Thank you to Ritual for sponsoring this video! Get 40% OFF your first month, go to: ritual.com/eljohnmacaranas40 What did you guys love most about SZA's sophomore record? Which track stood out the most to you?
She had a great year and I’m happy for her success. She is very talented and “good days” had me shook when it came out. What a beautiful and ethereal song.
I’m so glad she broke out in a way she didn’t really do during CTRL when she was alt rnb’s best kept secret. Good Days is such a gorgeous track like omg!
look up “good days x hit different acoustic” on youtube is INCREDIBLE. if you haven’t checked it out, you should definitely listen. she did such a good job
This is already a classic album... As much as there was a long wait before we got it, you can tell she took the time and effort to make it. My favourites are: ☆Smoking on my ex pack(can't explain why but it just has an amazing vibe) ☆Snooze ☆Blind ☆Good days
I re - listened to this album after going through a very rough breakup & I got to say some of the tracks hit me so hard & were so relatable. This album is a masterpiece & I'm hoping that it wins AOTY. SZA managed to make a hour - long album with mixed genres while making EVERY song it's own beautiful masterpiece. It reminds me a bit of Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS & Sour in a way, with climactic sounds like Kill Bill & Low while having more quiet melodic tracks like Gone GIrl & Snooze. It's a mix of everything that keeps the listener captivated because of (your aforementioned) SZA's ability to be a chamellion when it comes to music. It's everything I want with music, let alone a single album. Variety with a very sincere message behind every song. Keep up your amazing work! Your video formatting is AMAZING & you keep me & my ADHD - brain hooked with every video. You deserve way more subscribers than you currently have & are one of the best and most open minded critics I have ever seen! C:
SOS NEEDS to win AOTY. Making such a strong sophomore album after such an incredible debut needs to be recognized. SOS is literally 23 tracks long and yet doesn't have a single bad song or skip. It also incorporates at least 5 different genres, yet manages to sound cohesive but not blend together! Its also very vulnerable, honest and speaks on such interesting topics.
If it doesn’t win a bunch, we as a society need to like sit down and really grapple the systemic issues within the Grammys. Between last year’s fiasco and the Weeknd deciding wholesale to never participate again, there’s something up with how we value the academy.
Poignant and precise as always. It’s definitely the one that SHOULD win. We’ll see what happens. Awards don’t define masterpieces, masterpieces define themselves. (Ouuu, good quote self! **back pat**) So glad you pinpointed all the interpolations because I always wondered why this album felt so familiar in its brand new edge. Have you already done an ANTI retrospective? Would love to see it if and when you have. Love seeing your face! Thanks for another great take.
Haha thanks! And AGREED! I just wish for industry recognition like SZA more than deserves Grammys. I’m definitely planning to touch on ANTI sooner than later! I think if it’s tragically Rih’s last release, she ended on the best possible note!
I love SOS! Definitely one of my favorite albums I’ve listened to! I’m still pissed I didn’t get to go to the tour, but there’s supposed to be a concert film coming out soon on Apple TV. So I’m excited to watch that. My favorite songs off the album are Blind, Gone Girl, F2F, Nobody Gets Me, Too Late and Good Days.
I truly love this record and truly believe it will win at least one Grammy, holiding out for it for it to win album of the year or for there to be a tie for album of the year between GUTS,SOS, Midnights, and tunnel under ocean blvard because they all truly deserve it. The track listing felt very natural and I think mirrored that push and pull of progression and regression we’ve all felt at times. I think all the right features made it onto the album, before the album was released I was hoping features like Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo,Halsey, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Billie Ellish, And Doja cat would pan out but I’m so glad they didn’t after hearing the album I’m glad they didn’t pan out for this record because weather those songs where scrapped or not I do think the mostly solo track list feels more in line with the albums themes. Thank you SZA for giving us one last album and I hope those features are released some day.
I agree on the features element like maybe a remix album or some other project but having most of the songs be solo really showcased SZA’s talent (like fans would have asked for the solo versions anyway) and yeah! I do wish big awards for it!
@@EljohnMacaranas I don’t even want a remix album, Doja cat is already on a remix of Kill bill, I would rather see them be new songs, Sza already said she wouldn’t do another album so I think droplets would be good for now, truly SOS is a masterpiece that should remain untouched
i think that the tracklist is supposed to represent a cycle of growth and regression. like from special to concited or even gone girl itself is about that
The push and pull’s really the authentic part about it because there’s like progression then sliding back but each step forward feels a bit more determined each time. Like the initial tracks are so brash but towards the end even I Hate U starts to feel a bit more tame.
right. when we are moving on from a past relationship everyday feels different. growth never happens all at once it’s an ongoing process. one day you’re strong and optimistic, and then the next you’re crying on the floor wondering where it all went wrong. 😂
god i love this album. My only personal criticism is that i think it’s a bit long. Although i’m just a fan of shorter records in general due to their being easy to follow and usually more cohesive. With that being said though this album is generally just brilliant. Sza is a mastermind
I think the length is definitely due to how long it took to release this, it still feels like a united body of work but between the length of this and the fact she felt the Deluxe could be its own album: there was an overflow of music which tbh cool for us but I do feel like SZA really should be granted the power to drop whenever and have that valve only a few others have!
@@EljohnMacaranas Haha… not sure if you remember that moment but I was the boy from Hawaii she invited backstage … Im glad to see someone review both the album and the tour - The SOS Tour deserves so much more recognition for how good it was!
I’m like pretty sure it’ll win in the “progressive RnB” category but AOTY is gonna be a bit harder. It could go to her, Swift, Lana or Batiste to be honest. We won’t really know until Grammy night. Last year honestly might have happened bc voters had been split between Adele and Bey leading to a consensus win.
I discovered SZA when she released kiss me more with DJ. After that, i started getting her more and more on my feed and slowly but surely i fell in love with her personality and her lack of articulation 😂. I thought shirt was a great single but lets not talk about the clip, it has no plot and tbh SZA said she dod not like Kill Bill being so popular and i kinda get why its a good song but at the end of the day it must be frustrating for an artist to see a not very "deep" song become so popular thanks to tiktok and snooze will always be my favorite since i heard it its a gem❤
I feel like SZA’s the sort of artists success just finds no matter where she goes with it, like Kill Bill definitely smashed in a way she didn’t expect or want it to. I recall Nobody Gets Me got shortchanged to fast track KB last year. Snooze def dominated this summer in a very quiet way, like it did not leave the charts for the year.
I haven’t ever listened to this album I think since I’m gonna try and listen to the album today I have listened to ctrl and it’s one of my favorite albums ever so i think I’m gonna like SOS I’ll prob come back after I finish it lol 😭😭
@@EljohnMacaranasI just finished the album it was one of the most rewarding listens from any artist I think the album tops Ctrl by a lot the slow change from self doubt to self reassurance was really powerful. The album is really good but I think the grammys will think it has too much filler and they don’t usually give aoty to black artists i feel like💔💔. i wouldn’t be upset if it one but i feel like the academy also needs to give ldr her moment. but that’s my grammy ramble erm anyway I like the 2nd half a lot more it feels a lot more dynamic in my op and it really explored a different side of sza that i feel was lacking on ctrl. it’s a 9/10 for me def in top 15 albums maybe top 10
I saw! I also saw Punch talk about it which is funny bc he and TDE had delayed the record awhile back. Still, leaking music that’s literally about to be released is awful (and this is coming from a resident Charli stan)
@@EljohnMacaranas i have a feeling we would've gotten LANA late last yr (like she promised) had the leaks not been happening bc it seems like due to the leaks she has to keep replacing songs and reworking the tracklist, bc she said like a few wks back that neither a tracklist or release date have been finalised yet, which to me indicates that she has to keep updating the tracklist bc stuff she wants to release keeps getting leaked and the tracklist has to make sense.
See, I think the actual masterpiece was CTRL. This was too bloated and the production was weird. She also stopped pushing boundaries and stuck to that tired summer walker sound. CTRL was so unique and ahead of it’s time. Idk what happened but hopefully, the next album is more of an evolution of Good Days - the best song on this album.
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What did you guys love most about SZA's sophomore record? Which track stood out the most to you?
She had a great year and I’m happy for her success. She is very talented and “good days” had me shook when it came out. What a beautiful and ethereal song.
I’m so glad she broke out in a way she didn’t really do during CTRL when she was alt rnb’s best kept secret. Good Days is such a gorgeous track like omg!
look up “good days x hit different acoustic” on youtube is INCREDIBLE. if you haven’t checked it out, you should definitely listen. she did such a good job
This is already a classic album... As much as there was a long wait before we got it, you can tell she took the time and effort to make it.
My favourites are:
☆Smoking on my ex pack(can't explain why but it just has an amazing vibe)
☆Snooze
☆Blind
☆Good days
Smoking on my ex pack is criminally underrated like she’s a solid rapper and the production is just great!
I re - listened to this album after going through a very rough breakup & I got to say some of the tracks hit me so hard & were so relatable. This album is a masterpiece & I'm hoping that it wins AOTY. SZA managed to make a hour - long album with mixed genres while making EVERY song it's own beautiful masterpiece. It reminds me a bit of Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS & Sour in a way, with climactic sounds like Kill Bill & Low while having more quiet melodic tracks like Gone GIrl & Snooze.
It's a mix of everything that keeps the listener captivated because of (your aforementioned) SZA's ability to be a chamellion when it comes to music. It's everything I want with music, let alone a single album. Variety with a very sincere message behind every song.
Keep up your amazing work! Your video formatting is AMAZING & you keep me & my ADHD - brain hooked with every video. You deserve way more subscribers than you currently have & are one of the best and most open minded critics I have ever seen! C:
SOS NEEDS to win AOTY. Making such a strong sophomore album after such an incredible debut needs to be recognized. SOS is literally 23 tracks long and yet doesn't have a single bad song or skip. It also incorporates at least 5 different genres, yet manages to sound cohesive but not blend together! Its also very vulnerable, honest and speaks on such interesting topics.
If it doesn’t win a bunch, we as a society need to like sit down and really grapple the systemic issues within the Grammys. Between last year’s fiasco and the Weeknd deciding wholesale to never participate again, there’s something up with how we value the academy.
what are the five genre's, ik she does rock in f2f but what else? i'm writing an essay about the album so thats why i asked.
@@ctrlronnn the ones i could probably think of are rock, pop, r&b, alternative and maybe neo-soul
And the album of the year goes to…. Taylor Swift for Midnights 🙄🥱😑
@@RossBaby91I love Taylor, but Midnights is one of her worst.
Poignant and precise as always. It’s definitely the one that SHOULD win. We’ll see what happens. Awards don’t define masterpieces, masterpieces define themselves. (Ouuu, good quote self! **back pat**) So glad you pinpointed all the interpolations because I always wondered why this album felt so familiar in its brand new edge. Have you already done an ANTI retrospective? Would love to see it if and when you have. Love seeing your face! Thanks for another great take.
Haha thanks! And AGREED! I just wish for industry recognition like SZA more than deserves Grammys. I’m definitely planning to touch on ANTI sooner than later! I think if it’s tragically Rih’s last release, she ended on the best possible note!
@@EljohnMacaranas Absolutely-- You and me we here 🫂
I love SOS! Definitely one of my favorite albums I’ve listened to! I’m still pissed I didn’t get to go to the tour, but there’s supposed to be a concert film coming out soon on Apple TV. So I’m excited to watch that. My favorite songs off the album are Blind, Gone Girl, F2F, Nobody Gets Me, Too Late and Good Days.
The concert film needs to drop soon! Also omfg I love your song picks!
LOVE THIS ALBUMMM
It’s so good like undeniably one of my fave releases (maybe even #1) in quite some time.
@@EljohnMacaranas Sameee
I truly love this record and truly believe it will win at least one Grammy, holiding out for it for it to win album of the year or for there to be a tie for album of the year between GUTS,SOS, Midnights, and tunnel under ocean blvard because they all truly deserve it. The track listing felt very natural and I think mirrored that push and pull of progression and regression we’ve all felt at times. I think all the right features made it onto the album, before the album was released I was hoping features like Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo,Halsey, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Billie Ellish, And Doja cat would pan out but I’m so glad they didn’t after hearing the album I’m glad they didn’t pan out for this record because weather those songs where scrapped or not I do think the mostly solo track list feels more in line with the albums themes. Thank you SZA for giving us one last album and I hope those features are released some day.
I agree on the features element like maybe a remix album or some other project but having most of the songs be solo really showcased SZA’s talent (like fans would have asked for the solo versions anyway) and yeah! I do wish big awards for it!
@@EljohnMacaranas I don’t even want a remix album, Doja cat is already on a remix of Kill bill, I would rather see them be new songs, Sza already said she wouldn’t do another album so I think droplets would be good for now, truly SOS is a masterpiece that should remain untouched
I saw something related to lana sza said that it's gonna be its own album which is why the "deluxe" isn't out yet which is honestly curnty
If she does feel like it is its own project, that’s great news!
@@EljohnMacaranaswhere is it?
Sza is definitely taking home that AOTY Grammy this year, no question
I need the recording academy to wake up!
I have some bad news, they gave it to Midnights even though it SHOULD NOT have won
i think that the tracklist is supposed to represent a cycle of growth and regression. like from special to concited or even gone girl itself is about that
The push and pull’s really the authentic part about it because there’s like progression then sliding back but each step forward feels a bit more determined each time. Like the initial tracks are so brash but towards the end even I Hate U starts to feel a bit more tame.
@@EljohnMacaranas push and pull like the ocean 🥹😭🌊
right. when we are moving on from a past relationship everyday feels different. growth never happens all at once it’s an ongoing process. one day you’re strong and optimistic, and then the next you’re crying on the floor wondering where it all went wrong. 😂
This was very well put together, we need you to do it again whenever LANA comes out !!
I definitely plan to talk about LANA! I’m excited to see what story she’s gonna form with the tracks!
love your videos but this was an incredible analysis. had to subscribe
Welcome aboard! 🆘🌊
god i love this album. My only personal criticism is that i think it’s a bit long. Although i’m just a fan of shorter records in general due to their being easy to follow and usually more cohesive. With that being said though this album is generally just brilliant. Sza is a mastermind
I think the length is definitely due to how long it took to release this, it still feels like a united body of work but between the length of this and the fact she felt the Deluxe could be its own album: there was an overflow of music which tbh cool for us but I do feel like SZA really should be granted the power to drop whenever and have that valve only a few others have!
Okayyyy 🔥🔥🔥
Aaaah! Thanks for the comment and being the best concert buddy I’ve had last year! 🩵🌊
sza is the goat
I’m so ready for her to drop LANA 😭
OMG you were at LA night 2?? Based on your POV we were sat close by from each other
Yahhhh OMG! That’s so funny! I’m always at LA shows for my faves 😭
@@EljohnMacaranas Haha… not sure if you remember that moment but I was the boy from Hawaii she invited backstage … Im glad to see someone review both the album and the tour - The SOS Tour deserves so much more recognition for how good it was!
OMG I remember! Congrats!!!! Aaaah!
still waiting for your opinion on ESV 😢
She’s coming 🕶️
deserves aoty
Riot at the Grammy Museum if that's not the case.
@@EljohnMacaranasErm
She has only two albums! It’s either her current album or her debut that’s gonna be her masterwork.
if sza doesn’t win a grammy for this record, i’m fully done with them esp after last year
I’m like pretty sure it’ll win in the “progressive RnB” category but AOTY is gonna be a bit harder. It could go to her, Swift, Lana or Batiste to be honest. We won’t really know until Grammy night. Last year honestly might have happened bc voters had been split between Adele and Bey leading to a consensus win.
I discovered SZA when she released kiss me more with DJ. After that, i started getting her more and more on my feed and slowly but surely i fell in love with her personality and her lack of articulation 😂. I thought shirt was a great single but lets not talk about the clip, it has no plot and tbh SZA said she dod not like Kill Bill being so popular and i kinda get why its a good song but at the end of the day it must be frustrating for an artist to see a not very "deep" song become so popular thanks to tiktok and snooze will always be my favorite since i heard it its a gem❤
I feel like SZA’s the sort of artists success just finds no matter where she goes with it, like Kill Bill definitely smashed in a way she didn’t expect or want it to. I recall Nobody Gets Me got shortchanged to fast track KB last year. Snooze def dominated this summer in a very quiet way, like it did not leave the charts for the year.
I like Kill Bill, but I definitely think there are much better songs on the album than it
I haven’t ever listened to this album I think since I’m gonna try and listen to the album today I have listened to ctrl and it’s one of my favorite albums ever so i think I’m gonna like SOS I’ll prob come back after I finish it lol 😭😭
It’s so good, it’s not as curated as CTRL but like it’s much more… encompassing like I feel like the jump in maturity and ambition is solid
@@EljohnMacaranasI just finished the album it was one of the most rewarding listens from any artist I think the album tops Ctrl by a lot the slow change from self doubt to self reassurance was really powerful. The album is really good but I think the grammys will think it has too much filler and they don’t usually give aoty to black artists i feel like💔💔. i wouldn’t be upset if it one but i feel like the academy also needs to give ldr her moment. but that’s my grammy ramble erm anyway I like the 2nd half a lot more it feels a lot more dynamic in my op and it really explored a different side of sza that i feel was lacking on ctrl. it’s a 9/10 for me def in top 15 albums maybe top 10
I wouldn't be surprised if this wins AOTY but I want Lana to win so bad 😭
Honestly I’d be glad with either! Like I think both records really blew away the field.
Her ex Beyonce???🥲🥲🥲
wait did you hear about the leaks last night and how she’s suing whoever did that?
I saw! I also saw Punch talk about it which is funny bc he and TDE had delayed the record awhile back. Still, leaking music that’s literally about to be released is awful (and this is coming from a resident Charli stan)
@@EljohnMacaranas i have a feeling we would've gotten LANA late last yr (like she promised) had the leaks not been happening bc it seems like due to the leaks she has to keep replacing songs and reworking the tracklist, bc she said like a few wks back that neither a tracklist or release date have been finalised yet, which to me indicates that she has to keep updating the tracklist bc stuff she wants to release keeps getting leaked and the tracklist has to make sense.
Ok face reveal 😏
Cute
Hahaha, first video with my face in it since 2020! Thanks 🫡
See, I think the actual masterpiece was CTRL. This was too bloated and the production was weird. She also stopped pushing boundaries and stuck to that tired summer walker sound. CTRL was so unique and ahead of it’s time. Idk what happened but hopefully, the next album is more of an evolution of Good Days - the best song on this album.
Summer Walker is not tired and she’s sonically better than SZA because she can really SING whether it’s in the studio or live.
Kill Bill went #1 for one week