Lenny Kravitz - It’s Time For A Love Revolution

The songs remain the same

In Lenny Kravitz’s ideal world, he’d be Curtis Mayfield fronting The Beatles. Or Jimi Hendrix trading licks with Pete Townshend in a West London youth club. Or Prince improvising solos at Led Zeppelin gigs. He’s a bit of a fan, y’see. He lives and breathes rock classicism, soaks up everything he’s ever heard to regurgitate it all into his very own… well, not much.

Dozens of musicians of Kravitz’s ability acknowledge the past, borrow from it liberally, even, but most manage to add a little of themselves to the final stew. There’s no stamp of personal identity on anything Lenny does, and it’s been that way since 1989’s Let Love Rule. This could just as well be an unreleased disc from that debut’s sessions.

Good Morning desperately wants to be Abbey Road Fabs, but it’s more like New Street ELO. You can have fun trying to pin-point the references as Kravitz tirelessy plays his “aren’t I clever?” games, but it will tell you little about the man, apart from the fact that he’s got a well-stocked shelf of vintage vinyl. Lenny’s got a new album out; it’s painfully similar to all his others, and nowhere near as good as the records he listens to.

Virgin | 5142812

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
<< Back to Issue 347