Lenny Kravitz - It Is Time For A Love Revolution
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Free Music Notes for It Is Time For A Love Revolution
Free Music Review: It is just Lenny Kravitz...
Hit: 5 Stars
You want to by this record because you are Lenny Kravitz fan then you get what you know and this in best Kravitz quality. Fine songs that rock and comfort you. The lyrics are right from the heart and touching the soul and make your feet dance.
If you do not know Lenny then this album is a good representive for his ideas what music is about. You gonna like it. Finest rock and pop music.
Free Music Review: Rock on, Lenny, rock on
Hit: 5 Stars
Oh, my gosh, this album is beautiful! I've always loved what Lenny Kravitz does; with his blend of soulful vocals, funky style and rock-edged beats, he is totally unique and has carved out a niche for himself that to my knowledge, only he occupies. The hits over the years have been are always brilliant - "Are You Gonna Go My Way", "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over", "Fly Away", et al - but I've always felt that the real heart & soul of the man was to be found on his album cuts.
The last album of his I bought was 2001's Lenny (2004's Baptism passed me by completely) and though it was the single "Dig In" that made me buy it (after I heard it playing in a clothes store) it was tunes like "If I Could Fall In Love", "Yesterday Is Gone (My Dear Kay)", "Stillness Of Heart", "Believe In Me", "A Million Miles Away" and "Let's Get High" (which is not a song about drugs, by the way), that made me fall in love with the album, though some of these were also subsequently released as singles.
I don't hear any stand out hit singles along the lines of the ones I mentioned at the top but the album is no less enjoyable for it. I was nodding my head, tapping my feet and humming along right from the first play. These are all fantastic tunes with great vocal performances, solid beats and lots of wailing guitar. Favourites include "Love Revolution", "Love Love Love", "I'll Be Waiting" (heavenly orchestral), "Will You Marry Me" (totally funky, totally James Brown), "A Long And Sad Goodbye" (a plea in pain to a father; I can totally identify), "This Moment Is All There Is" (a heart-melting, hypnotic ballad), "A New Door" (another beautiful ballad) and "I Want To Go Home" (a great sing-along tune and a great way to close the album).
The album is produced and arranged by Kravitz and largely written and performed by him too, with help primarily from Craig Ross on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin & handclaps, from a bassist whose name I couldn't make out, and from a long list of background vocalists and orchestra members. I'd name them all but I can barely see the writing on the inner-sleeve notes - the only flaw this album has, as far as I'm concerned. Simply beautiful. Rock on, Lenny, rock on. You go, boy.
Free Music Review: Let Love Rule
Hit: 4 Stars
Critics have basically dismissed Kravitz over the years as a recycler of late 60's and early 70's rock and roll. It's true that Kravitz's music has elements of Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Sly And The Family Stone, but he also has some Prince, Little Richard, Living Colour and even Terence Trent D'Arby as well as some Black Crowes. I've like Kravitz from the beginning, and though he is not my favorite artist, I have all eight of his albums, each of which have their own merits.
That said, "It Is Time For A Love Revolution" is pretty good. I normally have complaints about 14 songs being too long, and this is no exception. I mean, Kravitz could have left off "This Moment Is All There Is" and "A New Door" and been just fine. "I Love The Rain" is a third choice for exclusion.
The album starts strong with "Love Revolution" akin to "Are You Gonna Go My Way". This is followed by a relatively strong "Bring It On" and "Good Morning". Kravitz is back again on "Love Love Love" and "Will You Marry Me". The ballads "If You Want It" and first single "I'll Be Waiting" are good. The second half of the disc is weaker with three tracks I've already mentioned dragging down the show. However, "A Long And Sad Goodbye" is maybe the most interesting song on the disc. I'm not sure if Kravitz is singing about his own father, someone else's father, or just a fictional father. It's one of his most powerfully written songs. Kravitz gets a little Talking Heads' "Take Me To The River"-ish on "Dancin' Til Dawn". The last two tracks seem to be commentary on the current war situation, which is fitting, since the end of war would be a love revolution.
I've read the other reviews here and disagree with the idea that "It Is Time For A Love Revolution" is a return to form or a radical departure from his previous seven albums. To me, this is Lenny Kravitz, just like Captain Crunch is Captain Crunch. Kravitz has been around for 19 years now, and he's an established brand name artist. When I buy his music I expect him to sound like he sounds. Would I mind if he really shook things up and surprised me? Not at all, experimentation is very welcomed. On that note, I will say that Kravitz could stand some experimentation to juice things up a bit. Where's "Mr. Cab Driver" or "Elutheria" or "Black Velveteen" when you need them?
Free Music Review: Not bad but more of the same
Hit: 2 Stars
I had high hopes for this album but it is more of the same sound from Lenny. Which of course is not a bad sound, but there is nothing that jumps out at me about this album.Free Music Review: Two stars for Lenny's latest
Hit: 2 Stars
Lenny Kravitz has often been compared from heavy hard-hitting guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix to a mix of Jimmy Page and Curtis Mayfield. The pinnacle of his career (thus far) has been the back-to-back hit albums of "Mama Said" and "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" And even though Kravitz still invokes some of those same legendary artists on his newest album, "It Is Time For A Love Revolution," he somehow lost that same formula and magic that made those albums so great.
The first track, "Love Revolution," finds Kravitz incorporating his "world love" mentality to cement the concept of this album. The title pretty much speaks for itself and in case you're still not sure, Kravitz states the chorus line of "It is time for a love revolution" over and over and over and over. There is some outstanding guitar playing on this album (and in this song), as Kravitz is a musician in the truest sense of the word - he can play instruments from guitars to drums to piano; he could be his own "band" in a recording studio. However, that doesn't make the song (or the album) all that much better. Next comes "Bring It On," a song heavy with "survivor"-themes, but with a rock star's flair. Case in point, the lyrics to the chorus: "It's getting heavy/But I'm ready/To take on this world and rock steady/So come one/Bring it on." It sounds more like someone instigating a fight as opposed to surviving one. And doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of a "world love" album? (Rhetorical question) Moving on! The following song is "Good Morning" and, trust me, there's nothing good about it. It sounds like he's musically trying to recreate "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over." If you want to hear a song merely about starting your day with a good morning, listen to Kanye West's "Good Morning" off his Graduation album.
"Love Love Love" is a quick rock jaunt with forgettable lyrics but, again, good guitar playing. Track five is "If You Want It" and it comes so close to being the usual great Kravitz song. It could've been more epic with its kickass guitar and if it had had sweeping gospel choirs singing much more of the chorus. But Kravitz opted for one little line of "Want it" for an underused gospel choir. The next song, "I'll Be Waiting," which is the first single, is my favorite on the album (followed by the previous song). It's a ballad, I know, but Kravitz shows great lyrics and music instrumentation with a great little change at the bridge to mix things up nicely. Kravitz goes on to mix the album up by throwing in the funky "Will You Marry Me" next. It's a nice attempt but falls flat. Most Lenny fans will probably love this track (along with the album), but it doesn't do anything for me as I'm practically trying my best not to already hit the skip button.
The next song is "I Love the Rain" and Lenny is playing and singing his usual version of the blues. It's another nice attempt to break up the rock monotony of the album but a bit too repetitive and, ultimately, forgettable. "A Long and Sad Goodbye" is probably the most personal on the album, reflecting on Kravitz's feelings for his recently-passed father. It's a decent song and the kind of blues that I like but it drags on a little too long. Even though the lyrics are scarce, the words that come out of Kravitz's mouth and the notes from his guitar perfectly encapsulate the pain and uncertainty of his relationship with his father. He shows so much emotional substance and I'm hoping to hear more as the album progresses but then comes the next song, "Dancin' 'til Dawn." It sounds like a horrible Rolling Stones disco throwback (think "Emotional Rescue") and is way too long for such a horrible song. Knowing that the lyrics aren't going to change, I gladly press the skip button before the song fully ends and come to "This Moment is All There Is." It has a promising start but soon fades into oblivion as the music riffs over and over to almost the point of inducing sleep.
"A New Door" is another slow blues song from Kravitz, only this time he gets it right. The song is a testament to how when one chapter in life ends, another begins. It's a nice piano ballad and would've made an appropriate ending, but Kravitz couldn't help but make his statement about the current war overseas (as did Bruce Springsteen, Trent Reznor, and Jack Johnson). Which brings us to the aptly named "Back in Vietnam"; this perfectly describes most musician's (let alone Democrats and liberals) views on the war. As Republicans roll their eyes in dismay, Kravitz could've made a strong point with great lyrics. But that didn't happen. He uses the repetitive line of "We're back in Vietnam" so much that I lose all patience and think of this song as just an excuse to make that ever-so-brief statement. The following song, and album ending, is "I Want to Go Home," which is much better suited for expressing the soul-sucking sorrow that goes with being away from home and family, as all soldiers can attest to. It is not the best current song about the war (see Springsteen's "Last to Die" and "Long Walk Home" from the Magic album) but it's the best on this album.
Released on the same day as Jack Johnson's Sleep Through The Static, I thought that these two releases would leave me with ample hours of listening pleasure. I couldn't have been more wrong. While Johnson's "Static" is listenable, Kravitz's "Love Revolution" is almost unbearable. He definitely focused on the music - although it's not as catchy as his songs of ol' - but not the lyrics. And in music, if lyrics are applicable and they aren't balanced right, then the rest goes down the drain. Unfortunately, Kravitz made that mistake with this album. "Love Revolution" could've been so much more because it does have some outstanding guitar playing, but, in the end, the entire album falls flat. The music simply didn't come together and flow nicely enough for this album to even be noticeable. One can only hope that Kravitz's next album keeps that focus of musical instrumentation as well as lyric writing.