San Diego Union-Tribune

SZA, with Omar Apollo:

- George.varga@sduniontri­bune

SZA is on a major roll. “SOS,” her first album since 2017, was released in December and has been streamed more than 2 billion times. It topped the national Billboard charts for 10 nonconsecu­tive weeks — a record last achieved by Adele back in 2015 and 2016 — and includes this versatile singer’s biggest hit to date, “Kill Bill,” a moody revenge fantasy that references director Quentin Tarantino’s films of the same name. In February, SZA shared a Grammy victory with Future and DJ Khaled for their song “Beautiful,” then launched her “SOS” tour. On March 3, she was honored as Billboard’s Woman of the Year. SZA will perform a sold-out show here Monday at Viejas Arena. It’s her first area concert since she opened for Kendrick Lamar in 2017. SZA’s performanc­e at the nearly 20,000-capacity North Island Credit Union Amphitheat­re demonstrat­ed her ability to command an audience’s attention in a sprawling setting with introspect­ive ballads that showcased her expressive singing. “SOS” finds the 33-year-old SZA (born: Solána Imani Rowe) extending her contempora­ry R&B foundation to include everything from emo and country to lo-fi and arena rock, and she handles each well. At 23 songs, “SOS” seems a bit overextend­ed. But if this really is SZA’s last album — as she suggested in an interview — her desire to pack a lot into it is understand­able. 8 p.m. Monday. Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, 5500 Canyon Crest Drive, SDSU. Sold out. ticketmast­er.com Branford Marsalis Quartet:It’s been six years since multi-Grammy-winning jazz sax dynamo Branford Marsalis and his quartet last performed in San Diego. With no return engagement here in sight, a trip to hear them in Orange County this weekend is a sound option. Equally skilled on tenor and soprano saxes, Marsalis has led his current quartet for 14 years. It features pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Reevis and drum marvel Jason Faulkner, the group’s youngest member at 32. Their most recent album, 2019’s “The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul,” demonstrat­es how fiery, nuanced and intuitive a gifted band can be after years of playing together without any changes in personnel. 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Samueli Theater, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $79-$89. (714) 556-2787, scfta.org

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