On July 15, 3 time Grammy Award winner Lizzo released her new album “Special”. The album features the chart-topping single “About Damn Time,” which reached #2 on the Billboard “Hot 100” and became the soundtrack of a viral TikTok trend.
The album’s title track, “Special,” is an anthemic reminder of the listener’s inherent worth. The song heavily features trumpet, strong background vocals, and delicate, twinkling keys. In the powerful track, Lizzo calls out cancel culture and judgement as she proudly belts each chorus with raw emotion. The song perfectly encapsulates Lizzo’s message of positivity and self-love as she sings, “I will always love you the same, you’re special, I’m so glad that you’re still with us, broken, but damn, you’re still perfect.”
“2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” is a fast-paced, upbeat song about desiring love. Lizzo sings about finding love for herself and the fear of loving another person. The track is light and playful, featuring a call and response with the background vocals in each chorus and a sneaky reference to her 2019 hit, “Truth Hurts.” The song ends with a key change in the final chorus, giving Lizzo the opportunity to showcase her flawless vocal technique as she easily hits each high note.
Towards the end of the album, Lizzo brings a toned-down, heartfelt feel with “If You Love Me.” In this guitar-infused ballad, Lizzo recounts feeling self conscious in relationships. A slower, laid-back drum groove supports the high descant harmonies peppered throughout, giving the vulnerable track a delicate feel. The song grows in power in the last chorus as background singers take over the main melody and Lizzo riffs. She unfailingly continues to encourage the self-love and self-confidence the album is about, singing, “‘Cause if you love me, you love all of me or none of me at all.”
Lizzo will be embarking on a North American headline tour, “The Special Tour”, beginning this September. Her six-time Emmy nominated reality TV series, “Watch Out For The Big Grrrls”, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.