What separates Ari Lennox from the bevy of modern female R&B singers is largely that her voice, which she’s previously described as “imperfect,” doesn’t sacrifice sharpness to produce soul. There’s raw, lusty power hiding within, which makes her odes to the different faces of romance feel more urban and realer than many of her peers. Her debut studio album, Shea Butter Baby, works because of its blue-faced soul, its tender embrace, and its rougher edge. And one of its highlights is album opener, “Chicago Boy.”
Confidence is sexy. Here, as the song begins, a long, confident trumpet recedes for a smooth, Don Cornelius level of soul to wash over. Lennox finds the source – a man in a CVS whose essence she downs like moonshine. Lust in her eyes, she sings with urgency, desperate to make plans with him. As the tension heats up, the trumpet returns. But it’s not actually an instrument: It’s her voice. It cuts through the soft soul and turns the plea into an urgent request. Under the night sky, “Chicago Boy” hangs like fresh a fresh evening haze, a reminder of vivid attraction and hungry lust. It’s steamy. It’s sexy. And it sounds genuine. —Trey Alston
from Trend Gossip Now http://bit.ly/2LDZOrk
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