I was recently going through his collection today and he has quite a few good cds and I think he’s a fantastic musician.

Let Love Rule is still my favorite by him I love the raw guitar rock and 60’s era feel to it! Sitting On Top Of The World is a great bluesy song, I Built This Garden For Us is a beautiful ballad & the title track is a great rocker.

Mama Said had a great Curtis Mayfield, Prince, Hendrix & Lennon feel on each track, of course there is the monster hit It Ain’t Over Till It’s over, the beautiful Fields of Joy & the hard rocking Always On The Run featuring Slash. All I Ever Wanted with Sean Lennon is fantastic & the punk What The Fuck Are We Saying? Make for a great album.

Are You Gonna Go My Way has some solid track’s to such as the title track the soothing Believe, The funky Come On & Love Me not to mention Sister.

2 Other great albums where Lenny & It Is Time For A Love Revolution

Circus, 5 & Baptism are mixed for me

What’s everyone else’s favorite Lenny Albums & Track’s?

It's funny just today I got the deluxe edition of Let Love Rule but I haven't listened to it yet.

I kind of prefer his early years but 5 was my first Lenny album so it will always be a favourite. I would probably pick Mama Said as my favourite with Are You Gonna Go My Way and Let Love Rule following close behind. I kind of slept on his later albums (Lenny, Baptizm and It Is Time For A Love Revolution) but I've lately rediscovered them and while I maintain he's taken a bit of a dip there are some great tracks scattered on these albums. Circus is kind of weak. I do like the sound of the album but many of the songs are somewhat mediocre.

I'm not sure if it's ever going to be released but I am curious to hear Lenny's "funk" album. I guess it's going to be a double album titled Black and White America and it is supposedly due this spring.

rialb said:

It's funny just today I got the deluxe edition of Let Love Rule but I haven't listened to it yet.

I kind of prefer his early years but 5 was my first Lenny album so it will always be a favourite. I would probably pick Mama Said as my favourite with Are You Gonna Go My Way and Let Love Rule following close behind. I kind of slept on his later albums (Lenny, Baptizm and It Is Time For A Love Revolution) but I've lately rediscovered them and while I maintain he's taken a bit of a dip there are some great tracks scattered on these albums. Circus is kind of weak. I do like the sound of the album but many of the songs are somewhat mediocre.

I'm not sure if it's ever going to be released but I am curious to hear Lenny's "funk" album. I guess it's going to be a double album titled Black and White America and it is supposedly due this spring.

Let Love Rule is amazing love it & Mama Said

I personally really love Lenny there are so many fantastic track's like Stillness of Heart, Battlefield of Love, You Where In My heart, Pay To Play, Believe In Me but Baptism was very weak...

Yes Black & White America sounds awesome he has shown a few snid bits on twitter.

Baptism was supposed to be his funk album but he shelved it for a more acoustic feel

I have all of Lenny's albums (CDs), and my favorites are (in no certain order): 5, Let Love Rule, Are You Gonna Go My Way, and Mama Said. I liked "Love Revolution", too. I thought "I'll Be Waiting" would have been a good radio ballad and I liked "Love Love Love", but "Revolution" wasn't pushed heavily in the US. Lenny toured mostly in Europe for it.

I like what I've heard of his new songs. He's been posting clips on YouTube of him working on new tracks in his home studio and there's a newer song, "Come And Get It", he did for an NBA/TBS promo:

I've only owned and listened to the first one.

Nothing since has enticed me to want an album. Just a couple of songs here and there.

A friend once pointed out multiple instances of Lenny borrowing a bit too much from other artists for me to consider him all that original. I still love the cds, but even Prince pointed out that "Again" was a basic copy of "Wherever You Go, Whatever You Do." Of course Prince repaid him with the Rave In2 version of "Man O War," that sounded like "If You Can't Say No."

I think the first four are very good and work really well as albums. The fifth one is more of a mixed bag, although it contains many of my own Kravitz favourites. After that I lost interest in him. I wanted to like the last one, but thought many of the songs were simply bad. His songwriting has just gotten too lazy over the years. He used to do simplistic stuff every now and then, but there's just been too much of it by this point.

Favourite tracks:

Can't Get You Off My Mind

Thinking Of You

Sugar

Sister (first "complex" song I learned to play on the guitar)

I Belong To You

Fields Of Joy

Beyond the 7th Sky

Stillness Of Heart

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

If You Can't Say No

Not in any real order, but I'd say the first one listed is my very favourite by him.

[edit- song title fixed ]

[Edited 1/26/11 1:27am]

I don't have Baptizm and Circus CDs, but IMO the first 3 albums are very good - Mama Said is the best from those. Love revolution and 5 ain't bad either, but the recent one lacks "hit" material.

Let Love Rule Amazing songwriting and raw vocals. Couldn't live without this one...

Mama Said

Are You Gonna Go My Way

Circus

5

Lenny

Baptism

It Is Time For A Love Revolution

stillwaiting said:

A friend once pointed out multiple instances of Lenny borrowing a bit too much from other artists for me to consider him all that original. I still love the cds, but even Prince pointed out that "Again" was a basic copy of "Wherever You Go, Whatever You Do." Of course Prince repaid him with the Rave In2 version of "Man O War," that sounded like "If You Can't Say No."

Oh, I agree that Lenny doesn't have an original thought in his head but it doesn't bother me because in general I quite like his music. Sometimes I might hear something in his music that borrows too heavily from someone else and I find it slightly annoying but those moments are fairly rare.

I'm not sure that I hear any similarities between "Again" and "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do." I would hope that if Lenny was going to "steal" from Prince he would pick a stronger album to "steal" from.

some amazing singles, but his albums are basically full of filler, at least since Are You Gonna Go My Way. For me, his best album is still Mama Said...

rialb said:

I'm not sure that I hear any similarities between "Again" and "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do." I would hope that if Lenny was going to "steal" from Prince he would pick a stronger album to "steal" from.

Yeah, and Beck totally ripped off "Undisputed" for "Nicotine & Gravy" too.

I don't know how Prince even had the guts to make that comment originally. If anything, "Wherever U Go" is "heavily inspired" by "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.

Lenny`s last few albums have been pretty mediocre IMO. He needs 2 release that funk album asasp. However 4 me all is forgiven when I listen 2 `Heaven Help`.

I don't know what it is with Lenny, i really want to like his music, but apart from a few songs, it never hits me.

Bought Let love rule and are you gonne go my way when they came out, but i've given up now.

kookooman73 said:

Lenny`s last few albums have been pretty mediocre IMO. He needs 2 release that funk album asap. However 4 me all is forgiven when I listen 2 `Heaven Help`.

I am crazy about Lenny Kravitz. He may not be THE most original but he's still the real deal.

I LOVE the first 5 albums, start to finish.

The other ones aren't quite all that but are still packed with great songs and a very genuine production style. Can't wait for this next one to come out, especially Super Love. The clip sounds fantastic.

Mutiny said:

Let Love Rule Amazing songwriting and raw vocals. Couldn't live without this one...

Mama Said

Are You Gonna Go My Way

Circus

5

Lenny

Baptism

It Is Time For A Love Revolution

I think you have rated his albums very accurately. Although, I have to say that I feel the same way about Mama Said as you do about Let Love Rule. Both albums are awesome IMO. I really enjoyed his last album too. It was typical Lenny but with a bit more depth to it. He's a great live performer too - not to mention that he's one of the sexist MF's around!!

Empress said:

Mutiny said:

Let Love Rule Amazing songwriting and raw vocals. Couldn't live without this one...

Mama Said

Are You Gonna Go My Way

Circus

5

Lenny

Baptism

It Is Time For A Love Revolution

I think you have rated his albums very accurately.

So, Circus and Baptism are a bunch of poo??

JoeTyler said:

Empress said:

I think you have rated his albums very accurately.

So, Circus and Baptism are a bunch of poo??

Circus is ok, but Baptism is pretty bad.

Empress said:

JoeTyler said:

So, Circus and Baptism are a bunch of poo??

Circus is ok, but Baptism is pretty bad.

I have to concur on that one. I think I could only stand to listen to one or two songs on Baptism and that's it.

Let Love Rule- 5 Stars

Mama Said- 4 & a half

Are You Gonna Go My Way- 4 and a half

circus- 2 and a half

5- 3

Lenny- 3 and a halg

Baptism- 1 and a half

It Is Time For A Love Revolution- 3 and a half

His first three albums are must haves.

Beyond that...

novabrkr said:

rialb said:

I'm not sure that I hear any similarities between "Again" and "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do." I would hope that if Lenny was going to "steal" from Prince he would pick a stronger album to "steal" from.

Yeah, and Beck totally ripped off "Undisputed" for "Nicotine & Gravy" too.

I don't know how Prince even had the guts to make that comment originally. If anything, "Wherever U Go" is "heavily inspired" by "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.

...not to mention "wherever you go whatever you do I will be right here waiting for you..." by Richard Marx.

I do like Lenny, but after all this time it seems pretty clear that he is a singles artist, or, at best, an EP artist. Good songs, but he cannot seem to sustain an entire album and keep me listening.

My favorite album of his, Let Love Rule, starts out really strong (except perhaps for Freedom Train), and by I Build This Garden I am thinking it is actually great, but after Rosemary or Mr Cab Driver the rest of the songs seem unnecessary and separate.

But when I write him off as vapid or lame, he comes out with another great song like Just Can't Get You Off of my Mind. There is no question he is a talented musician and songwriter. I guess maybe the problem with his albums is that they are too much style and not enough purpose.

I didn't know so many people disliked "Circus".

Sure it's his most "difficult" album, but it contains also the most heartfelt stuff he's ever done.

novabrkr said:

I didn't know so many people disliked "Circus".

Sure it's his most "difficult" album, but it contains also the most heartfelt stuff he's ever done.

Hmm, I guess that my take on Circus is that he kind of made the same album three times in a row (Mama Said, Are You Gonna Go My Way, Circus) with diminishing returns each time. There are some great songs on it but I think it was time for him to try something that sounded at least a little bit different (which he did with his next album, 5).

It's not really an ideal comparison but I kind of view Circus as Lenny's Chaos and Disorder. Both albums are kind of slept on and they have poor reputations but if you take the time to listen to them there's some great stuff to find.

JoeTyler said:

Empress said:

I think you have rated his albums very accurately.

So, Circus and Baptism are a bunch of poo??

I quite like "California" and "Flash" from Baptizm but otherwise it's probably his weakest album.

novabrkr said:

I didn't know so many people disliked "Circus".

Sure it's his most "difficult" album, but it contains also the most heartfelt stuff he's ever done.

I don't view it as terrible as others do, but in retrospect Lenny himself said. He was going through his mothers illness & he was angry at the music business at the time and it come's off on record a bit. But i do like Can't Get You Off my Mind, Beyond The 7th Sky, & Rock & Roll is Dead

novabrkr said:

I didn't know so many people disliked "Circus".

Sure it's his most "difficult" album, but it contains also the most heartfelt stuff he's ever done.

I had never thought of it as difficult.

Maybe it did not have an Are You Gonna Go My Way type single, but I think it may be better than that album.

he's so talented

I love the songs from Mama Said

and my favourite album is 5

I love blasting his greatest hits when driving, the first time I got onto the highway alone by mistake, I had lenny playing