Age/Sex/Location
| Ari Lennox
Age/Sex/Location
Age/Sex/Location is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Ari Lennox. It was released on September 9, 2022, by Dreamvilleand Interscope Records. The album was executive produced by Dreamville producer Elite, and includes guest appearances from Lucky Daye, Chlöe, and Summer Walker. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Grown, sexy, and horny on main, the Dreamville singer’s second album pursues pleasure without compromising on self-love.
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Uproxx
On Age/Sex/Location, Ari Lennox signs into a virtual world that could easily be her reality. Where Shea Butter Baby begged and hoped for reciprocation by seeking an in-person connection as opposed to a digital one (“Facetime”), reassurance (“Speak To Me”), or a vow of continued love (“Pop”), Age/Sex/Location demands that reciprocation while promising a cease in communication and interaction without it. As she navigates the twists, turns, risky climbs, and unprotected freefalls of her current “eat pray love” journey, it’s with more discipline and increased wisdom from past missteps.
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Sound in Review
Age/sex/location certainly shows that Lennox can sing. However, the backing instruments and sounds could support her soulfulness better, in my opinion. When you think of all the great soul singers of the 60s and 70s, they all had terrific bands. Put Lennox in front of a hard hitting soul unit with real instrument, and it would be scary good!
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Hot New HipHop
Lennox’s age/sex/location shows that she is an artist on a quest to evolve not only personally, but professionally. Many times, fans simply await new music to replace the records they’ve grown used to or tired of. Yet, because Lennox takes her art seriously, this stellar sophomore effort has placed her maturation center stage. We look forward to hearing what she cooks up next, but for now, we’ll keep age/sex/location on repeat.
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Soul in Stereo
Nitpicks aside, Age/Sex/Location is Ari’s best project to date, and arguably the best R&B album of 2022 so far. It’s an honest reflection of relationships in 2022 that doesn’t shy away from turmoil but refuses to dwell on it. There’s an optimism here that’s been lacking in music of so many of her peers. Add the stellar production and it’s a major win for a rising star and a genre that’s ready for new blood to push it ahead.
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AllMusic
The burrowing bassline on "Hoodie" neatly complements the way Lennox seeks permission to get closer to her man, yet she makes it known her guard isn't all the way down, issuing a challenge of her own. "Boy Bye," built on a sample of the Crusaders' classic "A Ballad for Joe (Louis)," brings Lennox and Lucky Daye back together again to spar with even greater chemistry than they displayed on "Access Denied." Duet-wise, it's a very close second to the Summer Walker-assisted "Queen Space," a steady-knocking finale so authoritative that the titular appellation can't be disputed.
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Medium
Lennox is a quality performer with some great ideas, but the execution falters across the record, from organizational issues to lackluster lyrical concepts. With a stronger editing eye and maybe some new producers in the mix, Lennox has the foundation to create amazing music. She just needs to find out how to build on it.
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Exclaim!
Overall, hardcore R&B fans will appreciate age/sex/location most, but this is an album made for cuffing season and should probably be listened to by lovesick single people still figuring it out. Both a cautionary tale and a love story, Lennox will have a hard time topping this project, making her eventual next album one to watch.
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Rolling Stone
Her second album is the work of an honest-to-God soul singer. Yet it still feels completely modern.
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The Musical Hype
R&B singer Ari Lennox brings the heat to her fine sophomore album, age/sex/location. It impresses well beyond the hit single, “Pressure.”
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Shifter Magazine
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.
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Ratings Game Music
One thing I love seeing is a singer or rapper double, triple, and quadruple down on their sound. One of the reasons I love that s**t is because in today’s world, it’s very easy to get influenced by all of the stuff around us. With that being said, in age/sex/location, Ari Lennox doubles, triples, and quadruples downs on sexified, hypnotizing, and traditional slow jams. Not only does she stay away from the tired-ass topics that circulate throughout music today, but she also stays away from even remotely laying her vocals down over the kind of instrumentals that your favorite R&B diva’s favorite R&B diva likes f**king with. Isn’t it so refreshing to hear someone stay true to their style and body askings?
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Mic
Through incisive writing, soulful singing, and deep-rooted sexiness, the best of age/sex/location finds Ari Lennox finally thriving as the grown-ass woman she always wanted to be. With a spirit that feels unbound to contemporary times, the singer continues to claim that cosmic accident which makes her seem as though she was born to the wrong generation, presenting it instead as a conscious choice by a young woman determined to live and love on her own terms.
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Commedia
The album is perfect for bedtime, or just something to relax in general. Lennox makes a soothing and comfortable environment for anyone who peers into her music. She speaks freely, leaving out no details, no matter how personal they are.
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The Rice Thresher
While Lennox’s goal has never seemed to be creating something remarkable, this album is hardly even notable. This album brings the listener on a journey so forgettable and predictable that upon arriving at the destination, they not only can’t remember how they got there, but also feel as though the destination is so inconsequential that there was no point in going on the journey to begin with.
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