Released on 9 December last year, SOS was SZA’s long-awaited follow-up to her 2017 debut, Ctrl. With 318,000 equivalent album sales in its first week, it secured the singer her first US Billboard Number 1 album (Ctrl peaked at number three).
And now, with a further 93,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the past week, SOS has maintained its top spot for a ninth consecutive week – the most weeks atop the charts for an album by a female artist in seven years. The last recorded album to do so was Adele’s 25, which went on to have ten consecutive weeks at Number 1.
Taylor Swift (who else) is the only other female artist to hold the same record at the top of the charts for at least nine weeks, with her 2014 album 1989.
As well as being the latest to achieve that milestone, SZA also holds the most weeks at Number 1 for an RnB album since Usher’s 2004 album Confessions held the top spot for nine consecutive weeks.
Ranking SOS as the 12th best album from last year, whynow wrote: “She’s just so damn good. An absolute master of turning her life into relatable music, SZA’s lyrics are witty and profound, her vocals as masterful as ever.
“As Top Dawg Entertainment’s lone female artist, SZA shows she can rap as well; the outro ‘Forgiveless’, with the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, is a treat tucked away at the end.
“Moments of doubt and tenderness are still expressed, but there’s a comforting confidence to SOS. SZA knows just how good she is.”
