LANA (SOS Deluxe): SZA
American singer-songwriter Solána Imani Rowe, famously named SZA, is known for her blending of R&B, hip hop and soul. She gained widespread recognition with her debut album “Ctrl” in 2017, which showcased her unique sound and emotional depth, connecting her with her newfound fan base. In 2018, she collaborated with rapper and singer Kendrick Lamar on the song “All The Stars” for the Black Panther soundtrack. Her second album, SOS, released in 2022 includes the hit “Kill Bill” and features “Snooze,” which won a Grammy for Best R&B Song.
SZA’s SOS Deluxe album, “LANA,” which came out on Dec. 20, exceeded my expectations. Although it didn’t have an upbeat, loud, screamable song like “F2F” from the original SOS, it had a lot of gentler “Snooze” like grooves containing strumming guitars and poetic lyrics. These songs focused on the themes of unrequited love, revenge and perseverance. If your favorite song from the original SOS album was “Blind,” then you’re going to find your second love in the song “Cry Baby” which has a gorgeous chorus with SZA’s soaring soprano. “What Do I Do” and “Another Life” have harmonies and layered vocals that bring them to life in coherence with the upbeats and ethereal sound they both contain. If you love SZA, or even if you don’t, I definitely recommend giving “LANA” a listen.
Hurry Up Tomorrow: The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian R&B singer and songwriter known for his smooth and haunting vocals. His song “Earned It” won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. The next step in his career was his 2016 album “Starboy” which featured collaborations with other artists attracting many new listeners.
The Weeknd’s 22-song album “Hurry up Tomorrow,” released on Jan. 31 shows his ability to produce a song for any genre. The opening song, “Wake Me Up,” begins with a slow beat that then drops into a catchy 80’s vibe synth. As it ends, there is a seamless transition into “Cry For Me” which explores all the post-breakup emotions. Sprinkled throughout the album are creative one-minute or shorter transition songs, for example, “I Can’t F*****g Sing” and “Skin and Bones”, which I thought were such a creative addition. House music fans will find a newfound love in “São Paulo” which was a favorite of mine. If you’re not a big fan of upbeat music, the songs “Reflections Laughing,” “Enjoy The Show,” “Big Sleep,” and “The Abyss” are definitely what you’re looking for. These were calm, mellow and beautifully written. The Weeknd ends this album with the song “Hurry Up Tomorrow” which I must mention because it showcases his vocal range and talent.
Balloonerism: Mac Miller
Mac Miller was a talented rapper, singer and songwriter, known for his emotional depth and abstract musical compilations. His first recognized album, “Watching Movies With The Sound Off,” was released in 2013 and he continued to make hits from then on. Unfortunately, Miller passed away in 2018 at the age of 26. Yet, his legacy continues as his record label and family agreed to still release some of his pre-recorded songs before his death, 14 of which were just released on the Jan. 17, album “Balloonerism.” Miller had recorded this album in 2014 and after 11 years, his fan base can finally hear it.
Most of the album has a slow tempo, with harmonies and voice overlays that create an out-of-body listening experience. There are plenty of beautiful instrumental tracks including his second song of the album “DJ’s Chord Orgasm” featuring SZA. My favorite song from the album was “Funny Papers” because it was very upbeat and sounded similar to Miller’s other songs like “The Spins.” However, one song that I wasn’t too fond of was “Transformations.” This was sung in an auto-tuned baby high-pitched voice for three minutes straight, which was not a great listening experience. But, his other songs like “5 Dollar Pony Ride” and “Mannequin” were quite peaceful with aspects of jazz. Overall, some common themes of the album were love, hope and drugs and addiction, which are things Miller has always been known to be open about. Although abstract, if you were a fan of Miller when he was alive, then this album is definitely something I would recommend listening to.
WHAM: Lil Baby
Three-time Grammy award artist Dominique Armani Jones, known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper who became a significant figure in the trap music scene after he released the mixtape “Perfect Timing” in 2017. The traction didn’t stop there as he gained even more attention with his 2018 mixtape “Drip Harder” and his 2020 album “My Turn”, which topped the Billboard 200.
Lil Baby’s new album, “WHAM,” released on Jan. 3, was his fourth studio album. The first song, “Listen Up,” was unlike his usual upbeat rap as it was slow and monotone with violins incorporated in the backing track. My favorite song was “F U 2x,” which had a super catchy chorus and an upbeat rhythm. This is along with my second favorite song, “Redbone,” a fun, high-energy song featuring the female rap artist GloRilla. In the track “By Myself”, although the chorus was pretty, some of the verses were hard to understand because of the way the rappers were singing. They often slurred their words and were rapping so fast that I didn’t even get the message of the song. I think understanding and connecting to the lyrics is really important and I couldn’t do that with this song. However, other honorable mentions were the song “Stuff” featuring Travis Scott, which was wildly creative and the song “Say Twin,” which had a repeating phrase that will definitely get stuck in your head. Lil Baby’s album is not the type of thing you would listen to if you’re trying to connect with the lyrics, but I recommend it if you’re a fan of rap and upbeat songs.
Overall there was plenty of great music released recently. If you love rap, hip-hop, contemporary or pop, there is something for you in one of these albums. All four were magnificent and I definitely recommend giving them a listen.
