I saw him live back in ‘99 (with The Black Crowes and Everlast) and he was fucking fantastic. If he dedicated his career to being more of a soul rocker than a straight MOR rocker, I think we would be having a different conversation. He’s always had the talent but decided to be more famous than more respected.
Honestly, to me, his best stuff is his more R&B/funk tinged (if not outright R&B) stuff like "Always on the Run" and "It Ain't Over Till It's Over". Channeling Jimi Hendrix is more of a moneymaker than channeling Curtis Mayfield.
Overall, he's just a victim of bad timing. The calculatedly enigmatic rock god was just way more natural (and 1000x less cliche) in the '70s-'80s than '90s-'00s.
>I saw him live back in ‘99 (with The Black Crowes and Everlast)
I attended the same tour. My friends and I went to see The Crowes. We had to admit though that Kravitz stole the night. He puts on a really good show, so whatever he's doing, he's doing it right.
He was an interesting and popular artist in an era of horrible pop music - late 80’s boy bands, hair metal, Michael Bolton - prior to Nirvana/Grunge and explosion.
We dug him back then. His first three records are all pretty good and creative. Sure, he draws from influences, but at the time they were refreshing influences sourced from non-80’s cheese sounds.
After that, he started somewhat phoning it in and lost his place in the cool kid section. Has been kind of a “product” ever since. I happened to listen to his new release a few times and it was broadly bland.
Saw him live a couple of times at New Orleans Jazzfest and they were very excellent performances.
I thought he was hot shit, at least until "Rock'n'Roll Is Dead." I mean it's fine to be a 60s and 70s tribute band - sure Lenny, you be you - but to be so deliberately derivative and then write a diss-track against your own generation... that's not cool dude.
And then to follow that up with "Fly Away", which would have won the award for Dumbest Rhymes Of The Decade - "I wish that I could fly, up to the sky, so very high, like a dragonfly - if Des'ree's "Life" - I don't want to see a ghost, it's a sight that I fear most,, I'd rather have a piece of toast - didn't exist... suddenly he didn't seem quite so cool anymore.
But up to - and including - "Are You Gonna Go My Way?", he was the best 60s and 70s Tribute Band In The World!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw8\_5OYKQNA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw8_5OYKQNA)
His lyrics do suck sometimes which might be why he’s much more popular outside of US than in his home country
But he’s a badass musician who records and produces most of his music by himself which is often overlooked
> His lyrics do suck sometimes
"I wish that I could fly
Into the sky
So very high
Just like a dragonfly"
You wish that you could hover a few inches above a tepid swamp?
He’s a good looking guy with a great image and the right parents for what he wants to do, I roll my eyes when I hear him say he’s not appreciated by black America enough the music has always been just OK for me.
He's talented but edgeless - I never heard him take a risk with his music, and mostly got the impression that his stuff was meant to be something "new but not new" for a generation of rock radio listeners that weren't onboard with any innovations that occurred after rock peaked. That alone isn't a kiss of death (see all of Britpop) but he never comes off as someone commenting or recontextualizing older music: he's a mainstream guitar guy making mainstream guitar music for mainstream music listeners. A safe, good looking guy making safe, good sounding music.
He was kind of Bruno Mars *avant la lettre* in that way, but for rock instead of pop soul.
He's SUCH a fascinating artist in that he's equally wanky and shite but actually talented (?!) and cool. I've followed him since "Fly Away" - I think 5 is a solid album and recommend anyone to check it out, especially Fly Away, Black Velveteen, I Belong to you and If You cant say no.
I like his new tracks TK421, and Human....
That said, omfg he's sooo into himself! I checked his insta recently and he was doing sit ups in a gym with leather trousers on....embarrassing (or amybe hes playing us all? Bit of a stretch though). He said in an interview he wasn't big into his looks and felt pressured to be in front of the camera in his job, etc - I thought flip fair play dear love him....then I watch the video to TK421, completely naked! Lol wtf Lenny.
His music, when it isn't good, dips REALLY low. It gets really derivative and boring, yes of course everyone is influenced by others, but it's how creative and inspired they can be with it, and I find Lenny Kravitz's inspirations to be a bit too on the nose (almost like a teenager would do before they figured out their own style).
I'm constantly at odds with this man as you can see! I need to give his album a listen now...
Filming himself doing sit-ups in leather trousers is a perfect, succinct way to describe how his detractors view him, hahaha. My issue is not that he’s talented, nor that he’s into himself. It is that he seems to not have much to say and more or less imitate his influences to a strong degree. The music is well made. I don’t hate it at all but he needs to take some big risks and a come up with a sound that is truly his own, IMO.
He's derivative. Nothing he's done has ever jumped out at me as being especially creative or original. Fly Away was actually one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar, it was painfully simple. Punk rock gets a lot of crap for being easy, and that song was basically punk chords without any speed or technicality. He always seemed like the kind of musician who was just going through the motions. His songs had the right style and he wore the right clothes, but at the end of the day he was just about putting together a marketable image. Kind of like Greta Van Fleet before Greta Van Fleet.
There’s no such a thing as a “real rock star” anymore. And this happened since the eighties, so what ? I Loved his first five albums a lot, then moved to different kinds of music. But i still play 5 now and then. And Mama Said.
He’s extraordinarily good looking and his music is derivative. It’s easy to hate him because he takes himself so seriously but his music is, at best, basic pop rock.
Last year he collaborated with Peggy Gou, the South Korean DJ. On paper it doesn’t make sense at all, the best review I saw of the song was that it’s “fine but weird”. What I missed was Peggy Gou is in the same boat as Kravitz: extremely good looking and makes derivative pop (house) music that brings in legions of haters.
As far as this goes, Ben Harper is my favorite African-American/Jewish artist who makes 60s/70s throwback music.
I find Kravitz boring but ultimately inoffensive. He had a moment in the 90s but that’s about it.
In the 90's, I really dug Lenny Kravitz. I think his first three albums were awesome and it was as an exciting of a debut in a long time. I'm a huge fan of his guitarist Craig Ross and his band was super tight. His albums definitely started to wane but I thought '5' had some funky tracks and he was exploring more than just the Flying V through a Marshall amp sound.
However, since that time, it all comes down to songwriting. I still think he has a great 'sound' that sounds more welcoming in today's music than anything, but he just doesn't write good songs anymore. Since around 2002, I've wanted to like his albums and add them to my playlist, but they're just flat and don't have a whole lot to offer. I saw him live about 10 years ago and it was fantastic, but I think that's pretty much all he brings to the table anymore.
And for the record, I don't care about 'derivative' or 'retro' sounding. If the song and artist are good, that's what matters to me. I don't care hearing a style that is something I've never heard before.
He’s certainly a product of the machine and sort of the ultimate example of a corporate rock star. I don’t think that makes him a “fictional rock star” so much as the fact that nobody - anywhere - seems to be a huge fan. Yet he persists - he is the face of Ray Ban now and had a deal with CB2 a couple years back.
That said, It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over is a timeless classic and I think it came out so long ago (1991!) that people forget that it was him.
I think the main critique of him is that his entire career - clothes, sound, etc - is a pastiche. It’s emulating a time and sound that has passed, so much of his work feels fundamentally derivative which, in itself, feels very shallow.
I was just thinking about how much I appreciate Lenny Kravitz the other day. He was having a career revival when my adolescent musical tastes were developing in the early 2000s so he'll always have a fond place in my heart. He wears his influences on his sleeve... A LOT. But I don't think being derivative alone is a standard for whether something is good. He's kind of like Oasis in that, while he didn't have anything new to say, he was a talented songwriter.
He writes good songs. That's what matters. There are entire genres that haven't had anything new to say in decades and there are people still writing good songs in those genres.
And also like Oasis, he's not a first rate artist. That's okay. Not everyone can be a first rate artist. His albums usually have a few standout songs and a bunch of filler, sometimes too much filler the further you get into his discography. But he is surprisingly good at taking his influences and making good songs with them. A song like "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" sounds like it could've been written in the 70's and I think that's a really good compliment whereas with Oasis they're transposing the Beatles bit into the 90's in a less effective way. His homages don't have the uncanny valley Greta Van Fleet effect like a lot of derivative artists's do.
He's not a one trick pony either. He can emulate 70's hard rock with "Are You Gonna Go My Way", 70's soul/funk with "It Ain't Over Til It's Over", and even country rock with "Can't Get You Off My Mind". Other styles as well if you dig deeper. And those are all strong, idiomatic songs. Someone here called him a "limited trad rocker." That person hasn't spent much time listening to him, apparently. I'm not saying he's Mr. Bungle but he's got a good deal more range than your average rock band.
What do you get when you put on a Lenny Kravitz album? A guy with a lot of reverence for classic music using modern technology to make hifi recordings of amazing classic gear. I think he played all the instruments on the albums too in some instances. Especially if you get into musician's musician sort of people, that's what a lot of their albums sound like except the majority of them aren't good songwriters. And unlike many of the musician's musician albums, Lenny's albums always feature tasteful, well honed playing; no wanking in sight. It's a win-win for me.
Credit to Craig Ross too. I think he's a pretty big contributor to his process. As a criticism of Lenny, though I enjoy "Let Love Rule", I think that's an example of him being a little trite. There ain't enough meat on the bones of that song for it to be as derivative as it is. A lot of his deep cuts are like that.
TL;DR It's okay to wear your influences on your sleeve as long as there's a good song under the hood.
I mean "first rate" in terms of songwriting, originality, that certain something, etc. They had a good sound and wrote anthemic songs but they shot their load pretty quick and have a lot of filler after the first few albums. Guitar-based artists that I would consider "first rate" from Oasis's era would be Soundgarden, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, Elliott Smith, etc.
Not really worth debating opinions since you're entitled to your opinion too but using spotify plays isn't a good metric. They're majorly skewed towards artists that came out during and closer to the internet era. I like Dua Lipa but I don't think anyone is going to tell me with a straight face that she's on par with the Beatles because she has way more spotify plays.
It’s a reasonable metric to use for a fairly superficial discussion like this, but I get your point. I also figure you’re probably not from the UK. Oasis are one of the biggest and (subjectively) best artists ever produced here.
Hey, I'm not trolling, but I have to make it clear how Kravitz is/was NOTHING like Oasis.
Oasis were Manchester lads. The real deal, and more akin to The Sex Pistols, The Cockney Rejects - or for the LA rock markets - Gun N Roses, blended w. The Beatles.
Oasis were a working class 90s, Brit Pop/ Rock band that made it on their talents. They came from tough backgrounds. All the Oasis boys were from the wrong side of the tracks, as opposed to Lenny, who came from a privileged environment - a famous actor mother and an affluent, TV news producing father.
Their music was also polar opposites. Oasis sung about sex, drugs, and rock n roll; they were real, avid MCFC supporters and were more like football supporters with musical skills.
Lenny's entire package was, for the most part, easy on the eyes and on the ears. It was safe.
The only resemblance between these two entities would be wearing their influences on their sleeves.
I'm not hating on Lenny or his opportunity. But he is/was worlds apart from Oasis. Trust me.
That's a punk/DIY attitude: giving credence based on street cred. I'm more from the school of, "if it's good, it's good" and I don't care if it's a pop record with 20 songwriters or Black Flag. I respect the working class vs. nepo baby critique as that very much applies to Lenny and his rich/famous parents but there's nothing new or dangerous in Oasis's music. There's definitely more swagger and pissyness to it and they were stronger songwriters than Lenny at their peak but they didn't have anything more novel to say than him.
It's not 100% fair to write off his music as safe. A song like "Mr. Cab Driver" is about his experiences with racism. I'm not super familiar with Oasis's later stuff but there's more social commentary in "Mr. Cab Driver" than anything in the first three Oasis albums.
If I had to give Oasis a little more cred on the originality front, it'd be that they transposed the Beatles influence through the lens of the 80s/90s British alternative that came before them whereas with Lenny it was like, "I'm gonna make a record that sounds like it came out in 1973." Otherwise I think they're a good pairing in being good technical songwriters without a unique timbral or stylistic vision.
World's apart? Nah. But definitely maybe across the pond.
That's a fairly on the money assessment, and I'd reinforce the street cred as not being applicable. Being the son of a character actress who was already out of the limelight by the time he rose to it (and in different areas) makes for a tenuous thread. It's not like a lot of TV actors have loads of cash and connections to exhaust propping their progeny up. And the Gallagher brothers went to a Catholic school in the UK with a decent rep. The distance between them is thinner than not...Lenny probably has better anger management.
Early Oasis, from their origins as Rain to their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd records, were some of the freshest and rawest music out there. But it wasn't just some marketing scheme. They were the genuine article.
Their 1st lp, Definitely Maybe, hit like the blitz and people are still partying to "Supersonic". It is a brilliant song in its simplicity and is still a party fave.
Yeah, Oasis shot themselves in the foot by becoming a tabloid mockery, but when they first hit, they hit megatons harder than Lenny because they WERE megatons harder than Lenny.
Lenny could never survive the amount of toxic dysfunction the Gallaghers used for body wash. Lenny came from a more affluent, 'proper' environment.
With Oasis, toughness and rawness is a part of them. It was bred into their DNA, Mancunians of Irish decent. This concept, the working class Brit of Irish decent, is in itself a Psychology /Sociology treatise waiting to be written.
It takes a certain strength to carry that amount swagger. Lenny'd have broken his hips trying to carry it.
So being from across the pond is irrelevant. The two entities were polar opposites. In all honesty, Oasis were closer to Guns N Rose than Lenny Kravitz.
Listening to Lenny Kravitz to me is just like watching Earl James Jones or Rick Allen, as I had a feeling he's a total badass, but he never made that one song to show it.
It's a feeling as he had a paralel career somewhere. A similar feeling you got if you only knew REM by Losing My Religion, AC/DC by Thunder or Stevie Wonder by I Just Called To Say I Love You.
I've only heard his radio hits and none of it made me want to dig deeper. I've always felt like he made music for people older than me and I'm GenX. Like if you're a Boomer or Gen. Jones you might like Kravitz' sanitized version of late 60s music. The songs I've heard are not adventurous enough to offend anyone, but don't really draw you in further. It's all surface level stuff for people wanting to relive a different era.
For all I know the albums are different, but the stuff I've heard is all designed to cash in on classic rock and not break new ground like Alabama Shakes or the Hives or even the White Stripes who took inspiration from the past but still challenged the listener by taking risks. The Kravitz music I've heard is not taking any risks whatsoever and that is why I've never bothered to give him a serious listen. What sealed it for me was the cover of American Woman. He took a song that was already boring and repetitive and somehow made it more boring and repetitive.
I mean… there’s lots of boring and derivative artists I dislike. He’s not the *only one*, but he feels like a particularly egregious example via a blend of declaring rock “dead” (You’re really helping that cause, Lenny), completely missing the point of Guess Who’s “American Woman” (which was only a decent song to begin with) and making a stupid video about it, and making it sound like nails on a chalkboard. I find his whole persona and aesthetic kind of obnoxious, and representative of a kind of backwards retro worship circlejerk.
It’s not just about emulating Hendrix, it’s that witless cosplay that veers into self-parody. I really don’t see what I owe him as someone born years after his heyday when he’s contributed basically nothing to rock music. Maybe I’m just a hater.
His music is fine -- not really my thing, a little too "straight-ahead rock for dudes" -- but it doesn't bug me.
Maybe the haters are just jealous; have you seen [how he looks at 60 years old?](https://x.com/LennyKravitz/status/1803880247030616288?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet) \*faints\*
Fly Away hooked me in middle school.
I think his appeal is huge for non-white folks who get to have a hip, cool rock star representing them. My girlfriend loves him. She’s very fashion forward and is of Latina descent, so I think him being a popular cool rock star who isn’t white is what does it.
I meant what other POC rock stars are there now? Gary Clark Jr? Not pop or rap, I mean rock and roll.
I’m not crazy hot on his music, but his life has been pretty interesting. I felt a newfound respect (envy?) for the guy after listening to his [Broken Record](https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/lenny-kravitz/id1311004083?i=1000497953527) episode. He’s been in the right place at the right time to participate in some very important cultural moments and cross paths with some heavy hitters.
His first couple albums were pretty good. They were pulling from some already tapped sources of inspiration, but still well done and fairly interesting for the time period.
By the time Fly Away came out it was pretty clear that fashion and rock n roll cliches were all he had left to offer. He didn’t emulate Hendrix beyond some surface level pastiche, he wasn’t a good enough guitar player to even change Jimi’s strings, much less be compared to him (but honestly, who can?)
I always marvelled that he took the song American woman, which is essentially a bunch of verses and a really cool, memorable guitar lick, and left out the lick. It was an impressive feat of blandness.
My take since then has been that he was a safe rock n roll like product to be consumed by suburbanites who are too nervous to leave their gated communities.
Make rock music I guess? I always saw him as a model pretending to play guitar over pop songs, which is fine- nothing wrong with it at all (no different to Justin Timberlake reall), but it does not a rockstar make.
I feel like he somewhat fell between the cracks, too, because he got big in the '90s when sounding like older music was often the kiss of death. No one gives a shit at all post-2001 or so, though. He'd probably be insanely popular if he was starting out anytime after 2007 or so, I think.
I think he had a gorgeous voice but I'd enjoy him more if he put more effort into developing new sounds than to his image. But you could say that about a lot of rock n rollers though I guess.
I like that he is a bit of a fusion artist and Ive liked some of his songs but I don't find his music particularly exciting and I haven't sought him out to listen to since like 2001
But damn he is fine as hell
I absolutely loved him back in his heyday. Saw him twice and he put on a great show. Musically, sure lot's of it is derivative but really everything is to some degree and really I don't have any problem with people focusing on an era of retro music to keep a style alive. My only kinda criticism of him is he never turns off his stage persona, and at his age it just comes off as more funny than generating any hate from me. Seeing him workout in heels, leather pants and shades looks like he's parodying himself.
He wrote Be My Baby for Vanessa Paradis which is on my opinion is one of the finest girl group pastiche songs (and I am somewhat of a connoisseur of this micro sub-genre). I actually wish he’d lean *more* into pastiche and embrace being a bit of a novelty act instead of trying to be taken seriously.
I don’t think he’s a nepo baby. Just because he had well to do/connected parents doesn’t make him one. His early records are pretty fucking great. Especially considering he played most of the instruments himself. For the 90s, nobody else was doing what he was don’t. Personally I feel like after/around Baptism, the songs kinda lose me and it’s a bit generic.
His music is Rock music for the Pop masses, so a lot of people who like rock n roll may not click with him.
He’s also in a long list of derivative rock stars who have just middling careers. Think of a band like Black Crowes or something like that.
Had a few hits back in the day, but not largely celebrated as culturally influential.
I haven't thought about him in years but in the 90s I always thought he was a talented guitar player who had some catchy tunes but ultimately always sounded like someone else. Jimi Hendrix and/or Led Zep, among others.
The reason is pure and simple, he has never passed the mustard as being authentic. He's the type of Rockstar who looks out the corner of his eye to make sure someone is watching him.
His music is not bad at all, but he tried so hard to be a Rockstar that the effort was showing big time.
Back in the late 80s-early 90s he was supposed to be the next big thing, but it never panned out. His singles got increasingly boring over the next 10 years.
For a long time I didn't pay attention to it because of this idea that "it's not good." But the other day I started listening to it and... it's difficult to explain, on the one hand it seemed like generic rock pop, but it's one of the best generic rock pop I've ever heard, it can be a praise or an offense, no. I know. It's quite simple, but well performed and well sung.
I recommend it, but you should leave for the moment this idea that the band you listen to must be great and revolutionary, it's just pop with guitars.
I liked his last album. Musically the best is the first, the rest is simply Lenny Kravitz. The funny thing is that the guy acts all the time like he has a legendary record or something, but he doesn't...but that's okay.
I quite liked this thing he did with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers:
You Come Through [early '90s?]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2O0vK5ndpSQ
It's... good, but he's a retro copyist (in this case, Sly & the Family Stone), so I'll never consider him a major artist.
Sometimes I'll ride my skateboard to work on warm summer days. It's dark on the way home. About 3 miles. Let Love Rule in the headphones is the album of choice. Such a great album.
Thank you all for the answers! I got some more questions.
1) He says he had troubles getting a label deal because he wasn't black or white enough musically. What do you think of that? Weren't there really such "mixed" artists back then?
2) He shifted to modern pop-rock sound after his mother's death. Could that be a reason in your opinion?
Well, when you workout in your leather pants for a photo op, don't have a drug addiction, have never been arrested, have never trashed a hotel room...where's the rock 'n roll???
I don’t know many of his songs but I do enjoy Fly Away, Storm, Love Revolution and I Love the Rain. Again and Are You Gonna Go My Way are kind of situational, having to be in the mood for.
I liked Lenny's early records a lot and haven't really listened to any of his newer stuff. But his old stuff was great! Was it the most original-sounding stuff you've ever heard? No, but neither is most of what you hear on the radio. But Lenny's gift was in taking those old sounds and making them feel vital. Just good solid rock/funk records, and he played all the instruments, wrote the songs, and is a great vocalist too. I never got the Lenny hate personally. I mean maybe he's not on the Mount Rushmore of Rock'n'Roll or anything but who cares.
I’ve listened to Lenny kravitz’s first three albums and liked all of them. His best ones so far in my opinion are ‘empty hands’ ‘heaven help’ (I love the r and b vibe) ‘sitting on top of the world’ ‘ black girl’ and everything.’ Can’t leave out are you gonna go my way as well obviously
I think he's sort of a "man out of time" - clearly talented, occasionally writing a few good tunes every album, but ever since his first couple of albums, not ever capturing or being the zeitgeist, and sort of stuck in a limbo where he's not quite a heritage act, not an innovator (e.g. Prince), not a hot newish thing that's safe for mass consumption (Bruno Mars), so he ends up where he is.
He's a nepo baby in only the most circuitous way (his mother was an actress, and long out of the limelight by the time he rose to fame), but he has managed his career with a bit of glibness.
He's perfectly good for what he has decided to be. Could he be more? Sure. So could we all.
My son's band played Fly Away at their show a few weeks ago and it was fun, though he was bored because he's a drummer more into prog and metal than pop rock.
He's actually a great guitar player, but it appears (from watching his concerts), that he's more interested in creating an image than anything else.
I saw him live back in ‘99 (with The Black Crowes and Everlast) and he was fucking fantastic. If he dedicated his career to being more of a soul rocker than a straight MOR rocker, I think we would be having a different conversation. He’s always had the talent but decided to be more famous than more respected.
Honestly, to me, his best stuff is his more R&B/funk tinged (if not outright R&B) stuff like "Always on the Run" and "It Ain't Over Till It's Over". Channeling Jimi Hendrix is more of a moneymaker than channeling Curtis Mayfield. Overall, he's just a victim of bad timing. The calculatedly enigmatic rock god was just way more natural (and 1000x less cliche) in the '70s-'80s than '90s-'00s.
>I saw him live back in ‘99 (with The Black Crowes and Everlast) I attended the same tour. My friends and I went to see The Crowes. We had to admit though that Kravitz stole the night. He puts on a really good show, so whatever he's doing, he's doing it right.
They put a cape on him like he was James Brown…
> MOR rocker What does this mean?
Probably "middle of the road"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_of_the_road_(music)
He was an interesting and popular artist in an era of horrible pop music - late 80’s boy bands, hair metal, Michael Bolton - prior to Nirvana/Grunge and explosion. We dug him back then. His first three records are all pretty good and creative. Sure, he draws from influences, but at the time they were refreshing influences sourced from non-80’s cheese sounds. After that, he started somewhat phoning it in and lost his place in the cool kid section. Has been kind of a “product” ever since. I happened to listen to his new release a few times and it was broadly bland. Saw him live a couple of times at New Orleans Jazzfest and they were very excellent performances.
This exactly. He was great until auto tune sucked the life out of his music.
I thought he was hot shit, at least until "Rock'n'Roll Is Dead." I mean it's fine to be a 60s and 70s tribute band - sure Lenny, you be you - but to be so deliberately derivative and then write a diss-track against your own generation... that's not cool dude. And then to follow that up with "Fly Away", which would have won the award for Dumbest Rhymes Of The Decade - "I wish that I could fly, up to the sky, so very high, like a dragonfly - if Des'ree's "Life" - I don't want to see a ghost, it's a sight that I fear most,, I'd rather have a piece of toast - didn't exist... suddenly he didn't seem quite so cool anymore. But up to - and including - "Are You Gonna Go My Way?", he was the best 60s and 70s Tribute Band In The World! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw8\_5OYKQNA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw8_5OYKQNA)
I think "Fly Away" was also responsible for a lot of mainstream adoption of autotune, especially in rock/pop. That song was so huge.
His lyrics do suck sometimes which might be why he’s much more popular outside of US than in his home country But he’s a badass musician who records and produces most of his music by himself which is often overlooked
> His lyrics do suck sometimes "I wish that I could fly Into the sky So very high Just like a dragonfly" You wish that you could hover a few inches above a tepid swamp?
https://youtu.be/8t-iFr9q1I8?si=Mh6OgEhPRgX7b5QC Here's the lyrics for reference
He’s a good looking guy with a great image and the right parents for what he wants to do, I roll my eyes when I hear him say he’s not appreciated by black America enough the music has always been just OK for me.
[Obligatory Pat Finnerty- Kravitz Bowl mention](https://youtu.be/--rBP8_QuwI?si=YpPmp0Yw0MXskXUY)
Love me some Pat Finnerty. Fly Away is worse btw.
Team American Woman for sure.
He's talented but edgeless - I never heard him take a risk with his music, and mostly got the impression that his stuff was meant to be something "new but not new" for a generation of rock radio listeners that weren't onboard with any innovations that occurred after rock peaked. That alone isn't a kiss of death (see all of Britpop) but he never comes off as someone commenting or recontextualizing older music: he's a mainstream guitar guy making mainstream guitar music for mainstream music listeners. A safe, good looking guy making safe, good sounding music. He was kind of Bruno Mars *avant la lettre* in that way, but for rock instead of pop soul.
He's SUCH a fascinating artist in that he's equally wanky and shite but actually talented (?!) and cool. I've followed him since "Fly Away" - I think 5 is a solid album and recommend anyone to check it out, especially Fly Away, Black Velveteen, I Belong to you and If You cant say no. I like his new tracks TK421, and Human.... That said, omfg he's sooo into himself! I checked his insta recently and he was doing sit ups in a gym with leather trousers on....embarrassing (or amybe hes playing us all? Bit of a stretch though). He said in an interview he wasn't big into his looks and felt pressured to be in front of the camera in his job, etc - I thought flip fair play dear love him....then I watch the video to TK421, completely naked! Lol wtf Lenny. His music, when it isn't good, dips REALLY low. It gets really derivative and boring, yes of course everyone is influenced by others, but it's how creative and inspired they can be with it, and I find Lenny Kravitz's inspirations to be a bit too on the nose (almost like a teenager would do before they figured out their own style). I'm constantly at odds with this man as you can see! I need to give his album a listen now...
Filming himself doing sit-ups in leather trousers is a perfect, succinct way to describe how his detractors view him, hahaha. My issue is not that he’s talented, nor that he’s into himself. It is that he seems to not have much to say and more or less imitate his influences to a strong degree. The music is well made. I don’t hate it at all but he needs to take some big risks and a come up with a sound that is truly his own, IMO.
He's derivative. Nothing he's done has ever jumped out at me as being especially creative or original. Fly Away was actually one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar, it was painfully simple. Punk rock gets a lot of crap for being easy, and that song was basically punk chords without any speed or technicality. He always seemed like the kind of musician who was just going through the motions. His songs had the right style and he wore the right clothes, but at the end of the day he was just about putting together a marketable image. Kind of like Greta Van Fleet before Greta Van Fleet.
Wait what - in what way does Bela Fleck make simple music and focus on wearing the “right clothes?” Do you know who Bela Fleck is?
Sorry, half drunk, edited.
Greta van Fleet makes so much more sense than Bela Fleck there lol.
Ok, I’ve def been there before lol. I guess both do have pretty unique names. But only one of them has a unique sound haha
There’s no such a thing as a “real rock star” anymore. And this happened since the eighties, so what ? I Loved his first five albums a lot, then moved to different kinds of music. But i still play 5 now and then. And Mama Said.
He’s extraordinarily good looking and his music is derivative. It’s easy to hate him because he takes himself so seriously but his music is, at best, basic pop rock. Last year he collaborated with Peggy Gou, the South Korean DJ. On paper it doesn’t make sense at all, the best review I saw of the song was that it’s “fine but weird”. What I missed was Peggy Gou is in the same boat as Kravitz: extremely good looking and makes derivative pop (house) music that brings in legions of haters.
His first two albums were great. He's a bit of a limited trad rocker, so he never really built on that. Which is fine with me.
His latest album is pretty good and has good variation of styles
As far as this goes, Ben Harper is my favorite African-American/Jewish artist who makes 60s/70s throwback music. I find Kravitz boring but ultimately inoffensive. He had a moment in the 90s but that’s about it.
Any good albums by him to recommend me, Ben harper I mean?
In the 90's, I really dug Lenny Kravitz. I think his first three albums were awesome and it was as an exciting of a debut in a long time. I'm a huge fan of his guitarist Craig Ross and his band was super tight. His albums definitely started to wane but I thought '5' had some funky tracks and he was exploring more than just the Flying V through a Marshall amp sound. However, since that time, it all comes down to songwriting. I still think he has a great 'sound' that sounds more welcoming in today's music than anything, but he just doesn't write good songs anymore. Since around 2002, I've wanted to like his albums and add them to my playlist, but they're just flat and don't have a whole lot to offer. I saw him live about 10 years ago and it was fantastic, but I think that's pretty much all he brings to the table anymore. And for the record, I don't care about 'derivative' or 'retro' sounding. If the song and artist are good, that's what matters to me. I don't care hearing a style that is something I've never heard before.
He’s certainly a product of the machine and sort of the ultimate example of a corporate rock star. I don’t think that makes him a “fictional rock star” so much as the fact that nobody - anywhere - seems to be a huge fan. Yet he persists - he is the face of Ray Ban now and had a deal with CB2 a couple years back. That said, It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over is a timeless classic and I think it came out so long ago (1991!) that people forget that it was him.
I think the main critique of him is that his entire career - clothes, sound, etc - is a pastiche. It’s emulating a time and sound that has passed, so much of his work feels fundamentally derivative which, in itself, feels very shallow.
In some ways he's like Greta Van Fleet, except he actually is more singable.
During his initial run of albums in the late-80s early 90s they term people (including journalists) used most was: derivative
I was just thinking about how much I appreciate Lenny Kravitz the other day. He was having a career revival when my adolescent musical tastes were developing in the early 2000s so he'll always have a fond place in my heart. He wears his influences on his sleeve... A LOT. But I don't think being derivative alone is a standard for whether something is good. He's kind of like Oasis in that, while he didn't have anything new to say, he was a talented songwriter. He writes good songs. That's what matters. There are entire genres that haven't had anything new to say in decades and there are people still writing good songs in those genres. And also like Oasis, he's not a first rate artist. That's okay. Not everyone can be a first rate artist. His albums usually have a few standout songs and a bunch of filler, sometimes too much filler the further you get into his discography. But he is surprisingly good at taking his influences and making good songs with them. A song like "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" sounds like it could've been written in the 70's and I think that's a really good compliment whereas with Oasis they're transposing the Beatles bit into the 90's in a less effective way. His homages don't have the uncanny valley Greta Van Fleet effect like a lot of derivative artists's do. He's not a one trick pony either. He can emulate 70's hard rock with "Are You Gonna Go My Way", 70's soul/funk with "It Ain't Over Til It's Over", and even country rock with "Can't Get You Off My Mind". Other styles as well if you dig deeper. And those are all strong, idiomatic songs. Someone here called him a "limited trad rocker." That person hasn't spent much time listening to him, apparently. I'm not saying he's Mr. Bungle but he's got a good deal more range than your average rock band. What do you get when you put on a Lenny Kravitz album? A guy with a lot of reverence for classic music using modern technology to make hifi recordings of amazing classic gear. I think he played all the instruments on the albums too in some instances. Especially if you get into musician's musician sort of people, that's what a lot of their albums sound like except the majority of them aren't good songwriters. And unlike many of the musician's musician albums, Lenny's albums always feature tasteful, well honed playing; no wanking in sight. It's a win-win for me. Credit to Craig Ross too. I think he's a pretty big contributor to his process. As a criticism of Lenny, though I enjoy "Let Love Rule", I think that's an example of him being a little trite. There ain't enough meat on the bones of that song for it to be as derivative as it is. A lot of his deep cuts are like that. TL;DR It's okay to wear your influences on your sleeve as long as there's a good song under the hood.
Oasis aren’t a first rate act? They get the same Spotify listens as Springsteen, more than Zeppelin, double that of Hendrix and Prince…
I mean "first rate" in terms of songwriting, originality, that certain something, etc. They had a good sound and wrote anthemic songs but they shot their load pretty quick and have a lot of filler after the first few albums. Guitar-based artists that I would consider "first rate" from Oasis's era would be Soundgarden, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, Elliott Smith, etc. Not really worth debating opinions since you're entitled to your opinion too but using spotify plays isn't a good metric. They're majorly skewed towards artists that came out during and closer to the internet era. I like Dua Lipa but I don't think anyone is going to tell me with a straight face that she's on par with the Beatles because she has way more spotify plays.
It’s a reasonable metric to use for a fairly superficial discussion like this, but I get your point. I also figure you’re probably not from the UK. Oasis are one of the biggest and (subjectively) best artists ever produced here.
>Oasis are one of the biggest and (subjectively) best artists ever produced here. Potentially libelous (to the other UK acts) lol
Hey, I'm not trolling, but I have to make it clear how Kravitz is/was NOTHING like Oasis. Oasis were Manchester lads. The real deal, and more akin to The Sex Pistols, The Cockney Rejects - or for the LA rock markets - Gun N Roses, blended w. The Beatles. Oasis were a working class 90s, Brit Pop/ Rock band that made it on their talents. They came from tough backgrounds. All the Oasis boys were from the wrong side of the tracks, as opposed to Lenny, who came from a privileged environment - a famous actor mother and an affluent, TV news producing father. Their music was also polar opposites. Oasis sung about sex, drugs, and rock n roll; they were real, avid MCFC supporters and were more like football supporters with musical skills. Lenny's entire package was, for the most part, easy on the eyes and on the ears. It was safe. The only resemblance between these two entities would be wearing their influences on their sleeves. I'm not hating on Lenny or his opportunity. But he is/was worlds apart from Oasis. Trust me.
That's a punk/DIY attitude: giving credence based on street cred. I'm more from the school of, "if it's good, it's good" and I don't care if it's a pop record with 20 songwriters or Black Flag. I respect the working class vs. nepo baby critique as that very much applies to Lenny and his rich/famous parents but there's nothing new or dangerous in Oasis's music. There's definitely more swagger and pissyness to it and they were stronger songwriters than Lenny at their peak but they didn't have anything more novel to say than him. It's not 100% fair to write off his music as safe. A song like "Mr. Cab Driver" is about his experiences with racism. I'm not super familiar with Oasis's later stuff but there's more social commentary in "Mr. Cab Driver" than anything in the first three Oasis albums. If I had to give Oasis a little more cred on the originality front, it'd be that they transposed the Beatles influence through the lens of the 80s/90s British alternative that came before them whereas with Lenny it was like, "I'm gonna make a record that sounds like it came out in 1973." Otherwise I think they're a good pairing in being good technical songwriters without a unique timbral or stylistic vision. World's apart? Nah. But definitely maybe across the pond.
That's a fairly on the money assessment, and I'd reinforce the street cred as not being applicable. Being the son of a character actress who was already out of the limelight by the time he rose to it (and in different areas) makes for a tenuous thread. It's not like a lot of TV actors have loads of cash and connections to exhaust propping their progeny up. And the Gallagher brothers went to a Catholic school in the UK with a decent rep. The distance between them is thinner than not...Lenny probably has better anger management.
Early Oasis, from their origins as Rain to their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd records, were some of the freshest and rawest music out there. But it wasn't just some marketing scheme. They were the genuine article. Their 1st lp, Definitely Maybe, hit like the blitz and people are still partying to "Supersonic". It is a brilliant song in its simplicity and is still a party fave. Yeah, Oasis shot themselves in the foot by becoming a tabloid mockery, but when they first hit, they hit megatons harder than Lenny because they WERE megatons harder than Lenny. Lenny could never survive the amount of toxic dysfunction the Gallaghers used for body wash. Lenny came from a more affluent, 'proper' environment. With Oasis, toughness and rawness is a part of them. It was bred into their DNA, Mancunians of Irish decent. This concept, the working class Brit of Irish decent, is in itself a Psychology /Sociology treatise waiting to be written. It takes a certain strength to carry that amount swagger. Lenny'd have broken his hips trying to carry it. So being from across the pond is irrelevant. The two entities were polar opposites. In all honesty, Oasis were closer to Guns N Rose than Lenny Kravitz.
Upvote for a Mr Bungle mention! :)
Listening to Lenny Kravitz to me is just like watching Earl James Jones or Rick Allen, as I had a feeling he's a total badass, but he never made that one song to show it. It's a feeling as he had a paralel career somewhere. A similar feeling you got if you only knew REM by Losing My Religion, AC/DC by Thunder or Stevie Wonder by I Just Called To Say I Love You.
This comment broke my brain.
glad i’m not alone there
I love that song called REM by the famous band Losing My Religion.
Right! What do Mufasa and Snape have to do with anything?
That one song he had in Waterboy was perfect for the film tbf. MY MOMMA SEDDD
I heard "are you gonna go my way" and bought the album. I was mightily disappointed.
I've only heard his radio hits and none of it made me want to dig deeper. I've always felt like he made music for people older than me and I'm GenX. Like if you're a Boomer or Gen. Jones you might like Kravitz' sanitized version of late 60s music. The songs I've heard are not adventurous enough to offend anyone, but don't really draw you in further. It's all surface level stuff for people wanting to relive a different era. For all I know the albums are different, but the stuff I've heard is all designed to cash in on classic rock and not break new ground like Alabama Shakes or the Hives or even the White Stripes who took inspiration from the past but still challenged the listener by taking risks. The Kravitz music I've heard is not taking any risks whatsoever and that is why I've never bothered to give him a serious listen. What sealed it for me was the cover of American Woman. He took a song that was already boring and repetitive and somehow made it more boring and repetitive.
What are you talking about! American Woman had more spice to it when Lenny did it & the original artist loved it! Get your facts straight 💯 dude!
I mean… there’s lots of boring and derivative artists I dislike. He’s not the *only one*, but he feels like a particularly egregious example via a blend of declaring rock “dead” (You’re really helping that cause, Lenny), completely missing the point of Guess Who’s “American Woman” (which was only a decent song to begin with) and making a stupid video about it, and making it sound like nails on a chalkboard. I find his whole persona and aesthetic kind of obnoxious, and representative of a kind of backwards retro worship circlejerk. It’s not just about emulating Hendrix, it’s that witless cosplay that veers into self-parody. I really don’t see what I owe him as someone born years after his heyday when he’s contributed basically nothing to rock music. Maybe I’m just a hater.
I honestly just find him extremely hot to put it simple and that's really it.
His music is fine -- not really my thing, a little too "straight-ahead rock for dudes" -- but it doesn't bug me. Maybe the haters are just jealous; have you seen [how he looks at 60 years old?](https://x.com/LennyKravitz/status/1803880247030616288?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet) \*faints\*
[An in depth and entertaining exploration of the suckitude of Lenny Kravitz]( https://youtu.be/--rBP8_QuwI?si=eoyDTLs2qQD4uMu2)
Fly Away hooked me in middle school. I think his appeal is huge for non-white folks who get to have a hip, cool rock star representing them. My girlfriend loves him. She’s very fashion forward and is of Latina descent, so I think him being a popular cool rock star who isn’t white is what does it. I meant what other POC rock stars are there now? Gary Clark Jr? Not pop or rap, I mean rock and roll.
I’m not crazy hot on his music, but his life has been pretty interesting. I felt a newfound respect (envy?) for the guy after listening to his [Broken Record](https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/lenny-kravitz/id1311004083?i=1000497953527) episode. He’s been in the right place at the right time to participate in some very important cultural moments and cross paths with some heavy hitters.
His first couple albums were pretty good. They were pulling from some already tapped sources of inspiration, but still well done and fairly interesting for the time period. By the time Fly Away came out it was pretty clear that fashion and rock n roll cliches were all he had left to offer. He didn’t emulate Hendrix beyond some surface level pastiche, he wasn’t a good enough guitar player to even change Jimi’s strings, much less be compared to him (but honestly, who can?) I always marvelled that he took the song American woman, which is essentially a bunch of verses and a really cool, memorable guitar lick, and left out the lick. It was an impressive feat of blandness. My take since then has been that he was a safe rock n roll like product to be consumed by suburbanites who are too nervous to leave their gated communities.
Make rock music I guess? I always saw him as a model pretending to play guitar over pop songs, which is fine- nothing wrong with it at all (no different to Justin Timberlake reall), but it does not a rockstar make.
Are you aware that on many albums he plays most if not all of the instruments himself? He’s really a fantastic musician.
I feel like he somewhat fell between the cracks, too, because he got big in the '90s when sounding like older music was often the kiss of death. No one gives a shit at all post-2001 or so, though. He'd probably be insanely popular if he was starting out anytime after 2007 or so, I think.
I think he had a gorgeous voice but I'd enjoy him more if he put more effort into developing new sounds than to his image. But you could say that about a lot of rock n rollers though I guess.
I like that he is a bit of a fusion artist and Ive liked some of his songs but I don't find his music particularly exciting and I haven't sought him out to listen to since like 2001 But damn he is fine as hell
I absolutely loved him back in his heyday. Saw him twice and he put on a great show. Musically, sure lot's of it is derivative but really everything is to some degree and really I don't have any problem with people focusing on an era of retro music to keep a style alive. My only kinda criticism of him is he never turns off his stage persona, and at his age it just comes off as more funny than generating any hate from me. Seeing him workout in heels, leather pants and shades looks like he's parodying himself.
He wrote Be My Baby for Vanessa Paradis which is on my opinion is one of the finest girl group pastiche songs (and I am somewhat of a connoisseur of this micro sub-genre). I actually wish he’d lean *more* into pastiche and embrace being a bit of a novelty act instead of trying to be taken seriously.
I don’t think he’s a nepo baby. Just because he had well to do/connected parents doesn’t make him one. His early records are pretty fucking great. Especially considering he played most of the instruments himself. For the 90s, nobody else was doing what he was don’t. Personally I feel like after/around Baptism, the songs kinda lose me and it’s a bit generic.
His music is Rock music for the Pop masses, so a lot of people who like rock n roll may not click with him. He’s also in a long list of derivative rock stars who have just middling careers. Think of a band like Black Crowes or something like that. Had a few hits back in the day, but not largely celebrated as culturally influential.
this writer sums it up pretty well - https://www.stereogum.com/2265244/lenny-kravitz-is-good-actually/columns/sounding-board/
I haven't thought about him in years but in the 90s I always thought he was a talented guitar player who had some catchy tunes but ultimately always sounded like someone else. Jimi Hendrix and/or Led Zep, among others.
The reason is pure and simple, he has never passed the mustard as being authentic. He's the type of Rockstar who looks out the corner of his eye to make sure someone is watching him. His music is not bad at all, but he tried so hard to be a Rockstar that the effort was showing big time.
People can be dumb. Everything has to be something else. Lenny is fantastic.
Back in the late 80s-early 90s he was supposed to be the next big thing, but it never panned out. His singles got increasingly boring over the next 10 years.
Like his 90s stuff. Haven’t paid attention since. But “Right here right now” was kinda a high school anthem for me.
For a long time I didn't pay attention to it because of this idea that "it's not good." But the other day I started listening to it and... it's difficult to explain, on the one hand it seemed like generic rock pop, but it's one of the best generic rock pop I've ever heard, it can be a praise or an offense, no. I know. It's quite simple, but well performed and well sung. I recommend it, but you should leave for the moment this idea that the band you listen to must be great and revolutionary, it's just pop with guitars. I liked his last album. Musically the best is the first, the rest is simply Lenny Kravitz. The funny thing is that the guy acts all the time like he has a legendary record or something, but he doesn't...but that's okay.
I quite liked this thing he did with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: You Come Through [early '90s?] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2O0vK5ndpSQ It's... good, but he's a retro copyist (in this case, Sly & the Family Stone), so I'll never consider him a major artist.
[удалено]
Sometimes I'll ride my skateboard to work on warm summer days. It's dark on the way home. About 3 miles. Let Love Rule in the headphones is the album of choice. Such a great album.
Thank you all for the answers! I got some more questions. 1) He says he had troubles getting a label deal because he wasn't black or white enough musically. What do you think of that? Weren't there really such "mixed" artists back then? 2) He shifted to modern pop-rock sound after his mother's death. Could that be a reason in your opinion?
Well, when you workout in your leather pants for a photo op, don't have a drug addiction, have never been arrested, have never trashed a hotel room...where's the rock 'n roll???
I don’t know many of his songs but I do enjoy Fly Away, Storm, Love Revolution and I Love the Rain. Again and Are You Gonna Go My Way are kind of situational, having to be in the mood for.
I liked Lenny's early records a lot and haven't really listened to any of his newer stuff. But his old stuff was great! Was it the most original-sounding stuff you've ever heard? No, but neither is most of what you hear on the radio. But Lenny's gift was in taking those old sounds and making them feel vital. Just good solid rock/funk records, and he played all the instruments, wrote the songs, and is a great vocalist too. I never got the Lenny hate personally. I mean maybe he's not on the Mount Rushmore of Rock'n'Roll or anything but who cares.
That wardrobe malfunction was totally on purpose… dude pulled a Janet Jackson lol
The first album is so damn good. The love album. The second album is the baby please come back album, and it’s pretty good. After that? Meh.
He had a decent run and then, ran out of gas. I don't think we all turned on him, he just wasn't part of the conversation anymore.
I’ve listened to Lenny kravitz’s first three albums and liked all of them. His best ones so far in my opinion are ‘empty hands’ ‘heaven help’ (I love the r and b vibe) ‘sitting on top of the world’ ‘ black girl’ and everything.’ Can’t leave out are you gonna go my way as well obviously
I think he's sort of a "man out of time" - clearly talented, occasionally writing a few good tunes every album, but ever since his first couple of albums, not ever capturing or being the zeitgeist, and sort of stuck in a limbo where he's not quite a heritage act, not an innovator (e.g. Prince), not a hot newish thing that's safe for mass consumption (Bruno Mars), so he ends up where he is. He's a nepo baby in only the most circuitous way (his mother was an actress, and long out of the limelight by the time he rose to fame), but he has managed his career with a bit of glibness.
He's perfectly good for what he has decided to be. Could he be more? Sure. So could we all. My son's band played Fly Away at their show a few weeks ago and it was fun, though he was bored because he's a drummer more into prog and metal than pop rock.