Zara Larsson Brings Some Sweet Pop In "So Good"

Swedish pop icon Zara Larsson has been slowly building her career with some moderately big singles and her debut album, and now that her sophomore album So Good brings some sweet pop that has some nice moments and some sour ones.

So Good starts off on a bit of a mild note with 'What They Say.' It's a pretty standard, upbeat pop song that's a safe way to enter in on the album. There's nothing particularly stunning about the track in the same way there's nothing bringing it down. It's a happy-go-lucky track without much flaw but also without a claim to fame. The following tracks 'Lush Life' and 'I Would Like' follow up similarly, carrying the flow of the album but not really elevating it so much.

The better tracks on So Good really stand out. Title track 'So Good' starts off with a thousand voices chanting the album's title in a blissful release that sounds something like Ariana Grande. Her delivery feels natural for her as the hip-hop beat adds some swagger to the track. Ty Dolla $ign joins in an the end for a pretty solid verse that doesn't sacrifice the vibe or the flow of the track, which is an important aspect that many artists seem to forget with features. 'Only You' soon follows with a much more stripped down instrumental. The plucked guitars accentuate Larsson's longing lyrics as she sings of love. A similar rawness comes at the closure of the record in 'Symphony,' a sweet track that bursts with beautiful orchestras and powerful vocals in one final explosion of emotion.

There are definite lows of the record, however. 'TG4M' is sandwiched right in between two of the album's best songs on the album, and while the entirety of the song isn't all that bad, any song that starts with "I get high all the time / I get get drunk out of my mind" just can't be considered a success. There's also the problem of some ruined potential. Wizkid features on the track, and there isn't a single clean moment in his vocals. They're either drowned in autotune or weirdly distorted to the point where it sounds like the recording came from a crappy mic in the 90s. It's not all the contributors faults; Larsson made 'Make That Money Girl' a disaster all on her own with its repetitiveness and boring tone.

Zara Larsson brings some sweet pop in So Good, but there isn't much that really reaches a high. If anything, most of it falls in between the lines of adequate and not the best. There are definitely a few great songs on the album, but largely it's a one faced record with little dimension. It's good to lay back and enjoy, but as for replay value, there really isn't much.

Favorite Tracks: Only You, So Good, Symphony

Least Favorite Tracks: Make That Money Girl, Sundown, TG4M

Rating: 70 / 100

Buy or listen to So Good here: