[usr 3.5]

Kendrick Lamar and SZA join forces for the enjoyable, well-rounded “All the Stars,” the promo single from the soundtrack to ‘Black Panther.’  

Kendrick Lamar and SZA together on a record? Yes please.  Good things typically happen when these two standouts combine forces. Case in point, “Doves in the Wind” off SZA’s Grammy-nominated debut, Ctrl. This time, the collaboration at hand, “All the Stars,” doesn’t hail from an upcoming studio album, but rather, a soundtrack: Black Panther: The Album.  Yes, I know what you’re thinking – soundtrack singles tend to sound a bit generic and sometimes cheesy AF. But, “All the Stars” is worth spinning.

Firstly, “All the Stars” doesn’t sound like a record you’d expect off from either artist necessarily.  This has more of a pop, electro-driven urban sound.  Even though it’s uncharacteristic, it works for both artists.  Following the chorus by SZA, Kendrick delivers his rhymes without a hitch.

“F*ck you and all your congratulations / I don’t even want your congratulations / I recognize you as confidence and / Calculated promises in all your conversation.”

Can you say DAMN.? Anyways, SZA ends up sounding radiant as ever. The aforementioned chorus is among the selling points.

“This may be the night that my dreams might let me know / All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer.”

She also doesn’t do too shabby on the second verse, even if occasionally her diction is a bit off – purposely, of course.

Final Thoughts 

So, how does this generic soundtrack single stack up? Again, it is Kendrick Lamar and SZA – of course it’s ‘good.’  While “All the Stars” isn’t transcendent, it’s enjoyable, pleasant, and well-rounded.  It doesn’t supersede “Humble.” From DAMN. or “The Weekend” from Ctrl, but hey, it puts these two juggernauts together and that’s a win.

Various Artists • Black Panther: The Album • Interscope • Release: 2.9.18

Writers: Sounwave, Al Shux, SZA, Kendrick Lamar; Producers: Al Shux, Sounwave

Photo Credit: Interscope