Lizzo – Special

R&B/Soul

Lizzo Makes A Radical Political Statement in “Special”

These 12 tracks, which explore the tremendous exhilaration of confronting your past and accepting yourself regardless, are a sonic bouquet of soul, R&B, hip-hop, and pop. The album takes us on a journey of extreme vulnerability. But it’s difficult to ignore Lizzo’s affirmation of self-love in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as a critique of our country’s cognitive dissonance. The catchphrase for the United States in 2022 might be “Welcome to Gilead, where it’s bad bitch o’clock

“The Sign,” the first track on the album, serves as the twerk trilogy’s introduction. Lizzo explains her motivation behind writing the song, saying, “I keep on writing these songs cuz he keep on doing me wrong.” Indeed. Settle in and grab your smoothie now. Then comes “About Damn Time,” a four-on-the-floor beat with a sultry flute solo by ya gal, reminiscent of Nile Rodgers. By reinterpreting the Beastie Boys sample as an homage to picking pub fights with your best friends, ‘Grrrls’ resolves a long-standing issue with it. Extra points for the line that sounds like “sussudio,” but isn’t

That bitter truth sets the tone for the second half of the record, and it is the most profoundly honest, deftly produced, and utterly raw material we’ve heard from Lizzo. The title track, “Special,” is a horn-laden masterpiece centered around Lizzo’s smooth, self-assured flow, singing about how she used to feel alone even though she wasn’t. “Broken but damn you’re still perfect,” she sings triumphantly.

Lizzo’s  2000 ballad “Yellow” is interpolated into the emotionally charged grand slam “Coldplay,” which closes the album. That is the most precise song Lizzo has ever written, she claimed in a recent interview with Zane Lowe. When she entered the studio, she essentially gave a 35-minute spoken word account of her trip to Tulum and the ideas that were racing through her head. Lizzo’s self-conscious reflections ultimately appear to come down to one basic query. Can I rely on this? Can I rely on you? Could I rely on myself? There’s something about music that makes us temporarily put those questions on hold, as though they exist on a different level of reality. “Yellow” accomplished it for Lizzo.

 

Stream Lizzo’s Special and let us know your thoughts

 

Lizzo’s Special Tracklist

1. ‘The Sign’
2. ‘About Damn Time’
3. ‘Grrrls’
4. ‘2 Be Loved’
5. ‘I Love You Bitch’
6. ‘Special’
7. ‘Break Up Twice’
8. ‘Everybody’s Gay’
9. ‘Naked’
10. ‘Birthday Girl’
11. ‘If You Love Me’
12. ‘Coldplay’

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