This is my entry into Kristinafh's Like A Virgin W/O. For the other participants, see her profile. Feel like writing one of your own? Make sure you tell her Carletta sent you.
Lenny Kravitz is just one of those people. He possesses an undeniable talent and endless amount of sex appeal that makes him irresistible to me and to many other women I know. Not only is he sexy but he’s a fashion plate, score 50 more points on the meter and oh yeah did I say that he was talented? Some people find it hard to look past the designer clothes and persona that is Lenny Kravitz and recognize that the man isn’t some hack who walked off the street and just started playing rock music. I was surprised to find Lenny in the database unreviewed because I do think it’s a great album that was overlooked not only by fans but the general media, not that “Lenny” sets new precedents or anything but it is to me a more commercially appealing album in terms of sound than most of his other records.
Track Listing
1. Battlefield Of Love
2. If I Could Fall In Love
3. Yesterday Is Gone (My Dear Kay)
4. Stillness Of Heart
5. Believe In Me
6. Pay To Play
7. A Million Miles Away
8. God Save Us All
9. Dig In
10. You Were In My Heart
11. Bank Robber Man
12. Let’s Get High
The album starts off with Battlefield Of Love which sounds to me like classic Kravitz. It rocks hard (not Metallica hard or anything) but you can still appreciate the vocals on the track and there’s a great guitar breakdown towards the end of the song. Stillness Of Heart reminds me another Kravitz song that I can’t put my finger on (you know the video, the waitress and Gina Gershon). Musically stillness isn’t too complex but you can tell that it’s been really well produced. One of the things I appreciate so much about Lenny Kravitz that he’s able to rock out one second and then bring it down to mid-tempo and ballads and not sound silly. I love that in stillness there’s a string orchestra that adds a whole new element to the song making it my album favorite.
Believe In Me scared me initially because Lenny was doing something of a modified beat-box that struck fear in my heart. Then I realized he wasn’t about to pull a Britney Spears and do a song with The Neptunes and I calmed down and I love this song. If you’re familiar with a moog, you know its an instrument that artists speak into to almost computerize their voices which is what Kravitz did for that beat-box that threw me off and surprised though you may be, it doesn’t sound dumb.
God Save Us All is just what you think it is. A peace and unity anthem that sounds like you’d want to listen to it while riding a Harley-Davidson down a long stretch of highway on a hot summer day. All that and it carries a message to: ”We need a leader/ We can’t seem to let it go/ We live each day on a small piece of borrowed time/ Why aren’t we trying to enjoy this crazy ride/ What are we gonna do about it?/ God save us all (x3)/ If we really try maybe we can make it”.
Dig In was the lead single from Lenny and is another good old-fashioned rock song that strikes me as part of the Kravitz “how to make a rock song” formula. Loud guitars, Loud vocals, Simple lyrics, Catchy Hook, Lots of production = HIT! If it works, don’t fix it is what I say. The production on this album is top of the line and it should be noted that Kravitz himself wrote and arranged 10 of the albums 12 tracks by himself and the others were done with Craig Ross.
You Were In My Heart is a love song that has a dark mood about it. What I get from it is Lenny trying to face his demons. What makes this song works is that Lenny doesn’t sings soft and the music is hard and they create a really nice contrast. This is another of my favorites. Bank Robber Man is a bad @ss song. I like that from the moment you hear it, it sounds loud and angry. This song is based on a true story where in a case of black man mistaken identity, Lenny Kravitz was assaulted and arrested for robbing a bank which turned out to be him being in the wrong place at the right time for cops. I can’t help but give you some of the lyrics from this, they’re too priceless: ”All units we’ve got our man/ We’ve got the bank robber man/ We don’t need no reason/ You’re going in the can/ You look like the bank robber man/ I think you must misunderstand/ Do you think that I am the one who did it / Just because I’m tan?/ Just then the officer at hand said I don’t give a damn that you are in a rock and roll band” Funny, that they KNEW who he was and still arrested him in front of a Bank of America, why would Lenny Kravitz need to rob a bank? Right.
Lenny is definitely worth checking out. I don’t think he’s strayed to far from the Lenny Kravitz that people know and love and for that reason I’m surprised that it wasn’t more popular. If you’re one of those people who think he cares more about fashion than music, just listen to this album and you’ll see his love of music shine through brighter than anything.
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
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