Want to hear a fun fact? Ctrl, the debut album from TDE songstress SZA, has been on the Billboard 200 for five years. No, we're not saying that it's the five-year anniversary of the album landing on the prestigious chart. We're saying that it's literally never placed outside of the chart in the five years since its release. That's a huge achievement, and SZA is celebrating the accomplishment by re-releasing the album in a new edition, Ctrl (Deluxe).
This new edition of the album features all 14 tracks that were available when it originally dropped in 2017. However, it also boasts seven additional tracks taken from sessions around the time that the album was created. These include the elusive alternate version of "Love Galore" that features extra verses and the Tyler, The Creator-produced "Jodie."
A few of the new additions clock in under the three-minute mark and feel more like interesting sketches or interludes than full-fledged songs. The longer cuts, however, give insight to the directions in which Ctrl could've have spun. This is particularly true of "2AM," which plays off PARTYNEXTDOOR's "Come And See Me," and the dark warning of "Tread Carefully."
This re-release is a nice gift to the fans who've kept Ctrl in their ears and on the charts over the years. It's also a nice reminder of where SZA last left us before she takes us wherever she's going next.
SZA Ctrl (Deluxe) [Amazon][Apple Music][TIDAL]
