"Z" - SZA
At the top of the year, red–hot hip–hop label Top Dawg Entertainment boasted that it was going to release six albums in 2014. Not even through April, the third of the six albums is out: rookie singer SZA’s “Z.” SZA is an eccentric new–wave female R&B artist, fairly similar in style to the frequent TDE–collaborator Jhene Aiko. On “Z,” guest appearances from Chance the Rapper (“Child’s Play”) & Kendrick Lamar (“Babylon”) satisfy, and her chemistry with fellow TDE rookie Isaiah Rashad steals the show on “Warm Winds.” The album is at its best when it breaks out of its own post–Drake three–minor–chord progression monotony on songs like “Sweet November” and “Julia.” The project may not blow everyone away, but it’s a satisfying listen nonetheless.
Grade: B+
Download: “Babylon”
Sounds best when: Vibing out while trying to beat your week–long flingover
