Ctrl

THIS DAY OF MUSIC MOMENT #40: June 9th
When I first listened to "SZA", it was off the "SOS" album. While I did enjoy that record, I felt the track list and runtime was pandering and repetitive. Even though I enjoyed the majority of "SOS", I heard that this album was a bit better as her debut, so I gave it a shot last year to see how I felt. Technically, the run time is shorter than "SOS", I felt this album breezed by compared to the latter. The music feels much more unique and impressive. This album is full of soulful, somber, restless R&B ballads, giving a very promising look into the music compared to the more pop infused sophomore track "SZA" released later on.
I already knew I was going to adore the vocals and deliveries on this album, and my anticipation did not disappoint. "SZA"'s vocal control and cadence feel unmatched in all honesty. Perhaps one of the best modern female R&B singers. It's so easy to feel so mesmerized by her voice and prowess that it is easy to look over some of the less flattering lyrics and verses. I understand the playbook of what an album of this caliber would play to, lyric wise. I just felt some tracks were completely unresponsive to listen to in my brain cause of the writing, especially "The Weekend". The chorus is a bit annoying, and the only fun part is the adlibs for the most part. There are other moments as well, but that is the one that sticks out the most right now as of writing. Ignoring lyrics though, there is not a single skip or issue on this record singing or vocal wise. All the tracks are highlighted by her voice, which is usually the opposite I feel for a lot of artists. The production is fair and graceful, but it's "SZA" that is the star, which should feel obvious given the context, but it's great to say that her singing is never too much or boring.
As for the production, the album really ebbs and flows for me personally. Songs like "Drew Barrymore" and "Broken Clocks" have great samples and the mixing works incredibly well for the tracks going forward. "Supermodel" being a personal favorite for how many elements are added on to the track as it plays through the intro. Plenty of strong drums and wavy piano lengths to give enough to not overwhelm the track and let "SZA" shine. On the other hand, "Go Gina" and "Anything" sound fairly distracting overall and I personally do not see myself going back to them that much, from a production standpoint. I like how all the productions can change or cut to other samples or sounds that feel nostalgic to the early 2000's sound, as well as the more polished mixing that showed up after the 2010's. I know that they interreacted and collaborated a few times, but some tracks had a strong resemblance to Mac Miller's more stylized works of "Swimming" I heard it a lot on "Normal Girl", giving the slight edge on this album for me. I am not sure how many "SZA" had a hand in producing, making it hard to see how well the mixing and such actually are. I find a lot of the guitar and soft piano records sound better than the ones that have her with drums. I think her voice works better to sound jazzier and more fluid, and drums create a sense to work to a certain step or tempo.
This album was a lot better than "SOS". or at least had less unremarkable moments and created a much more concise and exciting experience. The features were all very well placed as well. I think that "Isaiah Rashad"'s feature was perhaps the weakest, I do not really feel anything towards his input words or lyrics. "Travis Scott" and "SZA" glazed over "Love Galore" beautifully together, and I also loved their track together on "SOS". "Ctrl" was a very pleasant, fun, adorably crafted project that I definitely will recommend to those who are looking for casual heartbreak R&B love.

Supermodel: (100/100)
Love Galore: (85/100)
Doves in the Wind: (90/100) - This sounds like goosebumps, which is funny as it also has this exact content in a Kendrick verse.
Drew Barrymore: (100/100)
Prom: (95/100)
The Weekend: (60/100)
Go Gina: (75/100)
Garden (Say It Like Dat): (85/100)
Broken Clocks: (100/100) ⭐
Anything: (75/100)
Wavy (Interlude) : (Skit)
Normal Girl: (95/100)
Pretty Little Birds: (70/100)
20 Something: (95/100)

Average: 86 ❤️