Z (EP)

Z
EP by SZA
Released April 8, 2014
Recorded 2013;
TDE Red Room
(Carson, California)
Genre
Label Top Dawg Entertainment
Producer
SZA chronology

  • S
  • (2013)
  • Z
  • (2014)
  • A
  • (2015)

Z, is the third extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter SZA, released on April 8, 2014 through Top Dawg Entertainment. After amassing two self-released EPs, See.SZA.Run and S, as well as meeting with members of Top Dawg Entertainment, she subsequently signed a recording contract with the indie label. The recording of the album took place in Carson, California during the summer of 2013 with the help from her Top Dawg label-mate Isaiah Rashad, among others.

An PBR&B and neo soul album, Z has a diverse musical style that incorporates contemporary urban genres such as soul, hip hop, and minimalist R&B, as well as 1980s synthpop elements. Its production is characterized by layers of sliced, delayed, and reversed vocals, that is synthetic and fluid. The album's lyrics explore the complexities of romantic relationships, sexuality, nostalgia, and abandonment. The album was written by SZA herself, with production handled by Mac Miller, Emile Haynie and others.

Upon release Z received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended the albums production and musical style. Critics also praised the albums lyrical content, SZA vocals as well as comparing the EP to the work of singer-songwriter Lorde. Z debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number thirty nine, selling 6,980 copies in its opening week, the album also peaked at number nine on the US Hip-Hop/R&B chart.

Background

SZA first met members of Top Dawg Entertainment during the CMJ 2011, when her boyfriend's clothing company sponsored a show in which Kendrick Lamar was performing. A friend attending the show with her foisted early SZA songs onto TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who liked the material and stayed in touch.[1] On October 29, 2012, SZA released her debut self-released extended play entitled See.SZA.Run, which featured production from brandUn DeShay, APSuperProducer, amongst others.[2] In June 2013, Top Dawg Entertainment announced they were planning to sign two more artists,[3][4] the following month on July 14, it was revealed Top Dawg had signed an upcoming female singer named SZA, to the label.[5] After releasing her two previous extended plays SZA intention was to release another EP, however SZA felt she owed "people more" leading her to release the full-length album.[1]

Recording

The majority of the album was recorded alongside label mate Isaiah Rashad.

Speaking on the initial concept of the album SZA said the public could expect to hear a "completely different level of insight" into her life, she described the recording process as not being "rushed or afraid" continuing to say she has "vocal freedom" during the process.[6] During the writing process SZA felt she had "ran out of shit to say", which led her to be force herself to "dig deeper", continuing to say "It's funny because I get to choose all these crazy producers who I never got to work with before, so I'm getting to know myself around some of the most creative minds ever."[6] In May 2013 SZA revealed that she had been working with producers Holy Other and Emile Haynie who has previously worked with Lana Del Rey and Kid Cudi.[7]

The majority of "Z" was recorded in Carson, California in the summer of 2013, in a "little club house" along with label mate Rashad. The experience gave SZA a crucial ally within the crew, and the two have since made a habit of collaborating on each other's songs. SZA spoke on the recording of the EP saying "Him and all his producers would kick open my door in the morning and jump on the bed and light blunts at 9 AM," continuing to say "Now we're each other's security blanket, in a way. We just get each other really well."[1] SZA met producer Felix Snow via a mutual friend and they later began "hanging out", SZA described Felix as being "completely not the textbook producer" continuing to expand on working with Felix SZA said;

If you’ve ever seen him he wears sunglasses inside all day and sandals all year round. He’s basically always in yacht mode. He has a Tamagachi and a Giga Pet, so he’s a character-and-a-half. But we’re like family. I went to his house in Connecticut and played with his menagerie of animals and met his parents and ate soup.[6]

Music and lyrics

An Neo Soul and PBR&B, Z contains modern R&B style and hip-hop genres, the EP's instrumentals have a "vary in groove".[8] The albums production is characterized as being "mainly synthetic" with guitar work "scattered" throughout the body of work.[8] Z featured a genre "agnostic utopia dripping with mood", the album was described as straddling the "line between minimalist R&B, '80s synth pop and soul".[1] The production is, "consistently fluid", that is built over "layers of sliced, delayed, and reversed vocals."[8] Thematically, the album has "unraveling lyrics", that touch upon themes of sexuality, nostalgia, and abandonment, that have been compared to the work of Lorde.[8] SZA’s vocals were described as merging and melting into the albums production creating a "chilled aesthetic".[8]

According to Micheal Madden from Consequence of Sound "Z", follows in the same vein as her previous extended plays "See.SZA.Run" and "S"; Madden noted that like her previous work Z sounds organic and self-sufficient. The tricky part is getting to that point.[9] Madden described the albums genre as being "agnosticism corresponds", noting that Z is not just one style of music and is versatile, noting the musical style is not just "R&B, pop, soul, or one thing at all".[9] Madden described the albums lyrical content as sometimes being "purposefully general" and sometimes "an ambitious but quick reference", which madden compared to the rapper Angel Haze and her debut album Dirty Gold.[9]

Songs

Kendrick Lamar features on "Babylon", an "alt-R&B" song.

The album opens with “U R,” a "slow-moving, emotional track" that was produced by rapper Mac Miller, "U R" is a "disorienting" song that is built over a variety of instrumentals featuring "twangy guitar, subtle synthesizers, echoing vocals, delicate piano chords, and futuristic sound effects."[10][11] The musical style then moves into a more upbeat, energetic set of songs.[10] "Child's Play" features American rapper Chance The Rapper, the song was produced by XXYYXX and contains minimalist drums and synths. Lyrically the song talks about Nintendo’s and Street Fighter.[12] "Julia" is an up-tempo pop song that contains a "danceable, energetic vibe" that was described as being built on a "glorious" and "glittering", production, with lyrics that revolve around romantic relationships.[10][13] The albums fourth song "Warm Winds" features American rapper and label-mate Isaiah Rashad, Rashad's vocals have been described as sounding like backing vocals.[11] “HiiiJack” is a R&B song, produced by Toro Y Moi, that lyrically talks about love.[9]

“Green Mile” was compared to the work of singer Jessie Ware, that is built over a "crashing" sound with "dark, shady beat".[9] Lyrically “Green Mile,” described the difficult ending of a relationship and the “massacre” of love.[10] "Babylon" is an "alt-R&B" song featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar and produced by DJ Dahi, the song has been described as having an "airy, mystical croon" coupled with Lamar's "fluid, and at times ravenous, flow."[14] “Sweet November” is musically more upbeat than some of the albums previous material, the song contains "breathy" vocals and guitar riffs, whilst the songs lyrical content talks about "love and life lessons".[15] "Sweet November" contains guitar, piano and organ instruments and a sample from Marvin Gaye's “Mandota,” which was originally featured on the deluxe edition of his album Let’s Get It On.[11][16] "Shattered Ring" is a pop song that contains "haunting vocals" and "guitar tabs",[17] as well as borrowing "songwriting and vocal cues from country and acoustic music."[11] "Omega" is a R&B song that is described as "goth-hop" with "bold and obliquely" elements.[18]

Marketing

After appearing on a variety of songs from her fellow Top Dawg Entertainment artists, SZA announced the title and release date of her next EP, and released a new video.[19] It was announced that the EP would be titled ‘Z’ would be released on April 8, 2014.[19] Prior to the albums release metacritic placed the EP as one of their "45 Notable Upcoming Albums" during March and May, calling the EP a "noteworthy album".[20] The same company also placed the album on their "Most Anticipated Albums" of 2014.[21]

To promote the ‘Z’ EP, SZA performed at several performance showcases at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.[19] The EP was preceded by the release of the lead single, ‘Babylon,’ which was directed by APLUS.FILMZ, the visual features SZA leaving her unimportant essentials behind as she gets baptized in the swamp’s murky waters.[19] On March 26, 2014, SZA released the single "Child's Play" featuring Chance The Rapper.[22] On May 14, 2014 SZA released a music video for the song "Warm Winds" featuring Isaiah Rashad, the video was directed by APLUS FILMZ, and depicts SZA and Rashad, running through a field and walking down a deserted path.[23] On 11 July 2014 SZA released a video for "Julia" from the EP, during the songs accompanying video featured a snippet of a new song entitled “Tender”.[24]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 66/100[25]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [26]
Consequence of Sound B-[9]
Exclaim! 8/10[17]
HipHopDX [27]
Pitchfork Media 5.9/10[28]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews."[25] Ben Benjamin of Neon Tommy praised the extended play, comparing the EP to the work of singer Lorde and calling "Z" a "compelling", yet "slightly static", Benjamin felt the worked well within its "narrow dynamic range", but noted that during the albums end began "one of the few adrenaline boosters on the entire record", in which SZA began an "aptitude for injecting deep listening into songs that will please even the shallowest ears".[8] Ryan B. Patrick from Exclaim! gave the extended play eight out of ten stars, calling the work a "quality beginning" and praised the "fresh futurist sound", Patrick noted "Sweet November" and "Julia" as standout tracks.[17]

Steven Goldstein from HipHopDX gave the album three and half stars out of five; praised the EP calling it a "strong" debut. continuing to praise the albums "ostalgic trance about heartbreak and self-questioning." On the other hand Goldstein felt that sometimes SZA fell "victim to Pop platitudes."[27] Brandon Soderberg from Spin magazine commended the albums "atmospherics" tones and called the albums lyrical content "compelling", however Soderberg felt the "elements melt into the background" and described the genre as "weeded R&B."[18] Writing on behalf of Consequence of Sound Micheal Madden commended the "organic" themes but felt the album did not "get to the point", Madden praised SZA vocals calling them her "biggest asset."[9]

The album was included on numerous year-end critics lists, including Exclaim! who placed the album at number seven on their Soul and R&B albums list,[29] thirty-four on Vibe Magazines end of year list[30] and number ten on Sweden's Nöjesguiden international list.[31]

Chart performance

The extended play made its chart debut in the United Kingdom, where it charted at number thirty two, on the R&B Charts, the week ending April 19, 2014 and at one hundred and ninety seven on the UK Albums Chart. [32][33] Z debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number thirty nine, selling 6,980 copies in its first week of availability, where it charted for just one week.[34][35] The album also debuted at number nine on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number five on the US R&B chart, where it charted for three weeks on the former and four weeks on the latter.[36][37]

Track listing

All songs were written by Solana Rowe.

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Ur"  Larry Fisherman 3:56
2. "Childs Play" (featuring Chance The Rapper)XXYYXX, Dae One 3:36
3. "Julia"  Felix Snow 3:40
4. "Warm Winds" (with Isaiah Rashad)Larry Fisherman, Antydote 5:50
5. "HiiiJack"  Toro Y Moi 3:43
6. "Green Mile"  Emile Haynie 3:34
7. "Babylon" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)DJ Dahi 3:54
8. "Sweet November"  Marvin Gaye 4:04
9. "Shattered Ring"  Emile Haynie 4:06
10. "Omega"  Emile Haynie 4:23

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[38] 32
UK Albums Chart (The Official Charts Company)[33] 197
US Billboard 200[39] 39
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[40] 9
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[40] 7

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United States April 8, 2014[41] Digital download Top Dawg

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "SZA Talks 'Z' Album & Being the Only Girl In Top Dawg Entertainment". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  2. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach (October 29, 2012). "EP Premiere: SZA "See SZA Run"". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ Paine, Jake (2013-06-03). "TDE Reportedly Signs Chattanooga, Tennessee Rapper Isaiah Rashad | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  4. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar Confirms There's a New Artist Joining TDE". Complex. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  5. ↑ "Presenting TDE’s New Songstress. Listen To SZA’s New Song, "Teen Spirit"". TheSource. 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "SZA Talks Quitting Her Day Job & What's To Come Okayplayer". Okayplayer.com. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  7. ↑ "SZA Talks Quitting Her Day Job, Working With Holy Other & Emile Haynie". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "SZA: 'Z' Album Review". Neon Tommy. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Madden, Michael (2014-04-08). "SZA – Z | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "‘Z’ EP Shows Off SZA As Smart Addition To Top Dawg Label - Album Reviews - The Heights - Boston College". Bcheights.com. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Apr 10, 2014 (2014-04-08). "Album Review: SZA - "Z"". Artistic Manifesto. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  12. ↑ Coplan, Chris (2014-03-25). "Listen: SZA’s new song "Childs Play", featuring Chance the Rapper". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  13. ↑ "premiere: SZA – "Julia"". Gorilla Vs. Bear. 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  14. ↑ Geslani, Michelle (2014-04-07). "Listen: SZA’s new version of "Babylon", featuring Kendrick Lamar". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  15. ↑ http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/sza-drops-her-full-length-opus-z-333#axzz2yQEBMoHh
  16. ↑ Carl Williott (2014-04-03). "SZA’s "Sweet November": Hear The Warm New Track | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Patrick, Ryan B. (2014-04-08). "SZA - Z • Soul, Funk & World Reviews •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Soderberg, Brandon (2014-04-08). "SZA, 'Z' Review". Spin.com. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "SZA Reveals 'Z' EP Release Date, Drops 'Babylon' Video". Theboombox.com. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  20. ↑ "Spring 2014 Music Preview: 45 Key Albums". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  21. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/feature/2014-music-preview-notable-upcoming-albums?sort-comments=oldest-first&page_comment=1
  22. ↑ "SZA - Child's Play (Ft. Chance The Rapper)(Prod. XXYYXX)". http://www.indieshuffle.com. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  23. ↑ http://www.rap-up.com/2014/04/14/video-sza-f-isaiah-rashad-warm-winds/#more-183752
  24. ↑ http://www.rap-up.com/2014/07/11/video-sza-julia-tender/#more-189690
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 http://www.metacritic.com/music/z-ep/sza
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/album-reviews/id.2261/title.sza-z
  28. ↑ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19278-sza-z/
  29. ↑ http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2300&p=33817&hilit=sza#p33817
  30. ↑ http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2305&p=33753&hilit=sza#p33753
  31. ↑ http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2380&p=34293&hilit=sza#p34293
  32. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/17/2014-04-19
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK". Zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  34. ↑ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.28335/title.hip-hop-album-sales-week-ending-04-13-2014
  35. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/6055739/sza/chart
  36. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/6055739/sza/chart?f=333
  37. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/6055739/sza/chart?f=1235
  38. ↑ "2014-04-19 Top 40 R&B Albums Archive . Official Charts Company.
  39. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/'''Illegal name entered SZA/SZA/chart
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 http://www.allmusic.com/album/z-mw0002656343/awards
  41. ↑ "Z - Album by SZA". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved April 4, 2014.

External links