZA Radio" playlist on Spotify

Not much special, but nothing bad. Just serviceable and commercial R&B

decodey
90

Only SZA could make a 23-track album which delivers us wanting even more…

charcoal
75

Short review, it’s finals week and I don’t have much time sorry

At this point, SZA is an artist who doesn’t really need an introduction. She’s arguably the biggest female R&B star in the world right now and has managed to establish a lasting legacy off the momentum generated from three EPs and her debut full length, 2017’s massive “Ctrl”. Unanimously loved by fans and critics alike, “Ctrl” was essentially deemed an instant classic upon ... read more

More popular reviews
esny24
73

I feel like it has too many songs, but her voice is amazing and I enjoyed it

lekoziol
72

Lourd ! Des longueurs et des morceaux qui, certes, vieillissent déjà, mais c'est un bon album.

SolarOatmeal
89

beautiful singing over fantastic, super varied beats. very consistent despite the huge amount of songs. i do wish a lot of them were longer in exchange for cutting some of the less impactful ones, but every song is great

More recent reviews
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Track List

1SOS
1:57
77
2Kill Bill
2:33
88
3Seek & Destroy
3:23
83
4Low
3:01
83
5Love Language
3:03
79
6Blind
2:30
84
7Used
2:26
79
8Snooze
3:21
86
9Notice Me
2:40
76
10Gone Girl
4:04
84
11Smoking on My Ex Pack
1:23
74
12Ghost in the Machine
3:38
87
13F2F
3:05
78
14Nobody Gets Me
3:00
85
15Conceited
2:31
73
16Special
2:38
78
17Too Late
2:44
77
18Far
3:00
77
19Shirt
3:01
83
20Open Arms
3:59
85
21I Hate U
2:53
82
22Good Days
4:38
92
23Forgiveless
2:21
80
Total Length: 1 hour, 8 minutes
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