To me Lenny stopped being funky right after Circus. But I can't point my finger on the real culprit. No more Henry Hirsch (but Love Revolution still sucks)? Protools? Age? His hair?

I'm still waiting for his unreleased "Funk" album to see the light of the day though.

[Edited 1/27/15 8:51am]

[Edited 1/27/15 22:57pm]

Strut made the top lp list right next to AOA ..and it Sucked.

This is my easily in the minority opinion...but he has always struck me as the most unoriginal rock star ever.

I have never been able to get into him or his music....he's a flatline for me. zzzzzzzzz.

Has he ever been funky? I don't think so ....

When has Lenny Kravitz ever been funky?

testing

..What's up orgers?..Missed y'all and Happy (belated) New Year.

I think Lenny wears his influences on his sleeves. Too many to name but we all know who they are.

Ive been waiting on that "funk" CD since 1995 but I don't think it's ever gonna come out...... I think some of his tracks like "Mama Said", "SuperSoulFighter", "TunnelVision", "Straight Cold Playa" and "Live" are cool.

It would be cool to see him work with some new producers and have his band play with him on the whole CD. George Clinton (in his new book) said ;"Just because you can play all of the instruments doesn't mean you should".

..I think Lenny should take that advice.

terrig said:

This is my easily in the minority opinion...but he has always struck me as the most unoriginal rock star ever.

I have never been able to get into him or his music....he's a flatline for me. zzzzzzzzz.

Has he ever been funky? I don't think so ....

I've always thought that he "playing" at being a rock star...

Black & White America was by his funkiest. But i never thought of Lenny as funky really. Let Love Rule was 70's rock hybrid tracks. Mama Said was heavy rock with some motown influences. AYGGMW was Hendrix, Mayfield, and Princeesque ballads. Circus was a mix of stuff. But mainly the same rock style.

5 was his most poppy... yet one of his most diverse. Live Your Life is funky as hell! Black Velveteen has some electro funk to it. Then he went back to 70's inspired rock for 3 albums. Black & White America was my shit though funky and his most soulful.

nuttynutmeg said:

Yeah Lenny seems to be hot and cold on the Org. There's some that say he's the greatest thing since sliced bread.... and then there's some that say he's equal to newspaper on the bottom of a birdcage.

I stopped listening to him after "5". A lot of his songs just started to sound bland and generic after that record.

..I shouldn't say "listening"..I stopped purchasing his music.

Lenny is very hit and miss with me. The only albums I like all the way through are 'Let Love Rule' (I love 'Mr Cab Driver'!), 'Mama Said', and 'Lenny'. Like people have said, he's not the most original artist.

I Love Let Love Rule & Mama Said.

Lenny has had his funky moments.. particularly Live.

The end of always on the run where he says 'ok mama hold on'

& the horns come in is pretty badass!.

Ego101 said:

I Love Let Love Rule & Mama Said.

Lenny has had his funky moments.. particularly Live.

The end of always on the run where he says 'ok mama hold on'

& the horns come in is pretty badass!.

That's definitely one of his funkiest moments.

Yes!

nuttynutmeg said:

Ego101 said:

I Love Let Love Rule & Mama Said.

Lenny has had his funky moments.. particularly Live.

The end of always on the run where he says 'ok mama hold on'

& the horns come in is pretty badass!.

That's definitely one of his funkiest moments.

25 years ago when he first came out, he was actually refreshing. He used organic instruments as opposed to the synthesized stuff that everyone else in the industry was using at the time. His message was simple, but it worked. Now, it is like he is a throwback act that has lasted longer than the era he was throwing back to.

There's too much dismissiveness on this site these days. People are acting here like a bunch of teenagers that think they can make blanket statements just because they've seen a few videos. Lenny's definitely a "hit'n'miss" artist for me too, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be able to appreciate those pieces of music by him that I think are "hit".

I believe "Black And White America" started as his "funk album", but he ended up turning it more of a Rock record in the end anyway. Probably ended up selling a few more copies that way. There are several funky and soulful cuts there that remind of, say, Curtis Mayfield though.

In any case, when Lenny does funk he does funk rock. He has had his own take on the style and when he does it I don't consider him "unoriginal". That type of cuts have become rarer after Circus, but I still think his approach was in far better taste than what his contemporaries like RHCP or Primus were doing in the 1990s. You know, the type of music that appealed to fratboys, skateboarders, or whatever.

Those guitars and the Moog synth line totally kick ass. What was Prince doing "funkwise" at the time? "I Rock Therefore I Am"?

I think his latest album is excellent, and like all his others, never overtly funky.

He's outsold both of Prince's albums too.

terrig said:

This is my easily in the minority opinion...but he has always struck me as the most unoriginal rock star ever.

I have never been able to get into him or his music....he's a flatline for me. zzzzzzzzz.

Has he ever been funky? I don't think so ....

Yep.

Lenny and Steve Miller shoiuld work together.

novabrkr said:

There's too much dismissiveness on this site these days. People are acting here like a bunch of teenagers that think they can make blanket statements just because they've seen a few videos. Lenny's definitely a "hit'n'miss" artist for me too, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be able to appreciate those pieces of music by him that I think are "hit".

I believe "Black And White America" started as his "funk album", but he ended up turning it more of a Rock record in the end anyway. Probably ended up selling a few more copies that way. There are several funky and soulful cuts there that remind of, say, Curtis Mayfield though.

In any case, when Lenny does funk he does funk rock. He has had his own take on the style and when he does it I don't consider him "unoriginal". That type of cuts have become rarer after Circus, but I still think his approach was in far better taste than what his contemporaries like RHCP or Primus were doing in the 1990s. You know, the type of music that appealed to fratboys, skateboarders, or whatever.

Those guitars and the Moog synth line totally kick ass. What was Prince doing "funkwise" at the time? "I Rock Therefore I Am"?

I love when someone says exactly what I was thinking, so I don't feel obligated to.... For me, Lenny is much more "hit" than "miss", but I can understand a lot of people's issues with some of his more recent work (doesn't just about every artist with a long career get the same criticism).

bashraka said:

When has Lenny Kravitz ever been funky?

That's probably a question for Lisa Bonet.

chocolate1 said:

terrig said:

This is my easily in the minority opinion...but he has always struck me as the most unoriginal rock star ever.

I have never been able to get into him or his music....he's a flatline for me. zzzzzzzzz.

Has he ever been funky? I don't think so ....

I've always thought that he "playing" at being a rock star...

OMG me too, its like he's an actor in a role ....like he's trying too hard or something....

Gunsnhalen said:

Black & White America was by his funkiest. But i never thought of Lenny as funky really. Let Love Rule was 70's rock hybrid tracks. Mama Said was heavy rock with some motown influences. AYGGMW was Hendrix, Mayfield, and Princeesque ballads. Circus was a mix of stuff. But mainly the same rock style.

5 was his most poppy... yet one of his most diverse. Live Your Life is funky as hell! Black Velveteen has some electro funk to it. Then he went back to 70's inspired rock for 3 albums. Black & White America was my shit though funky and his most soulful.

A) Follow his drumming the whole way through on Stop Draggin' Around (Mama Said) and tell me Lenny can't bring the funk.

B) Always makes me chuckle when fools try to say Kravitz isn't a major talant or that he's playing rock star. Go write a song like It Ain't Over 'Til it's Over, I Belong To You, or Fly Away and then get back to me.

I've purchased every album and been to at least 6 of his shows...but if I'm being honest, he never topped "Let Love Rule" and "Mama Said" IMHO. As for funk, no not really, but he's had his moments.

Even tho'its kinda easy to dismiss Lenny as poser..he DOES get down when he wants to!

Lenny on Bass.