"We've all got our voice. And if I have this gift to play music, then I'm gonna talk about love," Lenny Kravitz says in a YouTube promo for his eighth studio album. Understood. Got it. The fact, though, is that Kravitz could be singing about old tires or bowling shoes in these songs and it wouldn't much matter, because in the basest and most primal way possible, they rock. Opener "Love Revolution" busts out a vibe that lingers, with Lenny barking a credo--clearly in his old-school element as drums pound and guitars get abused--and loving it. Breaks come in the form of quieter songs like the Beatles-esque chill-pill "Good Morning" and the vintage Queen-like "A Long and Sad Goodbye," but the mission of Love Revolution is mostly to move the masses. And that it shall: fists will pump, feet will stomp, and attitudes will be copped. As listeners flip through the track list and discern influences as far-flung as James Brown, the Black Crowes, and Jimi Hendrix, they will feel not disdain for the lack of ingenuity but appreciation for the good sense Kravitz shows in following those artists' leads. In jumbling them up and making them his own, he proves that love revolutions need not be tame. They can be fierce. The best evidence arrives two tracks in: though "Bring It On" features the soothing sitar of Anishka Shankar, it bashes its way through the speakers as though fueled by kryptonite. It is bad-ass, in a word. And so is this album. --Tammy La Gorce
More prolific than D'Angelo and Terence Trent D'Arby combined, one-man rock & soul revivalist Lenny Kravitz kept traditional pop values alive through much of the '90s. From the Motown-perfect "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" to the Beatlesesque "Let Love Rule," Kravitz has always inhabited his influences with a genuine spirit that transcends imitation. The 15 tracks found here provide a surprisingly coherent reminder of just how much the artist has accomplished in a relatively short time. And even if his biggest hit, "Are You Gonna Go My Way," falls short of its Hendrix target, Kravitz's cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman" still rocks in a pleasingly Neanderthal way. An infectious new cut, "Again," fits neatly alongside sturdy Kravitz originals such as "Fly Away," "Mr. Cab Driver," and "Black Velveteen," showcasing a talent whose postmodern pop should play well into the new century. --Bill Forman
