The album Time Magazine declared the best of 2017 belongs to a rising music star with roots on the west side of St. Louis city.
“Me and her mama grew up together right around the corner from each other over by Emerson School,” said local photographer Roscoe Crenshaw as he left the pit area of The Ready Room Sunday night. “Better Family Life has the building now, but that’s where we grew up.”
STL was the last stop on the multiple Grammy Award nominee’s sold-out CTRL tour. The Sunday show sold-out almost as soon as it was announced. Another show was added for Tuesday night that sold-out even more quickly than the first show. It’s been an incredible year for the singer/songwriter who blindsided the music industry with her stellar debut album for which the tour is named when it dropped this summer.
Thanks to his family ties, Crenshaw’s camera was the only one allowed to photograph from up front.
“Her mother went to Soldan,” Crenshaw said. “I’ve known her all her life. And SZA grew up in New Jersey, but she was born right here.”
Her family was given special seating on either side of the stage of the standing room only venue. SZA admitted that many of them had never seen her perform when she shouted them out. With a huge smile and even bigger hair, she was in a state of bliss from start to finish of her incredible set – even through the admittedly embarrassing moments of performing explicit content in front of her beloved grandmother.
SZA and her crew of featured performers proved that R&B is safe in the care of millennials. The night was made sweeter knowing that St. Louis has its fingerprints on the pulse.
Ryan Trey, a rapper from St. Louis who relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his music career, kicked off the show.
The recent CBC grad was beyond excited to grace the stage and perform a few selections from his debut project “August.”
Chicago singer Rayvn Lanae’s angelic soprano voice was even more impressive than when she last visited St. Louis as a featured performer for rapper/singer Smino’s sold-out performance of Delmar Hall this summer. Lanae’s set blended dance hall, hip-hop, R&B and house music with a handful of songs that spoke to self-love, personal freedom and the early stages of courtship.
Smino followed Renae on stage and was received a star’s welcome as he hit the stage with selections from his critically acclaimed “blvckswn.”
A double threat who can seamlessly transition between rap and song, Smino kept the vibe mostly in R&B mode with songs like “Anita” and the title track from his album.
With supersized neon letters of her album behind her, the woman of the hour was met with fan frenzy as she jumped right into “Supermodel.”
The audience sang along to every word of every song as she ran through the album than now has her in the running for five Grammy Awards.
As a singer and songwriter, SZA’s appeal lies in her self-actualization. She’s vulnerable and honest and turns simplistic, yet profound phrases and infectious tracks into music that connects everyone to her own experience -whether she’s the other woman, or the awkward girl who longs to be normal.
“God Bless the twentysomethings,” SZA sang. The song perfectly captures the angst of the quarter-life crisis. The album is an interpretation of those years where life is made complicated by decisions in love and life fueled by emotions – and more specifically lust.
Much like her music, SZA opts for a mellow chilled out delivery that gives her lyrics the opportunity to sink in. Accompanied by a trio of musicians, the crowd provided background vocals for the entire set that essentially included the entire album.
SZA’s sing-along continued from start to finish of her show in an exchange of energy that the singer herself couldn’t help but point out. “St. Louis, y’all are amazing,” SZA as she prepared to take her final bow in her birth city. You really carried me through.”
