Ctrl

Ctrl

SZA

3.7/ 5.0 from 25 ratings
#325 Overall#13 for 2017
Descriptors
vulnerableneo-soulconfessionalwarm

Reviews

DE
Apr 5, 2026

A high watermark for the genre. Essential listening.

PL
Apr 5, 2026

A disappointing effort from an otherwise talented artist.

LA
Apr 5, 2026

I know I'm in the minority here, but I genuinely think this is one of the most overrated albums of all time. I've tried to hear what everyone else hears — the groundbreaking production, the emotional depth, the artistic vision — and I just get boredom. Track after track of self-indulgent noodling dressed up as profundity. The emperor has no clothes on this one, and the fact that so many critics fell over themselves to praise it says more about groupthink than it does about the music. I'm sure the artist put real effort and passion into this, but passion doesn't automatically equal quality. Skip it.

CO
Apr 5, 2026

Bold artistic choices that mostly work. Rewarding for patient listeners.

SI
Apr 5, 2026

Every generation has a handful of perfect albums. This is one of them.

MI
Apr 5, 2026

This album exists in its own universe. Nothing compares.

PR
Apr 5, 2026

Somehow sounds even better decades later.

AR
Apr 5, 2026

Not for me at all. I can see the craft but it does absolutely nothing for me.

FU
Apr 5, 2026

Probably the most perfectly sequenced album I've ever heard. Each track sets up the next one beautifully and the climax hits like a freight train. The fact that they pulled this off is honestly kind of miraculous.

LO
Apr 5, 2026

I appreciate the artistic risk-taking even if the result is a bit of a mess. There are kernels of good ideas scattered throughout but nothing is developed enough to really land. Frustrating because you can hear the potential.