SZA’s LANA is packaged as part of SOS Deluxe: LANA, but its 15-song, 46-minute sequence has the shape of a self-contained album. In his January 6, 2025 review for Rolling Stone Australia, Rob Sheffield hears a more streamlined and direct SZA: spare late-night R&B and electro-ballads built around candid admissions, uneasy attachment, and the search for closure. The result feels focused without pretending that emotional growth is simple.
Is LANA a standalone album or part of SOS Deluxe?
Top Dawg Entertainment announced SOS Deluxe: LANA on December 20, 2024 as an expanded edition of SOS, released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. The label’s announcement presented it as a deluxe release available on major streaming platforms. Sheffield, however, treats the 15-song, 46-minute LANA sequence as a standalone work: it has its own opening, emotional movement, and closing stretch, even though it arrived inside an expanded SOS package. Top Dawg Entertainment’s announcement supplies the release context; the standalone-album framing is Sheffield’s critical interpretation.
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Track counts can look different depending on which catalog presentation a listener sees. The official announcement lists 15 songs for the LANA sequence. Apple Music’s US listing, accessed October 8, 2026, displays SOS Deluxe: LANA as a 42-song collection running 2 hours 4 minutes. Those figures describe different scopes, not a contradiction about the sequence Sheffield reviews. Streaming-service catalog layouts and territory-specific versions may vary.
What does the album sound like?
Sheffield describes a restrained, late-night palette rather than a maximalist one: deep-soul guitar, chillout synths, and laid-back beats leave space around SZA’s voice and lyrics. The opener, “No More Hiding,” sets that tone with flute-like synths and acoustic guitar. That spareness makes the performance feel exposed; the songs often sound less interested in spectacle than in letting a thought linger after it has been admitted.
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#1 Best Overall
- Debut album from Sza since her last project...
- Includes explicit content for mature audiences...
- Released under Rca Records...
- Features a mix of R&B and pop styles...
- Showcases Sza's lyrical prowess...
The mood is not uniform. “BMF” brings a bossa nova inflection, while “30 for 30,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, shifts the energy through a familiar but still potent partnership. Apple Music’s editorial description of the larger collection also points to lo-fi beats, pop, grunge- and punk-inspired sounds, and bossa nova. The sequence’s variety gives it movement, though Sheffield’s emphasis is on how the arrangements remain comparatively uncluttered.
What gives the writing its directness?
The album’s candor is not the same as emotional resolution. Sheffield hears songs about admitting weakness, attempting forgiveness, and wanting closure that remains out of reach. The writing’s plainness makes those tensions legible: SZA can recognize a pattern and still be caught inside it. That push and pull is central to the record’s character, not a flaw the songs neatly solve.
Rank #2
DeAsia Paige’s December 23, 2024 ELLE review offers a complementary reading, describing the songs as a movement toward healing and self-reliance. Her examples include the self-reflection of “No More Hiding,” the confidence of “Love Me 4 Me,” and the acceptance of imperfection in “Crybaby.” “My Turn,” in her interpretation, frames revenge as justice. Taken together, the reviews suggest an album reaching for self-possession while acknowledging anger, vulnerability, and recurring relationship habits.
Which songs stand out in the sequence?
“No More Hiding” sets the terms
As the opening track, “No More Hiding” establishes the album’s quieter sound and its inward gaze. Sheffield hears its flute-like synths and acoustic guitar as an understated entrance; Paige emphasizes its self-reflective perspective. It introduces a narrator willing to look directly at herself, without implying that insight immediately changes what she feels.
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“What Do I Do” and “Scorsese Baby Daddy” are Sheffield’s picks
Sheffield identifies “What Do I Do” and “Scorsese Baby Daddy” as standouts. His broader case for the album rests on the way SZA sounds unusually candid and streamlined across the sequence, rather than on a single production trick or stylistic pivot.
“BMF” and “30 for 30” broaden the palette
“BMF” offers the bossa nova moment Sheffield singles out, while “30 for 30” pairs SZA with Kendrick Lamar. The latter continues a collaboration history that Sheffield regards as successful. The official tracklist places “30 for 30” third and “BMF” fifth, so the early run moves quickly between collaboration and stylistic contrast.
Rank #4
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“Saturn” closes a sequence that also looks backward
“Saturn” was released earlier and appears as the final track in the official 15-song list. Its placement gives the sequence a closing point while connecting it to music listeners had already encountered. The tracklist’s order is: “No More Hiding,” “What Do I Do,” “30 for 30” (with Kendrick Lamar), “Diamond Boy (DTM),” “BMF,” “Scorsese Baby Daddy,” “Love Me 4 Me,” “Chill Baby,” “My Turn,” “Crybaby,” “Kitchen,” “Get Behind Me (Interlude),” “Drive,” “Another Life,” and “Saturn.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does the album fit into SZA’s public persona?
Sheffield links the record’s bluntness to SZA’s willingness to resist an uncomplicated “nice girl” image. In a 2023 conversation with Rolling Stone, she said, “I’m OK with not being a nice girl,” and added, “I’m OK with people knowing that I’m competitive.” In the same review, Sheffield quotes her on a changing nickname and identity: “I’m now going by Lana, but that might be burnt, too.” These remarks speak to how she describes her public persona and self-presentation; they are not explanations of the album’s production or its release format.
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Verdict: focused, but not emotionally tidy
Sheffield’s title claim holds up as a critical reading of the 15-song sequence: the spare arrangements and plainspoken writing make this a particularly streamlined, direct presentation of SZA. Paige’s self-reliance reading adds an important qualification. The songs may reach toward confidence and healing, but the album’s force comes from leaving unresolved feelings visible alongside those ambitions. As a focused listening experience, LANA works on its own terms, even as its official release remains part of SOS Deluxe.
Sources: Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone Australia, January 6, 2025; Top Dawg Entertainment release announcement, December 20, 2024; Apple Music US listing; DeAsia Paige, ELLE, December 23, 2024.
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