CTRL
| SZA
CTRL
Ctrl is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released on June 9, 2017, on Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA Records. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
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.
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RollingStone
SZA flourishes in her own hazy spotlight.
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The Guardian
Let me tell you a secret,” sings 27-year-old Solána Imani Rowe on the opening track of her debut album Ctrl, and she delivers on that promise over the next 14 tracks.
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Consequence of Sound-CoS
A debut full-length that proves that the singer's ballooning popularity is well deserved
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Drowned in Sound
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.
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AV Club
Ctrl is one of the best R&B albums of 2017.
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Exclaim
SZA is the full package in terms of artistry: killer singing and songwriting abilities with a distinct perspective on life, love and destiny.
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RapReviews
"Ctrl" goes much more in an R&B direction, and she absolutely nails it.
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popMATTERS
SZA stakes her claim as a vital voice both within Top Dawg Entertainment and the entire R&B realm on CTRL, an unflinching, slice-of-life debut buoyed by rich production.
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NO Ripcord
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.
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ALLMUSIC
This is a marked improvement and an indication of more great work to come.
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CLASH
‘CTRL’ pushes against the borders of convention lyrically and sonically, placing it on the upper echelons of potential ‘Best Of ’17’ lists.
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New Musical Express (NME)
This isn’t a star in the making, it’s a fully-fledged talent who’s practically showing off.
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Los Angeles Times
The music is equal parts aching, brazen and gorgeously honest.
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New York Times
She fully commands the foreground of her songs. Her voice is upfront, recorded to sound natural and unaffected, with all its grain and conversational quirks.
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Paste
She has spun her personal experiences into a soulful, touching R&B record with broad appeal beyond her particular demographic.
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NPR
Listening to SZA's new R&B album, Ctrl, is like floating into a dream.
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Crack Magazine
On Ctrl, SZA’s debut retail album, she explores the full range of her voice over laid-back hip-hop production that includes the textural variety of live instrumentation.
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ALBUMISM
SZA’s ‘Ctrl’ Showcases Her Range, But Still Falls Flat Upon Close Inspection
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Complex
On Ctrl she proves she’s coming into her own as a songwriter.
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GIGsoup
SZA’s mainstream debut is a cohesive, vibrant, and affecting experience from perhaps the most candid voice in R&B today
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Pretty Much Amazing
As open about her flaws as she is her talents, SZA uses both to construct an honest portrait of a young woman who, at last, deftly comes into her own.
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Spectrum Culture
SZA presents herself as an unapologetic femme fatale, often to hilariously blunt effect.
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Sputnik Music
Ctrl is an album that oozes sexiness and struts with confidence.
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The Interns
SZA is bringing it vocally. She oscillates between soaring and fast-paced wordplay, making even the most minimal of beats enthralling.
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Hot New Hip Hop (hnhh)
The songstress offers impressive and progressive production, that stays true to the leisurely tempos and measured experimentation of her past work.
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Hustle Grade
This was a beautifully crafted and solid body of work.
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Vibe
It’s raw, soulful, rhythmic and uplifting in all the right places and will surely be a summer gift for old and new fans.
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The Morning Journel
“Ctrl” is a masterpiece about a girl navigating in life — dating, falling in love, dealing with dusty boys, self-doubt, acceptance and more.
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Highsnobiety
It suggests a supreme battle of wills – maybe even some subtle metaphor on the masculine verse the feminine, or perhaps a nod to the power plays that occur in even the most intimate of relationships.
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The Irish Times
Her first person confessionals and eye witness accounts about love, feminism, control and relationships in the age of social media, coupled with some sweet and rich musical textures, ensure that this an album with many layers to peel back and reward a deep listen.
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HYPERALLERGIC
The songs occupy a space where insecurities over sex, romance, and gender are credibly illuminated, coexisting as they do with music committed to functionalism and the pleasure principle.
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Mancunion
This is the female musician a generation has been waiting for.
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Western Herald
“Ctrl” was definitely an album worth listening to, with lyrics to touch the soul and melodies to keep you entertained.
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Blavity
Ctrl is about being honest with yourself; that’s the real meaning of control. Fans get raw emotion and stories that sometimes hit painfully close to home.
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Spin
One of the true breakouts of the year both critically and commercially.
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Okayplayer
SZA first, major label debut album is evocative, open and filled to the brim with experiences + desires.
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Music Connection
CTRL is not your generic lovesick R&B album; it is tasteful, deep and may so far be the year’s best R&B album.
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HipHop N More
Ctrl is the album where SZA started to be herself and in 20 something years we may just look back and remember it as the album she started to become a star.
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OPINE
SZA sounds like an artist more confident and comfortable in her own abilities and one who has seemingly found her niche within neo-soul/RnB.
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SLA Media
Overall, this album deserves a round of applause because it gives you a lot of clarification on who SZA is as an artist and it can also help you find the person that you are.
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Bitch Media
She’s an artist who pulls from genres of all kinds and combines the candor of her lyrics with technological beats to shift the moods of songs—and our hearts.
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The Plug Society
It is all about control. SZA’s Ctrl tackles this concept by opening up about her own past and present hurt, tuning into the core of what R&B has always been about.
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Salute
CTRL is a must have for any fan of Hip-Hop, R&B, or Soul music.
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Odyssey
An album perfect for those 20-somethings.
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Medium
Album outlines both the struggles and joys of consciously growing from a girl to a woman, something almost any female over the age of 19 can relate to.
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DOPECAUSEWESAID
All though there are some forgettable cuts on CTRL, the overall presentation and irreversible solid songwriting, melodically and artistically, impresses wholeheartedly.
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Hand me the AUX
CTRL is a raw peek into love, lust and life for a woman.
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CULT Montreal
Provides a much more focused sound than her past releases with a slew of commanding vocal performances falling over live-leaning alternative R&B instrumentation
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BEAT
SZA is so soulfully blunt, it's what my ears have been waiting years for.
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Nylon
Emotionally riveting journey through love, creativity, heartbreak, all leading to an awakening.
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Hector Culture
I'm completely OBSESSED.
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pulse
This is a strong debut. “Ctrl” touches all the right places, kicks all the good spots, and tickles as much as it astounds.
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brent music reviews
Showcases incredible artistry.
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We Plug Good Music
Worth a listen throughout.
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Legends Will Never Die
The production is luscious for the most part, it’s well-written & SZA’s vocals sound both very focused & passionate.
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KERRIISMS
As a woman in my twenties, this album was all too real and relatable.
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Lede in
Showered with praise and attention, SZA shines brightest amongst some of the biggest stars on her debut studio album
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Modest Truth Magazine
Is about stepping away from the things you can’t control and seeing things for what they are.
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The Sonic Breakdown
A proclamation to the world, letting those who have shared similar experiences in shitty relationships know they’re not alone.
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Anhedonic Headphones
Can be seen as an album about those spaces in between things—the fleetingness of youth and the uncertainty of adulthood; the confusion between love and sex; the tumult of your own strengths, confidence, and weaknesses.
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Jakob's Album Reviews
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy a SZA album this year, and while I don’t love the whole thing, I find a lot about this album that is worth loving and paying attention to.
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The Orion
A range of songs that reflect the good, bad and downright ugly when it comes to growing into one’s own power and the not-so-healthy relationships.
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808sandblues
This is a pure sounding album from start to finish.
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Love This Track
Is all about being aware, but also not having control.
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COSEFFECT
About sexual freedom while also having your hunger for intimacy be taken seriously.
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Ben's Beat
The quality and artistic vision she presents here is very impressive for a debut.
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Lucidpop Reviews
Great modern snapshot of being a 20-something.
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Chicago Reader
Paints a complicated picture of sex and romance
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Shades of Noir
My standout tracks on this album, are pretty much all of them.
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BlastingNews
What I love most about this album is the message.
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Mass Appeal
The main reason why CTRL shines comes down to one thing–this is the most fun SZA’s sounded on a record to date.
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Kingston to LA
This is one of the best debut r&b albums from any artist in recent memory.
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HIGHCLOUDS
Manages to be a remarkably vulnerable album in a genre that specializes in that openness.
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dev and the city
The hip hop undertones combined with her raspy vocals create an environment that many of us have thoroughly enjoyed.
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The Musical Hype
A well assembled urban contemporary album that’s incredibly relatable to its listeners.
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The Sentry
In every track on the album, there is a massive diversity of sound; however, the primary common thread between every track is that her voice is the focal point. Rowe displays a profound control over her music.
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Prime Fortune
One of the best 2017-released albums.
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Kel & Mel Reviews
While the vocals and production quality weren’t perfect, we ultimately enjoyed it and have gone back to on several occasions, always finding something new.
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Crown All Queens (CAQ)
Hosts themes of women empowerment, and growth, accompanied with SZA’s dominating voice.
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The Stranger
Not one of these 14 gorgeous songs is skip-worthy—they’re all just so easy to listen to
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NZ Herald
About romance, sex, navigating your 20s, self-respect, admissions of guilt or lack thereof, how to love and be in love.
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HR Huber-Rodriguez
By far the strongest R&B record of the year, and deserves to be seen as a shining example of the genre’s continued transformation come the end of the decade
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Good Kid Zaag City (GKZC)
It’s a soulful, heart-wrenching, beautiful album that reminds us to take control of our lives by doing what makes us happy, not succumbing to what others want from us.
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The Urban Buzz
Mostly R&B album with Neo-Soul and indie rock influences. Ctrl is an exceptional album.
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Everything's Magnificent
Album that reflects the complicated nature of life in your twenties.
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The Fresh Committee
Ctrl’s greatest asset is its soothing swagger. Altogether it is a fragile, brave, and joyous listen.
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Bernard Zuel
SZA gives to get, opening up so that we want to be wrapped in the musical and personal environment created. This is a gorgeous experience sonically and a welcoming one intellectually, a complete package really.
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The Tung
This is a body of work which captures, perfectly, the ‘old enough to know better, too young to care’ essence of those years between 25 and 30.
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The Syndey Morning Herald
The record blends alternative R&B with trap influences and aggressive lyrics delivered by her antithetically sweet voice.
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303Live
The content is unabashedly given from the perspective of a millennial woman and no track may better describe that sentiment than her closing selection “20 Something”.
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Spectrum Pulse
This record does so much I like about R&B - it's got a defined and distinctive sound that actually flatters SZA's voice this time around and plays in tones I like, the guest performances are great but not to the point of overshadowing her, and thematically the record feels as rich as ever.
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The Line of Best Fit
From start to finish, it's nothing less than outstanding.
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TickX
Stunning debut album and a welcome addition to her catalogue.
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EMCEE
This album was worth the wait. Sza is truly the artist this generation has needed. She embodies trueness, realness, and is graceful in everything she does.
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