I bet Lenny Kravitz couldn't wait for the new millennium, so he could start the seventies again! In the 12 years of his career from 1989 to the present, Lenny has advanced approximately from 1972 to 1975. In his earlier albums, Lenny tried valiantly to be either Hendrix (not brilliant enough), Zeppelin (not heavy enough), the Beatles (not sweet enough), or even Prince (not insane enough). His most original moments were in his last studio album ("5") in which he dabbled in some lowdown funk and soul grooves. On this new album, Lenny has found that his true strengths are in the working-class raunch rock of Bachman Turner Overdrive, Bad Company, or the Guess Who. Despite the electronic beats and synths that pop up occasionally on this album, this is straight-ahead, no-nonsense seventies rock all the way. Lenny is still having some trouble removing the syrup from his ballads, but the rockers on this album are actually very good, in a just-stepped-out-of-a-time-machine kind of way. He's got some surprisingly swinging riffs in "Battlefield of Love," "Pay to Play, and "Dig In." The guy does know how to rock, without a doubt. To really keep the seventies alive, "God Save Us All" contains the exact same rhythm as Journey's "Lovin Touchin Squeezin" (I'm embarrassed to know that), and "You Were in My Heart" has a suspiciously Who-like synth line.

However, I implore you not to listen to the lyrics! This guy is 37 years old, and he should be able to come up with more than the standard-issue goodtime and lover-dovey lyrics he's got here. Note - the track "Let's Get High" is actually about getting high on love, happiness, and other hippie stuff like that. Lenny does come close to some good lyrics in "Bank Robber Man," which concerns his recent false arrest in a case of mistaken identity, but he doesn't exactly have deep thoughts, at least not as a writer. He didn't put much effort in to the title of this album either.

So while Lenny Kravitz still barely has an original idea in his head, you gotta admit that he's great at what he does, and he's one of the most enjoyable rock stars we have these days. So if you're in the mood to go back through a time warp to any year in the early to mid-seventies, slap on the quadraphonic headphones and groove to this disc.

My review of 'Lenny'
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All the way from Sunny (NOT!!!) Scotland.What can I say about the new album apart from, I shouldn't really have it as it's not due out until later today, But my friend owns a record store and I pestered him for it on Friday and he gave up just to get rid of me and sold me a copy..WOOHOO!!!!!.

Anyhoo down to business.....

01: Battlefield of love.

Wow!!! when have you ever known Lenny not to kick off an album with a tune that just grabs your attention striaght away?. This song contains a superb riff and just ROCKS!!! another Lenny anthem is born, Definately a future live favourite to get your rocks off too and possibly a single. Great way to start.

02: If I could fall in love.

Don't expect a slow number here as this is a fast paced number with a really catchy chorus. A great song with a throbbing baseline and Lenny singing quite personal lyrics...Baring his soul, this is a song for those who have loved and lost.

03: Yesterday Is gone (my dear Kay).

This starts of with just Lenny and an acoustic guitar, A song that sounds really forlorn but then bursts into life, he thing about this song and a few others on the album for that matter, is that they would not be out of place on Lenny's classic first album 'Let love rule'. This is a mid paced number, that,to me is about looking forward and getting on with life, a hopeful song.

04: Stillness of heart.

A love song done the way only Lenny can, I love this song, It's possibly my favourite at the moment, it has a really yearning guitar riff that just gets you at the core of your heart, a really beautiful song, the kind of song you fall in love to, or even a song to remember the one that got away.

05: Believe In me.

The theme of this album is definately love and for a man who has dated some seriously gorgeous women, he seems to be eternally at a loss, This song is right up there with the best of his back catalogue, very forlorn with a bassline that at first you might think is out of place but it is just so infectious as is the song as a whole....tremendous and a real tear-jerker.

06: Pay to play.

This song has every instrument and the kitchen sink kicking off in it, It has a weird chorus that is almost a chant, there is so much going on in there it's hard to describe, Lenny's voice is different on this track, it's as if he is singing through a megaphone at bits, funky tune though .

07: A million miles away.

this song reminded me of David Bowie's 'Space oddity' when it first started, it goes from an acoustic beginning into an almost Beatlesque song, very tuneful as well and a lot of Layers in there vocally, I love the way the cymbals and drums sound on this track . Another classic

08: God save us all.

Another song that would sit well on Lenny's debut album, This is a mid-paced rocker of a number, i think i can detect a lovely wee bit of strings in there. It also has a really good guitar solo in it, Lenny the master axeman....and the rest...God save us all indeed. Great song, you'll be humming this on your way to work or whatever, it's so catchy, almost hypnotic.

09: Dig In.

At first i couldn't believe this was the single, it seemed a strange choice, especially after the wealth of classic potential singles that have gone before, but it is such a grower, Lenny reminds me of Bob Dylan at certain points of the vocal...I don't know why, he just does ???. This song is a real grower with a really funky guitar hook.Great tune...especially for driving to (as is track one).

10: You were in my heart.

A very moody song, kind of in the vein of '5'. Lenny using synths and so on, it is such a dark sounding song,much like something you would find on a soundtrack to a thriller or a tragic love story (lol). This is another grower but will be a firm favourite with everybody.

11: Bankrobber man.

This is a full out angry song (like Mr Cabdriver on speed) Very rocky with a great beat in it, the guitars are pushed to the back and the drums are to the fore (My kind of tune). This actually sounds like it was a jamming session that turned into a song. A bit of a protest song, I heard the story about the origins, ouch..prejudice still lives....YUK!!. Well done Lenny for putting it into words and rocking us with it.

12: Lets get high.

Indeed, lets all get high and salute Lenny for producing an album that consistantly delivers, a great anthem to end the album with. This is a very personal album,one of his most soul-bearing. The thing that strikes you about it is that after listening to it you find yourself humming to basically every song, thats the mark of a great album, If it doesn't get you right away,believe me it will grow on you big time.

I think this album is Lenny taking us on an emotional rollercoaster. It starts of at a rush and takes us through many a memory before leaving us on a positive note telling us to get high. I seriously believe that the fans will love this and come to regard it as his best work to date.

I haven't had it off the cd player since i got it and I bought 4 other albums at the same time and they are still lying there, untouched and unlistened too.

All I can say is sit back, listen and enjoy the masterpiece that is Lenny.

Cheers

Will

Wow!!! It's hard to imagine that there's any rock and roll singer out there as smooth and as cool as Lenny Kravitz. His music is always off the wall and his style and bravado persona help create the total package. And now this cd helps to further ensure that that someday we WILL be hailing him as a musical legend.

Lenny's new album continues in the same vein as some of his past releases. It's not necessarily ground breaking but that does not mean to say that it's not affecting. Kravitz can still write lyrics and craft songs that are so emotive that one can be easily overwhelmed. Through his vivid imagery and lovelorn lyrics Kravitz can still both move you and get a party started.

Standout tracks from this release prove to be the exciting and uplifting 'Battlefield of Love' which you will find yourself bobbing your head to immediately. In addition to this are the slow, soulful 'Stillness of Heart' and Believe in Me'. Not to be ignored are the equally impressive 'Dig In' and 'Pay to Play'.

In all, Kravtiz brought forth an ecletic impressive album. Though there's not a single as deeply moving as 'Again' and the the album itself is not as impressive as past Lenny releases such as '5', I reiterate that 'Super Soul Fighter is BACK!!!'

I love Lenny's music. His album "5" is one of the best albums of the 90's. Then with the release his Greats Hits, which included "Again", WOW was the only word that could discribe the body of his later music. So it was with much expectation and anticipation, I was looking forward to his next release. Unfortunately, "Lenny" falls way short of winning this fan. Most of the songs sound the same, very one dimensional and flat. What happened? Where did Lenny lose his edge?

I first became a fan of Lenny Kravitz two years ago with his 5 CD which was one of the most refreshing and best CD's I have listened to over the last five years. I have since purchased all of Lenny CD's and have become a huge fan. Lenny is one of the few artists that plays it straight from the heart which results in music that does not always sound the same from CD to CD. Lenny also is an artist that is not definable he does hard rock, soft rock, R&B, Funk, Blues, and Folk as well as Carribean music so he cannot necessarily be pidgeonholed into any category.

"Lenny" the CD kind of varies from this formula in that it is primarily a rock album with rockers like "Dig In", "Bank Robber Man" and "Battlefield of Love", soft rockers like "God save us all" and "Yesterday is Gone (My Dear Kay) and A Million Miles Away. All of the songs are solid and after a few listens you find yourself singing along to them. This album also has a spritual vibe of positivity throughout which makes it an uplifting experience. There is also songs on the CD where Lenny experiments with different sounds (Believe In Me, Pay to Play, and You were in My Heart). Overall while there is no standout breakout major hit on this CD (Dig in is probably the only radio hit on the CD, this is a good record that I highly recommend, if you are tired of listening to the standard radio fare like I am.