As the first woman to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment, SZA, aka New Jersey singer-songwriter Solana Rowe, would better fit into the label as a non-rapper if she had the average rapper’s panache. Instead, she comes across as the last person who would ever have delusions of grandeur. She knows she potentially has the reach of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock, not to mention Isaiah Rashad, her fellow 2013 TDE signing. From her hockey jerseys to her bedhead, though, it’s like Rowe is too mellow to care or even think about fame. Accordingly, Z, her debut album following 2012’s See.SZA.Run and 2013’s S EPs, sounds entirely organic and self-sufficient. The tricky part is getting to that point. Versatile vocalist that Rowe is, the album isn’t just R&B, pop, soul, or one thing at all. In turn, its genre agnosticism corresponds to the self-questioning that makes SZA a reliable narrator.
| A1 | Ur |
| A2 | Childs Play |
| A3 | Julia |
| B1 | Warm Winds |
| B2 | Hi Jack |
| C1 | Green Mile |
| C2 | Babylon |
| C3 | Sweet November |
| D1 | Shattered Ring |
| D2 | Omega |
