‘Vacancy’ finds Ari Lennox mixing old school soul and modern polish

Measured against her peers, Ari Lennox has always stood out as a purist at heart. While SZA leans into pop tinted tension and Summer Walker explores cautious trap soul territory, Lennox has remained rooted in the foundations of classic R and B, drawing a clear line back to the spirit of 1990s and early 2000s icons such as Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. With ‘Vacancy’, though, she finds a sweet spot, blending that vintage sensibility with contemporary touches that sit comfortably within today’s musical landscape.

Carried by glowing production and her luminous soprano, Lennox’s third album and her first since parting ways with J. Cole’s Dreamville label is her most approachable release so far. Where 2022’s ‘age/sex/location’ turned inward with mature, sensual self reflection, ‘Vacancy’ opens up into sharper wit, playful observation and moments of genuine laugh out loud charm.

On the bold title track, which frames sex as an extended metaphor (“Oooh baby, I want you to fill this vacancy”), Lennox urges her partner to use his tongue “like a plug”. On ‘Pretzel’, yoga doubles as a cheeky metaphor for bedroom agility (“Flip me and fold me… love how you roll me, you put it in a pretzel”), while ‘High Key’ ups the flirtation as she vows to “hit that high key” if he “plays it nasty”. Elsewhere, she turns romantic disappointment into humour on the slick ‘Horoscope’, jokingly blaming a year of failed flings on the stars before landing the punchline that these boys “put the ho into horoscope”. The wordplay occasionally skirts the edge of cheesy, but Lennox sells every line with a warmth and confidence that makes it stick.

From a sonic standpoint, ‘Vacancy’ is soaked in the smooth sophistication that defines Lennox’s sound. Opener ‘Mobbin’ in DC’ drifts along piano lines, crisp snares and soft trumpets that recall neo soul’s golden era, while layered doo wop harmonies glow beneath the standout ‘Under the Moon’. The main stylistic curveball arrives with ‘Soft Girl Era’, a light and joyful ode to Black femininity that feels built for radio. It is no coincidence the track comes from hitmakers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox, though the album’s strongest stretches are those that keep Lennox firmly in her sultry lounge singer comfort zone.

Ultimately, ‘Vacancy’ sharpens the qualities Lennox has always excelled at, an instinct for melody, humour used as armour, and desire expressed with a knowing smile. Its pleasures feel immediate and physical, the kind of R and B meant for low lighting and late night messages. In a genre often torn between reverence for the past and the pull of the new, ‘Vacancy’ succeeds by staying firmly grounded in the now.

Details

• Record label: Interscope Records
• Release date: January 23, 2025