i bought this cd years ago and i listened to it like once or twice. i pulled it out the other day and finally i'm listening to it now and it's bloody great!

what the heck happened to Lenny?! he went worse that Prince did!

yes it is!

my fave song....um....

My Precious Love?
I Build This Garden For Us?
Does Anybody Out there Even Care?

Lenny go worse than Prince? Not a chance. Prince gave up on melody, plain and simple. Prince bores the shit out of me with his mega-gloss, no-soul "joints"

Lenny on the other hand still rocks me

Rudy said:

i love that song.i liked the version he did for storytellers back in 99 or 2000?

Christopher said:

Cheek said:

Christopher said:

I taped that. It was great.
Lenny's first album is cool, especially when you think about the music scene of 1989. He stood out like a nun in a whorehouse. There's some good melody in there and the songs were sang with lots of feeling.

Rudy said:

Uh....yeah....I'm gonna have toooo.....disagree with ya there.....

TRC and Musicology both have their fair share of memorable melodies in my opinion. I actually think Lenny lost some of his melodic appeal after 5.

Let Love Rule is a great cd, but Mama Said is even better!

Mama Said - his masterpiece!

Lenny is one hell of a producer, I think possibly his greatest talent. He should get some sort of Lifetime Achievement Award for his recordings alone - I don't think anyone touches him in that area. Prince would be so wise to let Lenny be the ears for a record, but of course he wouldn't. And for the sake of Lenny's music I hope he stays the hell away from Prince's poison thoughts anyway

But I will agree with you Odyssey, after 5 the Kravitz thing has been a little strained. I curse the almighty Robert Plant for telling Lenny to "lighten up, man" - unfortunately I think he did a little, and it shows.

What sunk Baptism for me is the waterlogged slow songs, and the lack of drum variety. Same setup, same snare - every song...yawn

But I still have total faith and can't wait for what's next

I think Let Love Rule is his best record I've heard (Haven't heard the last 2)

When I was in college I had four roomates. One was into the cd and listened to it endlessly. Then I borrowed it and listened to it nonstop. By the time the fifth guy had it it was like a joke and the rest of us were so sick of it we could die.

Great cd though!

OdysseyMiles said:

I didn't like any of the singles off of Let Love Rule. The only album of his I fully enjoy is Are You Gonna Go My Way.

You are right, Mama Said is his best album, even though I will say, his song Sugar is his best song.

Lenny's new music is just awful. Prince's new crap even sounds better than that glop.

Let love rule ...and
Mama said ...were the best stuff he ever did...

2freaky4church1 said:

I can listen to a loop of Black Girl, My Love, and Sugar over and over for a couple hours. Just love those songs.

'Sister' puts a kink in the machine for me though. A little overreaching and a tad melodramatic

Even the worst of Baptism, the unholy "rap" collaboration with Jay Z, can't even remember what it's called, even this song is better to me than what I heard from Musicology. Damn I wish Prince would get his shit checked. But then, I gave up on caring about what he does, shortly after his awesome comeback album Rainbow Children

Make that Rave Un2 the Ridiculous Title NotFantastic

2freaky4church1 said:

I cannot believe I'm agreeing with 2freaky about something.
"Sugar" is one of my favs.

Hmm...

I agree with the notion that Kravitz is a wonderfully talented producer as opposed to songwriter or musician.

I also agree with Mama Said being his best album, sonically and musically. His sense of melody is strongest here, the lyrics (his worst forte) more earnest due to the divorce, and there was a distinct variety of sounds found on the album as well; it sounded like Kravitz was shooting for the moon.

And yep, Kravitz fell off when he recorded 5, which I found to be atrocious. But I feel the best song he's ever written is either "Believe" or believe it or not, "Again."

DorothyParkerWasCool said:

you two...help me out here..which melodies would you consider memorable off of musicology? and im asking cause im gonna pull out the disc and listen to your recommendations.

PS:

I hate when critics bash Kravitz for being "retro" and lambast him for wearing his influences on his sleeve.

Like he's the only one? When Beck wears his influences, critics use the word "pastiche." Gimme a break...

It's as if the music press does not want a black man to play rock while he's got a guitar strapped on.

chuckaducci said:

thats not it..when beck does it the songs sound unique. he puts his own spin. when lenny does it the songs make you think you've heard em before. just better.

sosgemini said:

For starters:

What Do You Want Me To Do?
On The Couch
Dear Mr. Man
Reflection

Some of these arrangements are very simple, but that's part of what makes them memorable.
(melodies tend to stay with me anyway, so hell, maybe it's just me )

OdysseyMiles said:

sosgemini said:

Wrong. Odelay is drawn largely from Beck's infatuation with blues, country, rock n roll, and hip hop. All of his influences are plain to see. Sea Changes sounded like a 70's singer/songwriter album with Radiohead flourishes and Midnight Vultures, he's totally copping our main man Prince.

When I hear Beck, I think to myself, as I do with Kravitz, "I can't place it exactly, but I've heard that before!"

Kravitz gets slammed by the critics, Beck Hansen's a critic darling. It may be far-fectched but I wouldn't be surprised if the source of Kravitz's criticisms were steeped in a subtle racist frame of mind.

OdysseyMiles said:

Totally agree! As much as I loved 5, I've been incredibly dissapointed in the follow-up albums. Lenny sounded like outtakes from 5, and the most recent disc is instantly forgettable.

Lenny could still turn out a good disc, if he'd just quite trying to write hits. His earlier tunes worked because he didn't give a crap if it was "retro" or whatever.

chuckaducci said:

totally disagree..but to each his own.

totally.

sosgemini said:

You made another note for that!!!

Disagree with what?

My thoughts on racist critics concerning the music of Kravitz or the notion that Beck is just as guilty (if that) at wearing his influences on his sleeve as Kravitz is?

let love rule is a classic, i even love "empty hands"...

mama said is a passionate love letter.

areyougonnagomyway is a great album, especially the vinyl version with the cd of the 8 bonus tracks (if you're not feeling "sister", check the live version on this)

circus is TERRIFIC, probably the closest to the sound of his first album.

all four albums, classics, but i lost interest after 5.