Lenny Kravitz - It Is Time For A Love Revolution Review

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 02.05.2008

Lenny digs in again with a set of songs that prove rock and roll is not dead…

My Story
Here in the late 2000’s, the rockers of the early 90’s are slowly stepping into “classic rock” status. While it may seem to consider bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jame and even Sheryl Crow as “classic rock”, one man seems to have been ready for that genre since his debut: Lenny Kravitz. Since breaking onto the scene in 1989, Lenny Kravitz has consistently drawn from classic hard rock, soul and R&B to form sleek contemporary hits, perhaps providing the link from 70’s Led Zeppelin to the hard rock outfits of today. Now on his eighth album (with nearly 20 years of recording under his belt), will Lenny be able to continue that legacy?

His Story
Lenny Kravitz was raised in Los Angeles in the late 60’s and 70’s. His parents were both involved in the television industry (his mother starred on “The Jeffersons”), so a future in show business seemed inevitable for young Lenny. As a member of the California Boys Choir, Kravitz showed a predilection for music at an early age, but it wasn’t until he was introduced to Prince while in high school that music became his passion. Lenny began to model his whole life around Prince and eventually hoped to score a record deal as Romeo Blue. Thankfully, this never came to fruition, and Lenny moved to New York City in the late 80’s.

While in New York, Kravitz fell in love with Lisa Bonet, who appeared on TV’s “The Cosby Show” and the two were married. It was during this time that Lenny’s musical career began to take off, as he was fashioning a mix of classic soul and classic rock that would eventually become his debut album. For several years, record labels rejected his style, telling him that he was neither black nor white enough for audiences. That changed in 1989, when he signed a deal with Virgin Records. Let Love Rule, Lenny’s first album, was released that same year.

The retro-rock title track to Let Love Rule became a Top 5 Modern Rock hit, and a follow-up single, “I Built This Garden For Us”, was also a minor hit. The album charted a respectable #61 and has since been certified gold. Kravitz’ classic rock style proved to be influential, as the rock of the 70’s started to see a revival on radio in the early 90’s.

Lenny followed up with 1991’s Mama Said, an album that was majorly influenced by his divorce from Bonet. Still, critics praised the album as another strong set of hard rock and Mama Said became Lenny’s first Top 40 and platinum hit. The single “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” reached #2 on the Hot 100, while the lead single, “Always On The Run”, was another Top 10 Modern Rock hit.

Kravitz returned strong with 1993’s Are You Gonna Go My Way. The set reached #12 on the Billboard charts and spawned several hit singles. The title track was a #2 Modern Rock hit and also won 1993’s MTV Best Male Video award. Three other singles entered Billboard’s Top 100 and Are You Gonna Go My Way was eventually certified double platinum.

On the heels of his building success, no one could have predicted the misstep of 1995’s Circus. While the lead single, “Rock And Roll Is Dead” was another Top 10 Modern Rock hit, Circus was panned as unfocused by critics and stalled at gold status. For his part, Lenny took some time to regroup and came back strong with the more funk-influenced 5 in 1998. While 5 was slow to start, the album took off in a big way with the release of the single “Fly Away”, which soared to #1 on the Modern Rock charts and #12 on the Billboard 200. A cover of The Guess Who’s “American Woman” also became a monster Modern Rock hit, and 5 became Lenny’s second double platinum album in the fall of 1999. Both “Fly Away” and “American Woman” earned Kravitz Grammy awards for Best Male Rock Performance.

Virgin issued Lenny Kravitz’ Greatest Hits in 2000. Bolstered by the Top 5 new single “Again” (another Grammy winner), Greatest Hits was quickly certified triple platinum. A new studio album, Lenny, arrived in 2001. The lead single, “Dig In”, became Kravitz’ fourth Top 40 hit and earned him his fourth consecutive Best Male Rock Performance Grammy. Lenny reached #12 on the Billboard charts on its way to a platinum certification.

Lenny Kravitz took a few years before releasing Baptism in 2004. The album was another slow starter, but eventually produced the Top 40 gold single “Lady”. Baptism was also certified gold. After Lenny wrapped up his Baptism tour in 2005, he stayed busy with several side projects, including a design company called Kravitz Design. Though he has remained out of the spotlight for the last few years, Lenny has remained active, recording one-off tracks as well as producing.

In late 2007, it was announced that Lenny’s next studio set would be released early this year. Lenny played two new tracks in Times Square on TV’s “New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly”.

The Album
On February 5, 2008, Virgin Records released It Is Time For A Love Revolution, the eighth studio album by Lenny Kravitz. The album is available on CD as well as in a CD/DVD deluxe edition package. The DVD features several interviews and performances.



The Band: 8.0
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, guitar, bass, drums, percussion, harmonica, keys

Like most Lenny Kravitz albums, Lenny takes care of nearly every aspect of the music on this CD, with only a few guests popping in here and there to provide flourishes like strings and horns (plus Anoushka Shankar, who lends sitar to “Bring It On”). This sort of total control assures us that It Is Time For A Love Revolution is 100% Lenny Kravitz’ vision, but is that equal to a good album? In this case, yes it does.

Despite Lenny Kravitz’ originality among other acts, his act had kind of gotten stale over the years. Perhaps that’s why people weren’t busting record store doors to buy Baptism. The drum loops and simple guitar hooks had gotten a little old. On Revolution, Kravitz has enacted his own revolution with his sound. The songs here are much more straight ahead rock, with all of the meat and power of the late 70’s. You’ll be thinking of names like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and…oh, I don’t know…The Stones?...while you listen to these tunes. That’s not to say Revolution is derivative. Lenny has always worn his influences on his sleeve, but rarely outright imitates. It’s the same case here, as Lenny has turned his guitar up to 10 (along with the drums and groovy bass) and just been content on rocking the fuck out.

This record GROOVES, there’s no doubt about that, but there’s an assuredness in Lenny Kravitz the 70’s rock star that is very fresh after years of Lenny the thankful activist. This sort of sonic refocus has most likely added years to Lenny’s already long career.

The Songs: 7.5
1. Love Revoltion
2. Bring It On
3. Good Morning
4. Love Love Love
5. If You Want It
6. I’ll Be Waiting
7. Will You Marry Me
8. I Love The Rain
9. A Long And Sad Goodbye
10. Dancin’ Til Dawn
11. This Moment Is All There Is
12. A New Door
13. Back In Vietnam
14. I Want To Go Home

Clocking in at over an hour, It Is Time For A Love Revolution is a long album. Lenny Kravitz keeps it balanced, though, with a series of catchy anthems and fun rockers. The album kicks off with “Love Revolution”, a track that mostly resembles Lenny’s funky output of the past few years. A big riff, a big sing-a-long chorus. In other words, it’ll have you waiting for him to say “But once you dig in!”.

The album takes a turn, though, with the lead single “Bring It On”, a chugging Zeppelin riff that is full of classic rock attitude. “Bring It On” feels like the turning of a page for Kravitz, and he follows this new path throughout the rest of the record. Several other tracks are based on this 70’s rock foundation, including “I Love the Rain” and “If You Want It”, the latter of which has that honky tonk vibe that the late 60’s Rolling Stones rode so well.

The highlights, though, as the left of center moments. “Good Morning” features vocal harmonies that would sound at home on a Beatles record, while the funky “Back In Vietnam” is one of the best (and most danceable) anti-war songs of this generation. Meanwhile, the love ballad “I’ll Be Waiting” recalls Kravitz’ own sweet “Again”. It’s this ability to reference himself while still trying something new that will have fans following Lenny on this new album, while also bringing back listeners who may have gotten tired of the whole drum loop thing.

The 411: Lenny Kravitz’ It Is Time For A Love Revolution finds Lenny changing up his sound, letting up on the funk in favor of a fuzzy hard rock sound akin to a Led Zeppelin or Rolling Stones record. It’s a great throwback to the 60’s and 70’s and is sure to please contemporary listeners with its retro coolness. This is the type of album that would make critics cream over a newcomer, but it’s Lenny Kravitz, so we’re used to quality by now. If you haven’t given Lenny a listen for a while, let this be your reintroduction.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]