As the soft, ambient instrumentals of SZA’s “No More Hiding” gave way to mellow vocals, I felt the song engulf me like a warm blanket. Soon after, I fell asleep.
Here lies the crux of the problem with SZA’s “SOS Deluxe: Lana”: each track is quite good, but there is nothing that makes them stand out—from each other, from anything else in SZA’s discography, or from the plethora of other songs desperately fighting for a place on the Billboard Hot 100. The album, released on Dec. 20, 2024, is a reissue of SZA’s 2022 studio album “SOS” and features 15 new songs.
Out of those 15, “Scorsese Baby Daddy” was my favorite. The simple drumbeat is addicting. The vocals are, as always, angelic. The melody is memorable and sticks in your head. No criticisms. But there are also not many compliments I can laud the track with. Yes, it is a good song, but it is not exceptional, especially when compared to tracks like “F2F” or “Special” from “SOS.” “Scorsese Baby Daddy” is formulaic, and while the formula works, the track isn’t exciting.
It doesn’t go uphill from there. Lowlights from the new album, including “My Turn” and “Another Life,” are… fine. There is nothing wrong with either song. There is simply nothing particularly fresh or innovative about them. The lyrics are somewhat generic, with a lot of repetition (“My turn ‘cause I deserve this/My turn, my turn”) and little imagery. They scream “filler” to me, which I dislike based on principle. Why release 20 mediocre songs if you can release five exceptional ones?
Like the rest of the reissue, Kendrick Lamar’s feature on “30 For 30” feels stale. It’s in part because, unlike Don Toliver or Phoebe Bridgers (featured artists on “SOS”), Lamar was severely overexposed in 2024. Perhaps the copious amount of songs he wrote during his high-profile feud with Drake sapped his creativity because his feature on “30 for 30” feels half-hearted and phoned-in. By contrast, the featured artists on “SOS” actually transform the tracks they’re featured on in a meaningful way. On “Ghost in the Machine,” Phoebe Bridgers’ somber vocals add an entirely new, knife-twisting layer of sorrow to an already moving and poignant track. On “Used,” Don Toliver (who is typically artistically miles behind Kendrick Lamar) serves as a duet partner to SZA, and the dialogue he creates makes the track feel complex in a way “30 For 30” simply doesn’t.
What’s missing from “Lana” that “SOS” very clearly had is artistic bravado. “Lana” does not dare to venture out from its niche in baby-soft tranquil crooning. “SOS” has variety. It had soft tracks, slow tracks, upbeat tracks, melodic tracks, rhythmic tracks, fast-paced tracks and so many other tracks with so many other corresponding adjectives it would’ve made Dr. Seuss jealous.
Don’t get me wrong. “Lana” will be listened to, but I simply don’t believe that it will stand the test of time. A good album explores something new, like a fresh subject matter or a different genre. It should feel like an evolution of a singer’s artistry, a testament to their growth. But this new album? If anything, I believe SZA has actually regressed in “Lana.” She’s grown complacent in her craft, and it’s making her songs suffer.
