Ctrl
Details
LP / Format
Tags
Sign In to rate and review
CRITIC REVIEWS
100
This is a marked improvement and an indication of more great work to come.
95
From start to finish, it's nothing less than outstanding - the late arrival of a very important artist.
91
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.
90
SZA's knack for marrying her assorted tastes into an intriguing sound is her strong suit, and coupled with her distinct vocal and songwriting abilities, she comes across here as a consummate artist.
90
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.
88
SZA altered her direction in front of a world waiting on her words by discarding the guarded metaphors to evoke and examine darker realities, and ‘CTRL’ is all the better for it. It is a product that sets a new standard, raising the bar for herself and for other artists young and old.
84
The long-awaited debut from the Jersey singer is an opulent, raw R&B album that constantly tests the borders of the genre. SZA’s deeply personal lens on modern romance gives these songs endless life.
83
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.
83
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.
80
There’s no Nicki Minaj feature, no DJ Mustard club cruncher, no junk-food love songs; it’s great pop without the guilty pleasure factor.
5mo
80
This debut album is a much more striking affair than earlier releases as the New Jersey singer shows both tough and vulnerable sides with remarkable results.
80
Languid and soulful, the debut album from New Jersey singer SZA is an immersive dreamscape.
80
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.
80
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.
80
Featuring savage and often heartfelt, diary-like ruminations, ‘CTRL’ pushes against the borders of convention lyrically and sonically, placing it on the upper echelons of potential ‘Best Of ’17’ lists.
80
Across 45 minutes, she breathlessly leaps between genres, and laments on tired and broken relationships in a stream-of-consciousness style that fans of Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ will adore.
80
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.
78
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.
75
Throughout the album, the 26 year-old SZA presents herself as an unapologetic femme fatale, often to hilariously blunt effect.
70
SZA delivers a strong full-length debut that explores the emotional complexities of being the other woman.
70
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.
50
A decent soundtrack for summer romance, even if some tracks get lost in the background.
SZA, Kehlani, Tinashe, and all of these flavor-of-the-month R&B singers are the same. No substance, shallow lyrics, and hopping onto whatever wave is popular in music at the time, which in this case is the soul/hip hop fusion similar to what Bryson Tiller popularized. SZA is lucky because she is signed to TDE, which also holds some very talented artists such as two of the features on this album. So, she actually has the resources available to do some different shit which can prove to be ... read more
ROLLING STONE #472
SZA!!!
I was honestly pretty surprised to see this one on here. I'm not complaining but it is interesting that this made it. SZA's 2017 debut was pretty critically acclaimed upon its release and is on its way to becoming a classic in the R&B genre. SZA's sweet but assertive vocals work really well over the smooth guitar and synth-based rnb instrumentals with aspects of pop, neo-soul, and alternative rock as well. I really love all the vocal runs she does throughout the ... read more
Tracklist Rating
1. Supermodel: 9/10
2. Love Galore: 8.5/10
3. Doves In The Wind: 8.5/10
4. Drew Barrymore: 9.5/10
5. Prom: 8/10
6. The Weekend: 8.5/10
7. Go Gina: 7.5/10
8. Garden (Say It Like That): 8.5/10
9. Broken Clocks: 9/10
10. Anything: 7/10
11. Wavy (Interlude): 7.5/10
12. Normal Girl: 8/10
13. Pretty Little Birds: 7.5/10
14. 20 Something: 8.5/10
Best Song: Drew Barrymore
Worst Song: Anything
8.3/10
--------------------
Deluxe:
Trackliste Rating
1. Love Galore (Alt Version): ... read more
Muito mais centrado do que o SOS em questão de estrutura e produção das músicas, mas também tem os mesmos erros: repetitivo e unidimensional. Apesar disso, ainda gostei, mas acho que não merece o status de "clássico".
Contributions By
patton, royalflush, thisisabtlgrnd, philthy, Alejandro González, boniverski, Pacaveli, Leo Aguilar, MarkC, domvic, ScHooly, YVIDUR, Guigss, civilstarwarsBecome a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement
Track List
| 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 | 86 |
| 13 | Pretty Little Birds 4:05 feat. Isaiah Rashad | 82 |
| 14 | 20 Something 3:18 | 86 |
Total Length: 49 minutes
Year End Lists
| #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 |
More Lists
Sign in to comment
5mo
this is probably (and will always be) the easiest 100 i have ever given to an album. literally heard a song off here at least once every day since it came out and it still blows my mind every time.
Added on: January 24, 2017