Days after releasing a surprise EP titled Away Message, the Dreamville songstress has returned with her highly-anticipated sophomore album, entitled, "age/sex/location."
Much has been said about the state of R&B in recent years and Sean "Diddy" Combs added fuel to the flames of the debates. In spite of Diddy's personal thoughts, there are still plenty of artists making sure the genre is alive and thriving. Dreamville songbird, Ari Lennox, is one of several artists who have been dominating the R&B space, and on Friday (September 9) Ari followed up her debut album, Shea Butter Baby, with a 12-track LP featuring highlights from Lucky Daye, Chlöe, and Summer Walker.
The album explores relationship dynamics ranging from sexuality and passion, to finding the strength to move on. It’s equally soulful as well as sexy, as Ari brings the raw and unfiltered emotion she’s known for to this project. In terms of an album sounding cohesive and hitting a theme, Ari does really work wonders with keeping the tone familiar throughout this album. It's a very slow paced and laid back feel, like a boat running along the river in a late afternoon.
In following-up to the incredible debut album, Shea Butter Baby, Ari remains consistent with the jazz-felt, sensuous productions that she is known for, in which her radiant, melodic vocals resonate on each track like a jazz saxophone. The production is so smooth it’s almost hypnotic and this sound re-emerges later in the album. The simplicity of the production provides the perfect backdrop for Lennox’s booming vocals, reminiscent of 90’s R&B.
The chemistry Ari shares with the artists featured on the LP coincide with one another, complimenting each other and not taking anything away from the other. Whether the Love Jones-esque instrumentation shared between her and Lucky Daye as they flirtatiously take jabs at one another on "Boy Bye," or the steamy, hot new released track that already has social media in a wave featuring Chlöe on "Leak It," and the 'protecting my peace' Summer Walker assisted, "Queen Space," Ari shares a chemistry with each one that is palpable.
My only take away from the album, despite its success, Ari's single, "Pressure," isn't a favorite although she did receive her first Billboard No. 1 single from it. It resonates of a simplistic beat to desperately get radio attention, and undeserving of how truly talented Ari is -- but, I digress, just one's personal opinion.
Despite the three year wait since her initial project, I had my doubts that this album would be able to follow up its predecessor, but I was happily proven wrong.
Overall, this album reinforces why Ari Lennox is one of the leading R&B/Soul artists in music today. Her content is universal and both her talent and this album are mind-blowing and timeless. She is strong yet feminine, and extremely honest while not sounding like she’s trying to bash men. As a result, it’s an album both men and women can enjoy, whether individually or together. age/sex/location is one of the more enjoyable albums I’ve reviewed all year, and has allowed Ari to jump-step over the sophomore jinx that many artists fall victim to.
Rating: 8.5/10
Stream the album below:
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