| | Full Review | Ratings (399) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.0 excellent | cjbizzlebizzle | December 13th 17 |
SZA's full length debut sees her skyrocket into the spotlight after a history of mixtapes and plenty of prominent guest appearances. Her blend of alt-R&B and neo-soul is sensual, bittersweet, lush, playful and rife with mentions of past/current relationships, booties, sex and introspective evaluation. The album is frontloaded to a certain degree but not because the latter half is weak by any means. The first five tracks of Ctrl are probably the 18ish minute stretch of music of 2017. Each and every song between Supermodel and Prom are essential tracks and incredible in every aspect of music making. Overall both the beats and vocals are excellent and the guest spots all add value to the album by giving you a fresh voice and some rap between SZA's soothing passages. The lyrics are mostly derived from personal experiences and SZA leaves all filters detached when discussing adult matters. It is hard to imagine anyone may have missed this one, a contender for best of 2017.
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | dihstyle69 | June 16th 17 |
i wasn't looking forward to this album mainly because her last mixtapes didn't show anything exciting or refreshing thay made her stand out from the competition. her stories weren't interesting and were told in a vague way, the vocals weren't powerful enough to make the songs come to life. however, on her debut album, those issues are completely gone! the songwriting is raw and honest, the vontent is dark and sexual, the production always packs a ounch and do her vocals when needed. only a couple of tracks like "go gina" don't really offer much of anything to the concept of the album. everything else is gold. great debut from sza and a huge progression from her mixtapes to this! 4
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | JWT155 | June 17th 17 |
Frank Ocean Feminine Edition
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.5 average | Gene Gol-Jonsson CONTRIBUTOR | April 18th 24 |
Whichever way I shake it, SZA just sounds to me like easy approachable pedestrian music. It is superficially catchy, with big features, flashing mild hints of personality enough to satisfy the disengaged, and not be irritating.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Erwann S. STAFF | October 9th 19 |
Brutally honest girl sweetly singing over soulful, poppy and almost lofi R&B. Tbh I didn't expect this to be that good, it's so full of jams.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | lildump | June 1st 18 |
This album mixes RnB with pop in a way of fashion that blew my mind. Through my experience with female singers/artists all over these years, I have never ever seen an artist as unique as SZA. She's brutally honest, and gives her own touch to everything she hops on. That is clearly visible in this album, as singles like "Love Galore" clearly blend in synths that are interstellar. The features on this are great also, like Travis Scott on "Love Galore", which, you guessed it, is my favorite track on the whole album. His autotuned voice, which is not really a big deal for most part, because artists such as Kanye brung it to the main rap/rnb scene, and boy does it fit in with this track. It also ends up being an empowering record for women, such as songs like "The Weekend" encouraging women to fit themselves outside the "side chick" stereotype. "Doves In The Wind" is another excellent song on here, which once again, doesn't really empower women, but rather serves as a song to make women feel good about themselves, since the theme is literally a vagina. "Never even pushed for the pussy." is how, from my point of view, men are glued to the fact that they should have sex with women just because they want, sometimes just because the woman is physically attractive. But that's how I interpret it, that's me.rFinishing, the album is very honest in its own nature, and I guess that's SZA's thing, making basically every song comfortable and easy to hear. That's a 4.1/5 from me.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | commonist | May 28th 18 |
80/100. Luscious production, impressive vocals, empowering lyrics--- SZA out does herself on Control, setting the bar in contemporary pop landscape. I loved the crisp instrumentation and varied sounds on this album, as well as SZA's frank and sexual lyrics. While I wouldn't put this above Kali Uchis or Rina S, I definitely see the hype in SZA and look forward to her next output.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | TheManMachine | September 2nd 17 |
Voice that's collectedly erratic and loosely luscious, tightknit production team bringing consistently seemly-n-soulful dream-funk subtlety. Gets sluggish going into the second half, but SZA's selfhood is what sells it on the whole: the cheater/cheatee/cheated on, sensitive about having nobody as she is having no booty, stuck between loyal love and cursory dick+licky, a defiant and emotive 20something who yearns to be parentally presentable but'll happily bust up your headboard. Out of/very much in ctrl.
Bump |
| 5.0 classic | FlipTrackz | June 16th 17 |
Easy, easy 9/10. Best R&B album this year, calling it now (the first track will hit you like a ton of bricks).
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | TheSleepys | June 9th 17 |
This is the album I really needed to hear right now
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Djang0 | January 22nd 24 |
| 3.5 great | spur55 | November 30th 23 |
| 5.0 classic | AR0sas | September 12th 23 |
| 3.5 great | beam47 | September 12th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Dayveon | September 12th 23 |
| 3.5 great | vega398 | September 12th 23 |
| 3.5 great | Votex | September 7th 23 |
| 3.5 great | Ryus | June 30th 23 |
| 3.5 great | Josh-D | June 11th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | peahat | March 15th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | EminJaY | January 14th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Zeuzo | January 6th 23 |
| 4.5 superb | iGuter | November 5th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | MvdW | October 11th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | yinei007 | September 21st 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | qwe3 | August 30th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | JackIvy | April 19th 22 |
| 3.5 great | sncold | February 10th 22 |
| 2.5 average | n3zar | February 3rd 22 |
| 4.5 superb | kojpl | November 20th 21 |
| 2.5 average | TanMan | November 18th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | emmny | September 6th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | binbin | September 5th 21 |
| 3.5 great | Luna | August 6th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Risodo | May 26th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Josh | March 22nd 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | eckology | February 14th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | ZBJE | January 11th 21 |
| 2.5 average | gschwen | December 29th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Stufy2 | December 18th 20 |
| 3.0 good | Emo | September 20th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Rowdy | September 16th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | 00mee | September 12th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Khattak | September 4th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Aszhi | September 3rd 20 |
| 3.5 great | ilia | August 18th 20 |
| 3.5 great | YRI | May 25th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Gillie | April 13th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | luci | February 24th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | CPCP | November 6th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lagoped | September 19th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | grello | July 21st 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | fog CONTRIBUTOR | June 5th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | ARDCWE | April 3rd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Codah | March 26th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Louksy23 | December 28th 18 |
| 3.5 great | gardncl | November 27th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | NoSons | October 29th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | mommypig | September 19th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | josp | August 12th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | ARTV | July 14th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Outtou | July 13th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Jaqz | June 3rd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Moraff | May 10th 18 |
| 3.0 good | Wolfe | April 17th 18 |
| 3.5 great | alamo | April 13th 18 |
| 3.5 great | A.R.O. STAFF | April 10th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | cbjeeby | April 9th 18 |
| 3.0 good | LeoAV | March 28th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Ditto | January 5th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Tyrael | December 23rd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | BigHans | December 20th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Prole | December 20th 17 |
| 3.0 good | Yotimi | December 19th 17 |
| 3.0 good | Jeejee | December 19th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | meeboe | December 17th 17 |
| 3.5 great | verypsb | December 16th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | f1shgold | December 11th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Surette | December 6th 17 |
| 3.0 good | Jade | December 1st 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | John C. | November 30th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | tyler | November 13th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | evolve9 | November 11th 17 |
| 2.5 average | gilly | November 7th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | waterz | October 25th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Skoj | October 20th 17 |
| 2.5 average | Ewgads | October 16th 17 |
| 3.5 great | bmelt CONTRIBUTOR | October 15th 17 |
| 1.5 very poor | Kurisu | October 2nd 17 |
| 3.5 great | tellah | September 13th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Henry | August 21st 17 |
| 3.5 great | bnest | July 24th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | C. Deez | July 19th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | robin | July 15th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | lg433 | July 8th 17 |
| 3.0 good | ti0n | June 26th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Alexxx | June 22nd 17 |
| 3.5 great | greg84 EMERITUS | June 22nd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | jtswope | June 22nd 17 |
| 3.5 great | TwigTW | June 22nd 17 |
| 2.5 average | Ulshad | June 20th 17 |
| 3.5 great | EJinHD | June 18th 17 |
| 3.5 great | PaabL | June 17th 17 |
| 2.5 average | wwf | June 16th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | ellagos | June 16th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | bharry | June 11th 17 |
| |
Give Your Opinion on Ctrl
|
