Ari Lennox is back with her nostalgically smooth new Bongo-produced single, Smoke. That has her showing off her always silky smooth vocals as she sings about wanting all the smoke with someone she can’t stand who is getting on her last nerves. The very melodramatic melody of, “Fvk around, find out. Ooh. Fvck around, find out. Ah, baby. Fvck around, find out.” That Ari through the very nostalgically theatric production sings with such beauty and grace. As well as making it sound so good that it almost doesn’t make you realize she’s cursing about wanting smoke with someone. Which is one of several things that makes Ari Lennox such a great and amazing artist.
You know Ari couldn’t go without also debuting through Vevo a brand new Chris Robinson and LCR$ co-directed accompanying video for the record. That opens with Ari Lennox being dragged in a straight jacket to a crazy psych ward for going crazy. Before it pans to her in several designer hospital gowns while undergoing treatments for her craziness and even up on stage singing with other inmates dancing next to her. As Ari Lennox sings the crazy lyrics that maybe her empowering way as a cry for help she and so many other young women cry out for so often. Which is why her and the other inmates running off to escape the psych ward towards the end of the video could also be seen as a double entendre. For their way of trying to escape not only the ward and their own craziness, but to be free both psychologically and mentally as well.
The video which brings the already great record even more to life. Just another example of why from her music to her actual songwriting, singing and acting. As well as great themes and concepts with her always great videos shows what a truly great true to the core artist that Ari is. Who virtually almost always puts the ART into artist and shows why she’s a truly one of a kind of artist. That is not only one of mine, but among so many others favorite artists as well.