S.O.S.
by SZA
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Dec 9, 2022
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 389 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 332 out of 389
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 389
  3. Negative: 32 out of 389
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  1. solana14
    Dec 10, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. solana u beech u ate it gurl. yes slayed. all tracks ate. … Expand
  2. jayden_defaria_
    Dec 10, 2022
    10
    This album is simply incredible ,the diversity of genre and szas angelic voice will not leave fans disappointed ,very worth the wait imo
  3. SZAschild
    Dec 10, 2022
    10
    perfect, it was worth it to wait 5 years. so many songs there has potentional to be a massive hits
  4. cristhofer
    Dec 10, 2022
    10
    esse sem dúvidas é um dos melhores álbuns de 2022. a SZA arrasou muito na produção, literalmente todas as músicas foram bem trabalhadas. eu amo essa mulher. ela é uma artista.

    bônus: - melhor música: Kill Bill
  5. ferximilian
    Dec 10, 2022
    9
    Los singles que decidió publicar SZA lograron su objetivo, atraer a todos hacia un álbum que es bueno de principio a fin. En mi opinión, será un fuerte contendiente para Album of the year 2024 en los grammys.
  6. CTRLTZA
    Dec 10, 2022
    10
    She was gonna go broke and her label was gonna drop her then she dropped SOS. Another modern day classic R&B album. The plate was cleared so heavily. She not only delivered songs with so many replayability and strong vocals throughout but the versatility she presented going from R&B to Trap to Rock to Indie is insane showing how strong she really is an artist despite it not being asShe was gonna go broke and her label was gonna drop her then she dropped SOS. Another modern day classic R&B album. The plate was cleared so heavily. She not only delivered songs with so many replayability and strong vocals throughout but the versatility she presented going from R&B to Trap to Rock to Indie is insane showing how strong she really is an artist despite it not being as cohesive as I hoped it was still a outstanding performance and experience overall making a 23 album actually enjoyable and feel like it wasn't even 23 songs. All collaboration songs clicked and worked.
    -
    FAVS:
    Kill Bill
    Blind
    Used
    Ghost In The Machine
    F2F
    Nobody Gets Me
    Open Arms
    Good Days    … Expand
  7. L0N
    Dec 10, 2022
    10
    A wonderful and beautiful collaboration of generes that blend seamlessly without overwhelming the listener. The passion and thoughtfully added details make this album a 10, and able to be listened on repeat.
  8. Flowy
    Jan 23, 2023
    0
    Complete waste of time. No originality at all. Took at those years to deliver that disappointing album
  9. Kabakoros
    Jan 29, 2023
    0
    This is cRap. Any "performer" who has to rely on gender swapping, profanity and the use of **** is as fauxny as the Ye wear sold on Sepulveda.
  10. beegcock
    Feb 20, 2023
    0
    another garbage forced upon us by woke illiberal as music
    another garbage forced upon us by woke illiberal as music
  11. ksr91
    Dec 16, 2022
    10
    amazing, love her first album and this is growing on me just as much, loving "low" and "kill bill"
  12. fedefreaks
    Aug 27, 2023
    8
    strong contender for Album of the year for me and i don't even like all of the songs!
  13. All_ButTrU4
    May 24, 2023
    8
    Sza's long awaited sophomore record is demanding. It's an ambitious 67min+ excerise in indulgence. S.O.S sounds like Solana hiatus has made her wiser,braver but still just as messy as she was when she confessed on "supermodel ". In fact sza takes all the ideas and experiments she only flirted with on CTRL and sees just how far she can push them whilst still retaining the essence of herSza's long awaited sophomore record is demanding. It's an ambitious 67min+ excerise in indulgence. S.O.S sounds like Solana hiatus has made her wiser,braver but still just as messy as she was when she confessed on "supermodel ". In fact sza takes all the ideas and experiments she only flirted with on CTRL and sees just how far she can push them whilst still retaining the essence of her idiosyncratic sound. 23 songs seemed like a daunting task that would eventually become overblown and repetitive but having heard it it avoids that.

    Looking at the credits alone is enough evidence of the experience curated throughout:from björk samples on "forgiveless" that compliment the songs meditative musings or the phoebe bridgers feature which I'm sure no one expected but were still blown away by. This album feels like two distinct halves melded together with the 1st half being a more familiar rnb sound that sometimes plays around with hip hop elements such as the short but effective "Smoking on my ex pack" which shows her giving the fewest **** she'll ever admit to giving on S.O.S and would sound amazing with a potential deluxe megantheestallion feature . The first half is still vulnerable but has her brand of guarded honesty where it feels like everything being revealed though genuine is intentionally edited to expose her the least. That's not the case though on the 2nd half which is divided by the Phoebe heralding "ghost in the machine ". Like the aforementioned collaboration which sees the musicians try reconcile the loss of a relationship with the loss of an identity heavily informed by it over a sample of the latter's "Halloween ". It's a rare rnb and indie rock/folk moment that surprisingly lands well. The following "F2F" is an emotional higlight that would feel complete with a paramore assist. The teased "nobody gets me" is also a welcomed indie rnb rock ballad about the angst of not being unstood and best encapsulates the records theme of emotional isolation . S.o.S isn't a smoke signal it's a self answered cry for help that throughout 23 tracks reaches a blunt conclusion on the Dirty Ol' Bastard sampling closer that drips with confidence and anger. It closes the record with promises to save herself whether it's not falling into past habits or forgiving ,that she won't forget how they've become who they are and won't forgive those who hurt her on the way there and I can't help but wish to take her advice.    … Expand
  14. davifontenelle
    Mar 17, 2023
    8
    Despise not being in to SZA’s career, i was really surprised hearing one of her albums in full for the first time. A great collection of great songs, incredible productions and really sad depressed lyrics (with i enjoy btw).
  15. jens76
    Jan 13, 2023
    7
    Jetzt springe ich aber ab, meine Süße. Lass uns doch wieder auftauchen in Liebe und Verständnis, so retten wir uns.
  16. xoGabexo
    Jan 21, 2023
    10
    It’s so good. Really refreshing. Give it a listen! Kill Bill is one of the best songs in there.
  17. liyema_mpompi
    Dec 22, 2022
    10
    100% Emotion 100% Talent This is the best album of all times SZA YOU OUTDID YOURSELF
  18. taytumthegoat
    Jan 10, 2023
    10
    Phenomenal. Amazing. Great. An album worth its long await. Very proud of this woman and her current success. Love love love
  19. Aliena
    Jun 16, 2023
    10
    Truly loved this album front to back, and I appreciated her delving into new genres and sounds. One can only be excited for her next work!
  20. erdal220
    Dec 12, 2022
    10
    i love this album, my favorite is gone girl and f2f,I admired sza. the album cover is very good, the ocean is very beautiful, it reflects the album very well.
  21. LISOCHIKOTOSA
    Dec 14, 2022
    9
    Apart from being a bit bloated and what I think are some sequencing problems, this album is excellent. A worthy follow up to CTRL. Hope she continues to release more music.
  22. Meniexorvnctbp
    Dec 9, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amazing album. It’s been so long since her last album so I’m happy to hear new music from her finally… Expand
  23. andreialismo
    Dec 13, 2022
    10
    Excelent job. So incredible how SZA make music... So much inspiration. I just say: YOU'RE KILLING IT GIRL!
  24. leumassregor
    Dec 26, 2022
    8
    It's finally here. 5 years after the critically-acclaimed "best debut album of all time" 'Ctrl', R&B icon SZA finally comes through with an album release, and not just any regular album, but a 23-track experience.

    This album starts off extremely strong. The opening track "SOS" begins with an eerie high pitched and echoey clicking noise which matches the vibe created by the oceanic album    It's finally here. 5 years after the critically-acclaimed "best debut album of all time" 'Ctrl', R&B icon SZA finally comes through with an album release, and not just any regular album, but a 23-track experience.

    This album starts off extremely strong. The opening track "SOS" begins with an eerie high pitched and echoey clicking noise which matches the vibe created by the oceanic album cover well. It goes into a gorgeous beat with group vocals layered on top of that. SZA's vocals and flow are wonderful as well, making this a short but sweet intro track at 1:57. Following this track is my personal favorite, "Kill Bill". SZA lyrically snaps on this record, not shying away from saying "I might kill my ex" (at least she admits it's not the best idea, though). This track contains a groovy and mysterious beat and a very catchy hook. SZA's flow on this track is also perfect; it's nonchalant and cool. I also noticed that SZA's vocals on this album are much more of a center point compared to her last. "Seek & Destroy" and "Blind" contain some of SZA's most beautiful high notes, and "Nobody Gets Me" offers this nostalgic-sounding old Taylor Swift twang to it in terms of production, and showcases SZA's diverse vocal ability. The track "Low" and "Smoking on my Ex Pack" also showcase SZA's ability to create a catchy rap track.

    As far as features go on this album, it's iffy. Travis Scott, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Don Toliver's features are very much mediocre and forgettable. "Ghost in the Machine", a track containing the surprising feature of Phoebe Bridgers, is great, though. When I first heard the track, I honestly thought Phoebe didn't fit, but this is one that grows on you. SZA's vocals on this track are once again wonderful, and Phoebe's voice meshes with that piano so well.

    Besides the forgettable features, there are some other moments of "meh" on this album. I felt that the three-track run of "Snooze", "Notice Me", and "Gone Girl" were a bit bland, along with the odd pop-punk track "F2F" that was slapped in the album. This is quickly recovered, however, by the beautiful "Nobody Gets Me", and vulnerable songwriting on "Special" (if you ignore the bland filler-sounding tracks "Conceited" and "Too Late"). The album ends decently well with some of SZA's quality singles that she dropped before the full album release.

    This SZA album is shockingly consistent and high-quality for a 23-track project. SZA is obviously improving more as an artist, both technically and creatively. This is a great sign and I'm excited to see what the future holds for SZA.    … Expand
  25. szjoaao
    Feb 8, 2023
    7
    amo mas sabe né nao é uau tanta coisa assim acho o album antigo dela muito meljor que essa mas ela é mt diva e esse ta bom tb
  26. FreeRunner29
    Mar 17, 2023
    9
    God, I'm so bipolar with this album. Metacritic should have a lock. I'm sorry SZA this album is solid, I'm just going through it and you're making me feel things I don't want to confront. Solid 9, because I'm stressing perfection.
  27. KJ_20
    Dec 22, 2022
    9
    The confident writing, amazing melodies (+SZA's gorgeous voice), makes SOS a fantastic album. While the chords and sound of the music feels overused and quite basic, the boldness and catchiness still prevails, to make SOS a fantastic album.
  28. javierp
    Dec 10, 2022
    5
    This is a good album, it has a very chill vibe as SZA has always had us used to. However, I think most of the tracks had basic production and cliché lyrics, so it's hard to impress the audience after the masterpiece of 'Ctrl'. At some points it feels like the album could have had a shorter tracklist in order to not make it too exhausting to listen to. I would like to see SZA exploringThis is a good album, it has a very chill vibe as SZA has always had us used to. However, I think most of the tracks had basic production and cliché lyrics, so it's hard to impress the audience after the masterpiece of 'Ctrl'. At some points it feels like the album could have had a shorter tracklist in order to not make it too exhausting to listen to. I would like to see SZA exploring different themes rather than love and sex, and singing to more rock-vibes beats, which in my opinion suit her very well. The songs I liked the most were Kill Bill, Nobody Gets Me and Blind.… Expand
  29. joaotekiaware
    Dec 25, 2022
    7
    The second SZA's album reveals differents sides of her emotional journey in love and how she deals with high and lows emotionally. The album has a simple production, wich is not bad, but in a album of long duration, it can sound too static soundly talking. In other side, the lyrics are completely the opposite, it's too good, depth and shows SZA's vulnerability, angry, insecurities andThe second SZA's album reveals differents sides of her emotional journey in love and how she deals with high and lows emotionally. The album has a simple production, wich is not bad, but in a album of long duration, it can sound too static soundly talking. In other side, the lyrics are completely the opposite, it's too good, depth and shows SZA's vulnerability, angry, insecurities and the few moments that she tries to overcome her issues but always get overwhelmed by her inner self fears. The album is simples in the production at the same time it's too complex in the lyrical, if you get connected to her feelings you'll be welcomed to a depth trip, but if you don't, you might get bored.… Expand
  30. someonewhocares
    Dec 31, 2022
    9
    It is a grower nonetheless for those whose experimental R&B listens are rare.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best Album of 2022
11
#11 Most Discussed Album of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. HipHopDX
    Dec 19, 2022
    80
    The peaks on SOS, (“Used,” “Smoking on my Ex Pack,” and “Forgiveless”) find SZA sounding refreshingly comfortable rapping over gritty, hazy, and grimy productions.
    Read full review
  2. Beats Per Minute
    Dec 16, 2022
    88
    It may take a few years for SOS to ascend to the heights, but if 808s & Heartbreak was the breakup record of the 2000s and Blonde was the 2010s examination of loss and trauma, then SZA might have produced that emotional breaking point for the 2020s.
    Read full review
  3. AllMusic
    Dec 15, 2022
    90
    Hour-plus length and stylistic variety likewise signal that SOS could be the overreaching kind of highly anticipated follow-up. Still, it's an advancement from Ctrl in every respect apart from cohesion
    Read full review
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