Lizzo’s “Special”; a soulful, heartwarming, joyous album
Lizzo pulls out all her tricks for her latest album, Special.
I mean, we know Lizzo as a multi-talented superstar and this album is definitely a reflection of that.
Special is Lizzo’s first album released since she became a worldwide sensation. The superstar’s massive breakthrough song Truth Hurts took off a few months after Lizzo dropped her third LP Cuz I Love You in 2019 and so the world has only been consuming Lizzo’s previous discography.
The album stands at 12 tracks and a total of 35-minutes with each minute giving pure Soul and quintessential Lizzo.
The album opens with The Sign and Lizzo singing, “Hi motherfucker, did you miss me?” The track is what you would expect from Lizzo: an outstanding beat, smart-ass lyrics, and pure joy. The record definitely stands out among the other tracks and emanates happiness.
The album then moves on to About Damn Time, which has become a viral sensation on TikTok. The song is unescapable with its funky disco-infused track that drives you instantly to dance and sing backup to Lizzo. The track also features an amazing flute solo from Lizzo herself.
Other standout tracks include the upbeat aerobic-sounding 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready), the Mark Ronson co-produced, Lauryn Hill-sampled Break Up Twice, which shows off Lizzo’s impeccable vocal ability. Another one is I Love You Bitch which captures the essence of this album; soulful and emotional but with the Lizzo-isms that we’re used to. The album ends with the emotional track Coldplay, which samples the band’s 2000 ballad, Yellow.
Other tracks such as Naked and Everybody’s Gay aren’t necessarily bad but seem to be holding back compared to their potential.
Given Lizzo’s overwhelmingly positive message, Special can easily be read (as Lizzo’s discography has previously shown us) as a bit cheesy. Still, it’s cheesy in a way that only Lizzo can do. It can easily be said that if any artist attempted any of these tracks, they would fall flat on their face.
Lizzo knows exactly who she is as an artist and what she wants to achieve: she’s the bad bitch with an incredible talent for making people feel good.
