Ctrl

Ctrl is a perfect example of catching lightning in a bottle. With the releases of SOS and LANA behind us, and how they have received somewhat lukewarm reception, I look back at how much SZA truly mastered her craft on this record. This is a record that is so well-produced and meticulously crafted that ultimately SOS and LANA are forced to live under its shadow. Like Blonde, Ctrl is a record that helped to reconstruct what R&B was and what it could be. Even without considering its impact on the genre, Ctrl is a near-perfect record that instantly established SZA as one of the most important artists of the 2010s and beyond. Songs like Supermodel, Love Galore, Normal Girl, Broken Clocks, and Garden are easily some of the best tracks in any genre to come out of the late 2010s, having such infectious melodies and beautiful production that still get me after the 100th listen. Just incredible, timeless stuff that only seems to get better with age.