I like Kravitz and have some of his albums,so
I think the man deserves a good comeback.
But what really surprised me was how
much airplay he gets in my country!!
On every radio station I know: alternative rock radio,
classic hits channel or commercial pop radio.
He IS everywhere!Of course the single is very
radio-friendly (and NOT his best) but if I
compare this with the airplay Prince got since
his first comeback with Musicology,there is
a big difference.I know some radiosations
really tried when they played Musicology and some(rock station) with
Fury,but when they noticed the singles did nothing they just didn't
try anymore.
Still,P's albums did well on the albums charts,always a number 3 or even
nr 1...but the airplay is terrible.Except 4 the classic hits off course.
I wonder how high Kravitz" album will end.

I guess a good record deal still helps an artist with getting
some attention on television and radio.Just my opinion.
[Edited 2/5/08 2:34am]
[Edited 2/5/08 2:35am]

It's hard for anyone to sell these days. Prince came back largely on the strength of nostalgia. It was the duet with Bey during the Grammys, and to a lesser extent, his showstopping gigs at the RRHOF ceremony, that launched his "comeback." And he was able to bundle his CD with his concert tix to get a No. 1 album, and Billboard changed the rules so Kravitz can't do that now.

Fact of the matter is, Lenny's getting older and pop/rock/soul music is fundamentally a young person's game.

namepeace said:

I know..we all gotta remember that when THEY were first coming out they were the young ones themselves..and the Temptations and Smokey and Diana were tryinna keep up with the times..now its happeneing to them

paisleypark4 said:

However there was room, smokey and diana were all still releasing hits in the 80's, and we forget Lionel Richie was blowing up when he was past 35. Todays market that could never happen, everything is tied into image and age, so things that happend in the 80's like Aretha having top 40 hits and Lionel Richie blowing up, that will never happen again for artists of that age, theres no diversity in music or age anymore.

Kravitz's music doesn't require further listening though. Everything is on the surface so i figure his music is more accessible than Prince's. There is a great review on allmusic.com of his new album and it sums him up perfectly. Lenny Kravitz is a great artist for all those people who have never heard his influences, if you have you realise how empty it all is. It sounds like harsh criticism but everytime i hear Lenny i just think to myself'that sounds like Zeppelin' and right then id want to listen to some Zeppelin. Even though he can really play and has a tight band ultimately its disposable and it sounds good on the radio.

WildheartXXX said:

I heard the new album, and yeah, I hear Zeppelin in there a lot. A LOT. In fact, every song I heard, I was able to pinpoint exactly what other existing song it sounded like. (not just Zeppelin, but other artists/songs too)

That said, from what I heard was pretty decent actually. Better than his last couple of albums that's for sure. I know though that I'll probably listen to the whole album once, maybe twice all the way through and then get bored with it. I get that a lot with music these days I suppose. Nothing really sticks with me.

Is There Any Love In Your Heart? was his best Zeppelin 'influenced' song. Yeah Lenny will borrow sections of Zep songs...he will steal a breakdown from one song and a solo from another. I don't hate him but its just superficial to me. I mean the guy is eight albums into his career and his first two albums are the only ones that showed any depth at all.

WildheartXXX said:

Yeah, there's some song of his that I keep hearing recently (is it a new one? I don't know) and the lyrics go something like:

whenever you need me...I'll be there
whenever you want me...I'll be there

and blahblahblah and so-on and so-on I actually burst out laughing when I heard it because first of all, how many times have those lines been used in songs already? and secondly, damn, well that's just being lazy! That shit was the most uninspired writing I've heard in a long time. Come on Lenny you can do a little bit better than that!

Laziness.

minneapolisgenius said:

The Spinners should have sued him.

My biggest knock on Lenny, as much as I like him personally, has been his writing. It's not really that great overall. Now he's written some pretty good songs, "If You Can't Say No" and "Always On The Run" among them. He can lay down a nice groove. But as a writer, IMHO, he's hit and miss.
[Edited 2/5/08 20:07pm]

lastdecember said:

New Jack Swing destroyed that legacy forever. I love New Jack but it made a huge backlash for the near future

minneapolisgenius said:

I doubt it....

I like Lenny, but he is so busy chasing a hit that his music's quality has dropped and many of his songs sound the same

WildheartXXX said:

I don't know enough about Zeppelin 2compare.
I do know that on his album"5" there wre some funk influences/sounds
from funk pioneers...so I liked the album.
But I guess some of U are right 2 say Lenny's music has become
very accessible,Again is a good example.

However,he made some classic songs in his career:
Are you gonna go,It ain't over,Heaven help,Let love rule

I agree w whoever said his 1st two albums were his best (or the only good ones?). He toured Oz with his third album - I went to see him and got put off completely. It was so uninspiring - musically in particlular.

With all the Lenny bashing I still dig him. But I do agree with alot of the points people have made around here. I mean it's not rocket science, it's just music and it is mostly fun and enjoyable. Memorable? Mostly not, I guess.
So far I like the new album more than the last two for sure but as I've stated before I don't think he'll ever reach the heights musically of his first few albums. Although, Circus and 5 had some great stuff on it.
I guess I'm glad he's still out there doing it and promoting the old school approach to music. I.E. playing.writing,producing,performing your own stuff. However derivative.

Bfunkthe1 said:

True!! In a recent interview he talks about his jams with Prince...
"2 real musicians"....that's no lie.