In 2022 SZA published “SOS,” a one-hour and eight-minute album that received considerable recognition at its release, even going triple platinum in 2023. “SOS Deluxe: LANA” is SZA’s newest music release. It is a deluxe release of “SOS,” extending the album with 19 tracks, giving “LANA” a whopping 42 tracks total.
Although we have already listened to and processed the music on “SOS,” “LANA” carries a different energy. She opens the album with “No More Hiding,” a song that highlights SZA’s current outlook on life. She sings about wanting to stop hiding who she truly is. Unlike her past albums, which focused on specific situations in her life, this album feels more open to interpretation.
Sonically, the entire production is outstanding. SZA is popularly known for her R&B style, but this album introduces tracks like “Drive,” a guitar and melody track, while “BMF” leans more toward pop than the rest of the album. SZA continues to make her voice heard. Throughout most of her music, she tends to have her voice as the track’s focal point. And for good reason, her vocal range is flawless. SZA has a very niche way of expressing love through her songs. For example, in “Take You Down,” SZA sings about being irrationally in love with a man, yet she acknowledges that he doesn’t treat her with respect. “How many ways can you take me down,” SZA sings. She wants to be treated equally in this one-sided relationship. She constructs the song to keep a higher beat of R&B. SZA loves to write sentimental lyrics over very jolly instrumentals.
After “SOS,” listening to “LANA” feels well-built. SZA focuses on a nature theme for the deluxe instead of the ocean theme of the last release. There could be several reasons as to why she chose a nature and purity theme instead of a confident ocean theme, but if we listen to the lyrics we hear a lot of confident and assertive wording. On the other hand, “LANA” expresses themes of self-reflection, while “SOS” paints a perspective on how SZA deals with situations. For example, in the song “Open Arms,” she sings about her experience with loneliness. The song reveals how SZA fell in love with someone who made her feel bad about herself. SZA uses “SOS” to reveal her wounds, while “LANA” reflects her healing process.
Overall, SZA is delivering music when she is at her best and at her worst, deepening the connection between her and her audience by showing her vulnerability and eagerness to change for the better. As SZA writes in her song “No more hiding,” “No more hiding. I wanna feel sun on my skin. Even if it burns or blinds me, I want to be purified within.”
