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January 24, 2:34 pm

Album Review: Ari Lennox’s “Vacancy” brings R&B to 2026 with sultry, upbeat songs

This post was updated Jan. 25 at 8:21 p.m. Ari Lennox is leaving no vacancy for R&B music in 2026. The neo soul songstress released her third album, “Vacancy,” on Friday – one of the first major R&B releases of the new year and her first LP since 2022’s “age/sex/location.” The 15-track, 51-minute album leans heavily upon Lennox’s past lyrical themes about sex and relationship woes while adopting a more jazzy sound than her previous work, complete with rich saxophone throughout. Read more...

Photo: Album cover for Ari Lennox’s “Vacancy” shows the artist lying sideways on a green couch. Lennox’s third studio album was released Jan 23, making it one of the first R&B projects of the year. (Courtesy of Interscope Records)

Arts, Arts Columns, Music

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January 17, 4:37 pm

Album Review: ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ strikes all the right chords, exceeds cinematic expectations

This post was updated Jan. 19 at 7:39 p.m. At long last, A$AP Rocky delivers unequivocal greatness with “Don’t Be Dumb.” Marking his fourth studio album, the 37-year-old hip-hop artist intuitively blends trap and R&B with jazz, indie rock and industrial styles across 15 tracks, delivering a tight narrative with room for two more songs following the main tracklist. Read more...

Photo: Pictured is the cover for A$AP Rocky’s latest release, with the art created by Tim Burton. After an almost decadelong wait since the last album, “Don’t Be Dumb” was released on Jan. 16. (Courtesy of A$AP Rocky Recordings LLC)


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