Let Love Rule

Está mas o menos....

Retro rock album with soul and funk influences. Some good songs, some boring. Impressive feat to record this on his own, but it mostly derivative and not very original.

lidt point for at lyde anderledes end det meste der skete i 1989, men det er sgu ok corny det her Lenny

Har aldrig hørt en Lenny Kravitz plade før. Det havde jeg nok heller ikke strengt taget behøvet. Det her var...not for me

Floppy dick energy

Ik vond dit echt een chill album. Misschien niet hoogstaand of beste teksten ooit. Maar wel echt chill om aan te zetten met werken en lezen

Ik had er meer van verwacht. Het is gewoon niet zo goed.

1 ster extra omdat het zown hotte boy is. Er blijft anders ook zo weinig over.

Met verbazing geluisterd naar dit album. Ongelofelijk zwakke songwriting. Het klinkt haast alsof hij niet van oorsprong niet Engels spreekt en dan teksten in het Engels zingt. Ik hoef het eigenlijk niet uit te leggen. Muzikaal gezien vond ik het Skyradio. Geen sterke week so far.

terrible

It’s ok but he definitely went on to do much better

The people crying about this record are trying to show you how smart they are. We wouldn’t need to be told if… Nevermind. Great record. Diverse and expertly crafted.

Love Lenny Kravitz, definitely need to listen to more of his music

Kinda boring.

I really thought I disliked Lenny Kravitz, but this one was a pleasant surprise.

I know a little bit about Lenny Kravitz. I have heard some of his songs like his version of American Pie. He plays guitar and mostly plays rock. I was pleasantly surprised by Kravitz’s album. It is really good. The messages in the songs are very positive: peace and love, non-violence and being anti-drugs. Kravitz is a good songwriter. Guitar dominates the album. Acoustic and electric guitar. His vocals are very good. He has a quiet and loud voice. His singing reminds me of Princess. There were a lot of good songs on this album: Sitting on top of the World, Let love rule and Rosemary. He does an excellent cover of John Lennon’s Cold Turkey. However, the songs aren’t consistently good. This is a very good album. Four stars.

Good album. Enjoyed listening to this while cleaning. Fun beats and was my first time listening to Lenny!

This isn't very good. Some alright bits. The lyrics are criminal

o prince da shopee, mas tem umas 2/3 faixas bem legais.

I didnt enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Kravitz's singing is kind of difficult to listen to at parts, and I feel like the songs lack the instrumental punch he is known for. Not bad, just didn't wow me. Overall- 2.5/5, not a 3

Wow. Big lot of nothingness sound. Waves of empty music. I’d say he got better as he got more commercial. This one just kept going in the most bloated music industry of the 90s way.

The best ting about this record is that you can tell he was only going to get better. I'm not saying this was bad, but I feel like it's clearly a first album. Once he grew and matured a little more, he produced way better music and I think that's was sort of forecasted listening to this album. The whole time I was listening to this one I just kept thinking, 'if this was the first time I'd heard Lenny Kravitz back in 1989 I would be really excited about having new music from him and seeing where he goes.' A good album but looking back it really now just foreshadows how much better his later music became. 3/5

It’s OK but again uneven, not uncommon for a debut album. Man there is some vitriol in these ratings though.

2,2/5

Fine but missing the later production. Some of the lyrics were a bit goofy but he was young. It happens. 3/5

This album truly sucks. LK's vocal performance and lyrics are local, weekend warrior quality. The production has aged poorly. Not sure why anyone should care about this album anymore.

I've always liked Lenny Kravitz's music but haven't ever really listened beyond the radio hits. I thought I would like this album more than I am. That's not to say it's bad, I just thought going into it, it would be better. Fear is the best song on the album. Does Anybody Out There Even Care is another good song...I'm liking the second half of the album more than the first. The lyrics to Mr. Cab Driver leave a lot to be desired...this is the nonsensical rantings of an angry 16 year old.

Good album, but I prefer some of his heavier stuff.

Highlights: Let Love Rule, Freedom Train, I Built This Garden For Us. 3.2

Hmm. Nothing special that stood out

I tend to like Lenny Kravitz's music, but this album was a chore to get through.

Not bad.

mouais mouais mouais 2.5+/5

Talented, but... Everything is kind of the same and not that interesting. Can't tell you one hook that grabbed my attention

This album was brought to you by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The second half anyway. Which I didn’t love. But the first half was solid enough to earn the album 4 stars as a whole.

Whether it's rock, pop, reggae, funk, or soul, Lenny Kravitz is here to show you how absolutely fucking awful he is at it

better musician than bond antagonist

Just an alright album - Kravitz takes obvious inspiration from artists of the past like Hendrix, but lacks the flair that makes them great - it's all just rather bland.

I'm about to hang a life-size poster of Lenny Kravitz on my bedroom wall, so that every day when I wake up, I think, "This is what being cool looks like." 5 stars.

At his best on this album, he’s got a great Prince-like sound (Sitting on Top of the World, Flower child, Be) . At his worst, he’s got a lot of qualities that remind me of Elvis Costello (Mr Cab Driver). Averages out the rating a little bit… Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: Sitting on Top of the World

Weird one. I'm not sure any of his fans would pick this album for the list. On the other hand it's not bad, although not great either. There are some fun songs but I'm not sure it's quality or influence deserve a place in the list

Lenny Kravitz. Jeg kjenner navnet godt, men aner ikke hvorfor. Hvem er Kravitz? Hvorfor er Kravitz? Og har jeg noensinne hørt noe mer enn navnet til Kravitz? Joda, Are Your Gonna Go My Way fra Guitar Hero. Fet låt det altså. Men det forklarer liksom ikke hvorfor jeg vet at Kravitz er. Skal han liksom være en slags arvtager for Prince? Det her høres i hvert fall utrolig flatt ut. I respekt for Prince, så kan ikke dette få en bedre karakter enn Sign O the Times. Beklager, Mr. Kravitz, my hands are tied. Og jeg vet fortsatt ikke hvem du er eller hvorfor du er når Prince allerede var og fortsatte å være i størsteparten av karrieren din.

Litt som om Prince hadde laget garagerock. Det er en så kul groove og schwung over hele plata og de fleste av låtene er ganske tidløse. Noe fluff er det jo, men det er tross alt CD.

surprisingly good debut album. very retro-motown 70s sounding. color me impressed.

This was surprisingly odd. It was like Prince met late 60s psych funk. I couldn't really get into it, but it was SO interesting. His singing was incredibly unique. Odd time signatures, off instruments, good mix of instruments and song types. Deserving of the list!

I was looking forward to listening to this. Did not know about him or his "music". Was disappointed. Alot of pain in the music. Did not enjoy.

I kind of enjoyed it. I liked Mr. cab driver

Difficult to focus on

An impressive debut album by an artist who only continued to get better. Yes, there are a lot of Beatle influences but if you're going to pull from a particular artist, it might as well be the best. I was waffling between four and five stars but I really like this album so it gets five

★★½

When this first came out I was annoyed that in the year 1989 he was making the choice to make music that sounded like it was from 15 years earlier. The derivativeness of it annoyed me. I still think it’s not very original stylistically, but will concede that it is well-produced and the guy can certainly play guitar. It’s an easy listen.

o amigo falou e disse é medíocre, num tem mto o que falar além, de fato

eh paia, né. bem medíocre. poucas palavras pq nem me deu vontade de xingar.

Really disappointed with this. Was expecting it to be a lot rockier. It was ok but that's all I can say really.

When you go into a cake shop really wanting cake, and the only cake they have is a vanilla slice, you still buy the cake even though you don’t really like vanilla slices. I wish Lenny was a custard donut. Or a tarte au citron.

The musical equivalent of trying and occasionally failing to cook pizza and chips while watching the soaps on Christmas Day. Let me explain what I mean. It seems poor old Lenny likes to try very hard with his limited musical skill set (cooking the pizza) and also seems to struggle to multi task with playing the guitar and singing (burning the pizza as he was ingrossed watching inane twaddle on the box). It seems when Lenny is trying his hardest and actually manages to write some reasonable instrumental parts, such as the guitar work on 'Freedom Train', he foregoes anything resembling coherant joined up lyrics. Similarly when he tries too hard with his vocals, and what a poor showing it really is on this record, too much yelping and goodness knows what else you could call it, he forgets to play anything particularly tuneful on his guitar. Ergo no multitasking prowess going on here (I suspect a man of his calibre would not be able to cook a full roast turkey dinner while attempting to watch a great film like The Hunger Games). But on the rare occasion he gets the balance right, such as on 'Fear' and 'Rosemary' where there is nothing too taxing for him, all his effort does pay off. His vocal range was so limited on this album, but that did not stop him trying sadly. I could not help wincing and laughing out loud on many occasions. There was many a time on this record where he was trying to hit those notes only Whitney Houston could pull off. Am I going to go his way? No sorry Lenny. P.S. I went in blind with this as it was a car listen, so I only read the Wiki entry after writing my review. This made me realise why the two songs mentioned above were a cut above the rest. Maybe his wife told him not to screech and bellow his way through her lovely lyrics. 1 star for talent and another for making me laugh so much.

really not good

Boring

That big flat note at the very start of Sitting on top of the World? Does not bode well. I am willing to accept pre-V Lenny Kravitz, though I will never forgive him for like two years straight of having to hear Fly Away. But I don't think this one is it. It doesn't feel like it has an identity. Dude plays an OK guitar, but his actual songwriting chops? Not there yet. This wants to be the Beatles often, and isn't. It wants to be Stevie, but it can't. He flits between passionless hippy and trying to make edgy statements that ring hollow. And he has one of the most annoying “yeah yeah yeah” cadences in the biz. It is kinda wild that I've had two songs about Cab Drivers in a week. But i'd have happily skipped this one. Long and dull. ⭐️⭐️

He tried

Pretty nice.

This is one of the best debut albums I can think of where the artist wholely shows you everything that they are. The next 2 albums are just an expansion of this, and then he loses himself after that. Let Love Rule, Mama Said and Are You Gonna Go My Way? are collectively an amazing 1-2-3 punch you rarely see in any band or solo artist and they deserve to be celebrated. You know what else deserves to be celebrated? Lenny Kravitz's scarf. Ever seen it? No? Google it, you won't be sorry.

He should have been born in the 70’s

Interesting to hear where his sounds evolved from

Lots to digest from this nepotism baby 2.51

Musically impressive, otherwise it's bargain bin Prince

Decent but I’m not a huge fan

Honestly a little better than I expected. I still don't love it, and I think there's a lot of weird lyrical content on this record.

Songs go on a bit too long repeating hooks. It's a serviceable pop rock n' soul record.

I had no idea Lenny Kravitz began his career in the late 80s. Never really listened to his music other than a few popular songs he had. Funky rock. Soulful rock with hints of a psychedelic rock sound on some tracks. Let Love Rule is a good track with a sax solo that reminds me of the SNL band for some reason. Great sound on it though. Some bluesy songs for sure. This is all fine, and feels like a throw back sound from the 70s to be from the late 80s when it came out. Maybe I thought this might rock a little more? There are a few songs that have a little bit of an over produced soft rock sound. Mostly solid though and an easy listen. His voice sometimes sucks though. Like he’s trying to powerfully belt a part of a song but his voice just doesn’t match what he’s trying to do. Every song is a little too long too, making the album feel longer than it should be. This is a tough one. At times, it’s pretty good, but it’s also just boring at times. Feels like somewhere between a 2 and 3.

How is Lenny Kravitz so famous? This is objectively awful. 1 star. Let's go track by track: Sitting on the Top of the World: unremarkable Let Love Rule: would benefit with editing. About 2 minutes too long Freedom Train: dreadfully repetitive My Precious Love: almost ok, but ultimately cringe (lyrics are awful) I Build This Garden For Us: derivative and inauthentic. These songs are all too long! Fear: this is all over the place and the lyrics are not great Does Anybody Out There Even Care: no. Mr Cab Driver: oof. It's so bad, it's almost fun. Almost. Rosemary: hahahahahahaha....this is just so bad. Overly earnest, but so devoid of any real understanding of the world. Embarrassing. Be: what's up with these lyrics? Blues for Sister Someone: why am I still listening to this? Empty Hands: ugh. Bad lyrics; bad vocals. Castanets! Flower Child: thankfully I've reached the end of this mess. This seems to embody Lenny's whole aesthetic. It's exhausting.

Boring. literally nothing to say.

The first two tracks on the record are easily my favorite, but then it falls off in my opinion. I don’t love the screaming vocals that he attempts, and the production is a little too barebones for my liking.

2.7/5 Favorite Songs: Let Love Rule My Precious Love I Build This Garden For Us Fear

One of my all-time great concert memories is Lenny at the HORDE festival jumping on top of the mixing board to have a singalong to the end of Let Love Rule. 3.5 down to 3.

If someone was brand new to planet earth and you needed to explain what a "rock star" is to them, I'd recommend starting the conversation with Kravitz. He has always seemed both comfortable with who he is and in control of his career. Listening to this album reminded me how effortlessly cool he is.

Not bad but not my kind of thing

Sleazy in a not fun way.

Fun, but not the best song writer

I prefer his 2nd album

Love the instrumentation, I didn't know that Lenny Kravitz had such a unique voice and this being the debut album makes it all so much more impressive but it needed more to be a favorite of mine

3/10

I’m kinda torn here. The dripping nostalgia of this record is pretty compelling to me, but I also get why people dislike Lenny Kravitz and/or this record.

Is this that bad? No. Is it that great? I'm not sure. I can tell you that it feels like if Prince had no talent for metaphor. He says Freedom Train 22 times in a row; it feels like there was a 3-minute-long stroke. This was a fine album, if not just kinda boring.

A gripe I have with the book is it’s need to put an influential artists debut album before their more interesting or important pieces of work can be kind of annoying. Really enjoyed the title track at least

Utterly rancid Beatles cosplay.

When I saw this pop up, I was surprised to see Lenny Kravitz on this list. I feel like his celebrity outshines his music in a lot of contexts so I was apprehensive to think this would be any good. The first couple tracks I felt like his singing style was over the top, though I appreciated the band. By midway and the end of the album I got used to the singing style and actually really started to appreciate the music. He blends a ton of different influences and pretty dark themes into a genre that feels super unique. If he could cut back a bit on the "yeah, yeah, yeah's!" And use of the vibraslap, would probably like this nore. But it definitely changed my take on what Lenny Kravitz is all about.

I feel like I saw Lenny Kravitz everywhere when I was growing up in the 90s, but I had never heard any of his music beyond American Woman, so going into this album I didn't really have any strong feelings for or against him. He definitely wears his influences on his sleeve, but his musicianship is quite strong throughout and he does put a somewhat grungy spin on things that I did enjoy. His songwriting on the other hand is quite repetitive and lazy in the sense that Kravitz just sings the title of the song with different inflections continuously throughout many of these songs and the more I listened, the more I realized that the subject matter for the most part was vapid and shallow. Overall, he plays well, but writes poorly. I didn't hate it, but I didn't exactly like it either. Also, I've got to be real with you Lenny, if you're a rapist who needs a release, you'll forever be-be-be-be-be-be-be a rapist.

Wasn’t wowed

Weirdly 80s-90s sounding? Thin, or extreme isolation, weird panning of super distorted guitar to just one side. A bit young and macho without the suave assuredness of something a bit later? I donno.

Really good vibes on this. I'm also pretty surprised it's 1989, since I feel like Kravitz was a huge name throughout the 90s. He already had the basic blueprint before that window! A delight to listen to.

I have quite a bit of time for Lenny Kravitz, but I think it’s more for the niche of swaggering cool he’s created than much of his musical output. I found a charity shop copy of his greatest hits a few years ago and that’s pretty much enough for me. Nothing wrong with this album particularly, but it’s a tricky one to justify for this list. It’s a late 80s album that harks back to early 70s funk and late 60s psychedelia, but if I didn’t already know it was late 80s, would it stand up as well against those eras?

This was totally fine. Is it me but did the instrumentation/production start off really well on the first few tracks and then become a lot more bland? The first track (Sitting on Top of the World) and the last track (Be) stood out, but I actually preferred the bonus tracks especially Empty Hands.

This was alright. He has a great voice, his tracks tend to groove well. A lot of it sounds like other people and the recording quality could probably have been better. I like a few kravitz tracks but they're not on this album, taxi driver reminded me too much of a cream song, is it politician. He addressed some themes etc that were good, but it got a bit naff towards the end. Not bad, but nothing jumped out to me. Which album is it ain't over til it's over on. That one is awesome.

It's fine, I guess? There sure is a lot of mid on this list. DNF

Maybe a second take that "world" there cracked just a bit

Lenny Kravitz? Lenny Crap-vitz would be more like it. Mediocre guitarist sings like a Steven Tyler parody act. Boring, self indulgent, unoriginal and, at times, downright irritating.

Pretty lame, Millhouse

Nothing wrong with it, just doesn't exactly ring my bells properly.

2/5. I have never really liked the music of Lenny Kravitz, and upon listening to this debut I have still not been won over, though I’ll at least give it credit that it’s better than any of the other stuff of his I’ve heard so it avoids a 1/5. He produced all of the songs himself and played most of the instruments which is commendable, but the songs themselves range from boring rock to soul-less soul. He tries to tackle political/societal issues on a few of the tracks here like “Does anybody out there even care?” But he’s not a good enough lyricist to really push beyond the surface level of these topics. An album that left me feeling pretty empty by the end.

Damn, what a debut album. This is unlike anything else you would have heard in the late 80s Not in some forced “ahead of its time” way either. More like Lenny Kravitz went digging through 60s soul, funk, rock, gospel, and blues, then came back with something that sounded old and new at the same time. The title track is phenomenal. “My Precious Love” reminded me pretty strongly of Sam Cooke or some 60s soul number. “I Build This Garden for Us” had this edgier Stevie Wonder feel to it. The guitar riff during the chorus of “Fear” is badass too. Then “Empty Hands” comes in with castanets...I've said this before but I'm a sucker for any modern rock song that can incorporate non-traditional instruments. “Blues for Sister Someone” might be the one that surprised me most. It’s a really good take on the life of a drug addict, possible sex worker, or just someone who’s been chewed up by everything around her. It reminded me a little of “Sam Stone” by John Prine in the way it looks at someone falling apart without turning it into a cartoon. This thing is all over the place in the best way. Soulful, weird, messy, confident, and way better than I expected. Favorite song: "Let Love Rule"

This is a tough one. I mean, it's actually a pretty good album. It's just so derivative. It's ok to wear your influences on your sleeve, but a few of the songs, especially from a production aspect, could just as easily have been sung by the artists they emulate. Is that good? Bad? I don't know, so I'm giving this 3 stars and moving on.

Seth - 3.5 Logan - 3.5

Don’t like it

How did I pass this one over for Mama Said?? This is great start to end.

okay album

It’s giving cringe, super mundane 70’s revival vibes. I build this garden for us is literally an Elvis Costello rip off bro wtf. My precious love feels like a soul song from the late 70’s too. Idk. I have totally seen this name and album cover before but I’ve never played it. I see why. End of album thoughts: super fucking samey and holy shit bro wants to be Elvis Costello so bad

Dude Lenny is so so so so good at singing I have some Lenny records in my collection but I haven’t listened to 5 much. I will say that this makes me want to. Let love rule is a song that I like and Justice has a great great remix of it which I can’t help but bump that. I think I love his delivery and just demeanor what I don’t like is how forgetful it feels so many of the songs are so good but just I can’t remember it all mushes. There feels like too much of it. It doesn’t feel curated. A proof of concept which is fine but for a name as iconic as Lenny it feels like let love rule is it. Can I really review this based on one song I really like sure

BANGER love me some Lenny 1000/5

Nice vibes.

Solid tunes from a solid dude. Title track is a banger.

Enjoyed the sound and messaging but after 3 tracks lost all interest. Would only listen too as background music

Lenny Kravitz seems to be one of those artists who was "about to be the biggest act in the world" then went straight from that to "he used to be the biggest act in the world" without ever actually having been the biggest act in the world. This first album is about as dull and generic as it gets for someone who seemed to want to take on the James Brown/Hendrix/Prince mantle. Meh....

Mixed bag for me, his voice is grating but some songs were engaging.

So we have Prince from Temu now.

Soo cooool

Great music and variety but the vocals can be so over the top sometimes.

2.5. kinda boring.

I sometimes forget Lenny Kravitz was around in the 80s. I think he might be a vampire.

I never been huge into Lenny Kravitz but I can see his appeal and actually liked quite a few songs on this album.

2.25 - A few songs that I liked, but not near as good as the 90's stuff that I know.

-hmm, this started off promising and i was looking forward to finally listening to Lenny Kravitz, which i haven’t done -honestly it ended up falling pretty flat for me. a bit cheesy and overproduced for my taste -nevertheless it wasn’t bad, Lenny has a great voice and interesting interpretation of soul sounds. maybe i’ll enjoy Mama Said more -Favorites: Sitting On Top Of The World, Let Love Rule

I find Lenny to be a bit slow footed in too many songs. I dig his voice, and many of his songs are memorable. But overall, he, like this album come up short for me. Just saw him live, and the show ranged from intense full sounding music, to songs seemingly performed for resting. I get that the soulful sound is not resting, it's just often times too low energy for me

'But have I forsaken you by / Telling you what you must do.' I have no idea what the fuck that means. 'It's time to take a stand / Brothers and sisters, join hands.' I know what that means but it's flat, faux, & uninspired. I don't need Lenny to make up his mind - to choose between Prince, The Beatles, & Marvin Gaye - but opting for a boring hybridity to prove that you have the chops to both rock out & be soulful leaves a whole lot to be desired. It isn't even bullshit. It's just so poorly executed & unimaginatively effected that it collapses into inevitable bullshittiness. I want to think that there are certain standout moments, like 'Does Anybody Out There Really Care' or 'Mr. Cab Driver,' but they're just not good enuf. Like, I want good songs. They not.

3.5

Pas mon style mais y'a du style

Lenny at his best.

Solid album, I enjoyed it

Sort of everything we’ve come to expect from Lenny. Every groove is deep, every riff swings. But it still feels flat, calculated. There’s a formula, and Lenny knows it front to back.

This is a good album. Didn’t know Lenny got God.

Stevie Wonder does it better

Surprisingly terrible. Cringe level 10. Flower child...point made

Enjoyed the variety and overall song style.

Not his best but he still is good and he gets an extra star for this being his only album on her

This was better than I thought it would be. Personally I feel like his albums tend to drop off on the second half but this did not imo. Lyrically I felt like it was more put together and solid than some of his later stuff. Really liked the variety and storytelling. Sad this is his only album on this list.

It’s a solid listen. Appreciate the thought in his lyrics & that it’s basically a 1 man show. Don’t feel like he’s really developed his sound tho & do not feel it’s his best work. Couple other of his are overall stronger albums

me gustó mucho. pensé que iba a quedarse en ese sonido más tranquilo del principio así que me sorprendieron bastante las parte más rock and roll de las canciones que siguieron. por otra parte, me encanta cuando la canción que abre, de alguna manera, logra sintetizar lo que se va a escuchar depués o resume la idea del disco. diría que"I Build This Garden For Us" y "Fear" fueron las que más me gustaron, aunque las últimas tres canciones son geniales, especialmente "Blues For Sister Someone" y "Empty Hands"

3/5

I just don't get it. Musically, why is he so well liked?

Buen album

proof that even sexy people can be absolutely deadly boring

Enjoyed this more than I expected, no specific takeaways, but it was definitely a fun listen. I'd say not quite a 4, but 3.5-3.75 territory?

Fuck me, I can't believe I made it through this whole album. Sounds like it was engineered to be 18% cooler than Phil Collins. This kind of shit is exactly why Nirvana hit so hard.

Lenny es el blanco, Carl es el negro. Tremendo estilo, buen groove. Gran performance por parte de Lenny. Excelentísimo debut.

Feel like I should have liked it more. Missing something, that I can't quite put my finger on.

Really solid debut album from Lenny Kravitz. Had only really checked out his Mama Says and Are You Gonna Go My Way albums, so this was a first listen. Let Love Rule, I build this Garden for Us, Does Anybody out There Even Care, Mr Cab Driver and Rosemary were standout for me. But overall it was very enjoyable from start to finish.

It's very cool that he played most of the instruments, but that doesn't make it a great album.

Review: Well not bad this album has a lot of areas of improvement. First off the fact that he sounded like he was pushing out a poop about 70 times a song. I do not understand screaming in songs in any scenario. It even drives me crazy when Linkin Park does it I just can't stand it. The guitar was amazing though and was by far the best part of the production. The fact that he did everything himself and this was his debut album was very impressive. It just felt like if he changed a couple of things this could have been in the high 7s low 8s range for sure.

Oh look another album warning up about how we need to change as a society. THAT WAS WRITTEN IN THE LATE 80's! I don't think we as a species are capable of learning. A person can learn sure, but damn we need HELP. I love this album, actually I'm a huge fan of his work especially his first few albums. Solid musician, great lyrics, some songs are fun bops, others make you think and want to hug a random person on the street. Legit great album. I saw him live a few years after this came out and he put on a great show as well. Fun Fact he damn near did everything himself on this one. I think his wife either wrote or co-wrote a song but he did everything else. The man is good at music.

I’m so sorry Lenny. I hear you singing about important things but this album was just so boring ☹️

Fly Away is a great song. I didn’t really think there were any great songs on here

It’s impressive that he played all these instruments and I love his use of scarves in general. These songs plod along with a lovely groove and I think he maintains a good sense of the kind of blues rock he wants but there’s nothing here that I’m super into.

Lenny Kravitz noch vor dem Stadion‑Bombast: warm, retro‑soulige Grooves, ein bisschen Hippie‑Pathos, viel Charme. Das Debüt klingt wie ein lässiger Jam, der mehr Gefühl als Perfektion sucht – und genau dadurch überzeugt.

I think the problem here is it’s just… I too know and enjoy all these influences and I too would rather go and listen to them instead of this album. I don’t think Kravitz has it down to reform them into something all his own or compete straight down the line, and he’s otherwise just extending his tracks and the whole album way too far way too often dragging it down into boredom and a rush of wanting it to end sooner so you can put on Prince.

A middling debut from a talented artist.

Solid LK. Probably his best overall work. Maybe a song or two too long. But still really good. 3.75

It's blasphemy to compare this dude to Prince. Let Meaninful Music Rule. Uninspired. I'm living in fear of finshing this album.

I don' tsee what the big deal is with this album. It was included on the "1,001 album to hear before you die" list, but I don't know why. There are a few tracks that I kind of liked, but for the most part it was very Meh. for me. I like the songs that have the funk vibe but it's not redeeming enough.

Liked more than expected.

I thought I would like it but then I poisoned the well by reading the reviews. Y'all disliked it so intensely you drug me down with you. Heartless and cruel. All I could think about was this entitled, smug guitar player fucking Lisa Bonet.

(4/7) bold and funky

Oof this is really bad. RYM: N Saved a song: N

3 - decent

I forgot how good this album is. He didn’t become too full of himself yet on this album. Flower child is such a cool, unpretentious song.

I mean.... Its okay, i would say its a "Album to listen to before you die" Album

Who compiled this list? I just want to talk real quick.

I'll give it an extra star, sure. I quite like Lenny, albeit not his singing, but the music is fun and never boring.

Gosh, the early album felt really jack johnson-like, in a good way, and I was enjoying having not heard the album the whole way through before. And then everything turned. I couldn’t appreciate the repetition. Or the self-important intensity. Meh

Some of it is really catchy, and then it overstays it's welcome.

Would give 4.5 if an option. Great album.

Was this supposed to be a rock or pop album? If so, it’s very good. 5 stars for Lenny Kravitz

Another album that wasn’t bad but is never going to be my choice.

Some of it was decent’ish. 2.5

Correcto

It’s surely competent but like, so heavy-handed? And he is most definitely trying to imitate Prince on a lot of this but it just comes out as screeching instead. And like, the “YEAH YEAH YE-YE-YEAH” like he does on Fly Away was i guess just a signature move of his? You’ve got better stuff in ya Lenny. You’ll get there soon.

Not bad

Does not change my impression that Lenny Kravitz is mid. It's fine. Well-produced, but not earth shattering.

Horribly whiny singer

This is another tough one but I want to stand by my choice of a 2. Realistically, this is more like a 2.4 even a 2.5. It is simply a case of a singer's voice just not resonating with me. Do not get me wrong, there is passion there which you can feel and some songs really make you feel something. For example, "My Precious Love" was filled with great build up, passionate singing which matched the tone, and some incredible solos on keys. However, this just did not carry on through out the album so I cannot in good heart give it a 3.

Not interested in this at all. Too good to be a 1, but I'll not be revisiting...ever

Amen!

Started off well yet fell off hard in the mid to late section

favs: let love rule i build this garden for us fear rating 1.2/5

i know of Lenny Kravitz, but only for the single Fly Away. i haven't seen many positive reviews so i'm a little concerned Sittin' on Top of the World - 2/5 Let Love Rule - 2/5 Freedom Train - 1/5 My Precious Love - 2/5 I Built This Garden for Us - 1/5 Fear - 3/5 Does Anybody Out There Even Care - 1/5 Mr. Cab Driver - 1/5 Rosemary - 3/5 Be - 2/5 Average score: 1.8/5 ⭐️ i've seen a lot of criticism regarding this, both here and in other sites, so i had a feeling this wasn't gonna be my new fav album or anything i didn't expect it to be this bad though. his singing is fine, not notably bad, but the lyrics? absolutely grating. it's been a hot minute since i've heard such dreadful songwriting. the instrumentation was about the only thing i could find any shred of enjoyment in while listening, but even that isn't necessarily anything to write home about either maybe this album was so bad due to it being his debut, but idk. perhaps there's a reason i've only ever known Kravitz for in the past was Fly Away. while the album's within range of rounding up the score, i personally didn't enjoy this album enough to justify it

Nice guitar

No single song is terrible, but listening to them all together highlights how empty they sound

TBH this was better than I thought it was gonna be. Just a good straight ahead rock album. Some low points in that he probably could’ve cut a song or 2 but overall I get the appeal.

“sir, another leonard has hit the generator!” “oh. wish he’s not as bad as cohen.” (two songs into the album) "...well. he is not as bad as cohen... actually, he's even worse than cohen!" 3/5

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would going into it

the fact he thought he was doing something good with this is awful

It took me three attempts to finally get through it. Strangely, when Lenny Kravitz's universally recognized hits come on the radio, I can listen to them. This album is absolutely nothing — it was really hard to listen to

Overwhelmingly plain and boring

Such an interesting artist. Lenny has a distinct sound and style, but it's not necessarily something that draws me in. He has moments that grab my attention, but then the rest of the album is just the typical Lenny Kravitz I've come to expect. Again, it's not bad, just not something I would actively seek to listen to. "I Build This Garden For Us" was a nice one, reminded me of Chris Cornell a bit, and the era in which this record was released.

i've never listened to a full lenny album until now. he has such a specific sound - there is such a grit and angst to his voice that it feels desperate. he has wonderful melodies, guitar riffs, and arrangement elements that make the songs sound grand. it's a unique and raw and full of layers.

Disappointing album i expected more from this album its a bland album only liked song 3.6/10

man I was gobsmacked to find this was a 1989 release. In my head Kravitz was a late 90's rock guy that was like a proto Bruno Mars. For a debut album its okay, its got a lot of Lenny's style all over it before he really honed it in. Some funky sounds and voice effects throughout, it just strikes me as wanting to be Jimi Hendrix on stage at Woodstock so so bad, and it definitely wore out its welcome. I'll credit him that it doesnt sound like your typical 80's album at the time.

I dunno man. It’s funky and Princey and Jimi Hendrixy and LOOOOOONG and doesn’t really come together in an effective way. I found myself skipping songs 2-3 minutes into them going “yeah yeah I get it”.

Smooth, but maybe just not for me.

Lenny kicks ass. Solid psychedelic soul music. I've always been impressed/jealous of musicians who can do everything and this album is no different. Much better than the reviews would have you believe.

Lenny, as every, plays music that resides in the soul of America. Just listening to his music makes you cooler.

I like Lenny, but only about 60% of this LP.

‘Does anybody out there even care’ asks Lenny in one of the songs. And the answer is: nope.

Let Lenny Vibe

Well I timed this one perfectly, got to the point where I couldn't bear much more, went to read the Wikipedia article, and to my delight found the last three tracks are bonus tracks, not on the original release. I was literally just seconds into the first bonus track, so I killed that shit and put some proper music on instead. In some ways, this isn't actually that bad an album on the face of things, and there's something to be said for one person singing and playing almost every instrument on the entire album. However, dig below the surface and this is about as insipid and vacuous as anything I've ever heard. The songs are all variations on, "Let's all Be Nice to Each Other" with some god-nonsense thrown in here and there. Reading about Lenny's background, I guess it's not his fault that he had a privileged upbringing, but my goodness does it show! Truly appalling, and only deserving of one star.

Pretty great

Yup, that's a Lenny Kravitz album all right.

Speaking the truth, great lovey doves album🙏

No. 197 Very simplistic, lots of songs about love. There are a few that do stand-out, but for an album it's just 'alright'.

Me encantó. Guardé todas y cada una de las canciones del álbum.Un discazo. Lenny sos un fenómeno. Esa voz, esa guitarra, ese bajo y esa batería hacen arte. La portada del álbum también está muy buena.

Great album.

Mid and cap. Why is this on here. There are like 2.5 good songs by Lenny and none of them were on this album

Послухаємо) Знаю цього чувака)

It was a meh. Some songs sounded like Prince rip offs, all songs were forgettable though. I like some of Lenny Kravitz's songs, but really none from this album stood out to me.

Some decent moments, but felt very derivative (palpable Hendrix influences). Cool guy, decent musician - a much lesser version of Prince. 2.5

One of my first albums and concerts. The fact that this album was a one man show was inspirational. Sure, he was part of that 60s revival nonsense in the 90s, but for me he gets a pass on sheer enthusiasm alone.

A relatively successful pastiche of popular rock and r&b styles from 1966 to 1974. The songs are pretty good, and LK is a good instrumentalist (a surprisingly strong drummer), but points deducted for being the biggest nepobaby of his era.

Remember when all those celebrities sang Imagine on webcam during COVID? This is the album equivalent of that. Let Love Rule is the corniest, cheesiest, most self-righteous song I’ve ever heard. It actually made me angry.

Was so cringe. Low 2 1.8/5

Zzzzz

I like the concept of Lenny Kravitz and enjoy some of his tunes. Just gets a little repitative and dull.

Somewhere between bad and bland 2/5

Kravitz knows his way around an anthem like the title track....but most of this album is just OK at best and, at worse, grating and stupid. I really hate the song "Rosemary" with its message of "just suck it up, Jesus will make it all OK." But there are enough good songs--"I Build This Garden for Us," "Mr. Cab Driver"--to make it a worthwhile listen. But there are 1001 albums that are more deserving to be on this list.

Funny getting this one the day after D'Angelo's Brown Sugar. While you can hear the influence of Prince on D'Angelo, it feels like Kravitz just blatantly rips him off. But he's less compelling as a singer than Prince, and a much, much worse lyricist, heavily relying on vague platitudes about love. Then theres the very bad, random Christian rock of Rosemary. I like the title track and its building chorus, Mr Cab Driver is pretty good, but most of this is lame as hell, truly cringeworthy self-seriousness from nepo baby Prince

Meh. Just all meh. I think he thinks he sounds sexy but he doesn't. He sounds like Aerosmith. Boringgggg

Good album!

I didn’t want to go this way

Lenny rubs me the wrong way but this album was pretty alright

All the rock 'n roll fixins', but didn't light me up

A pleasant listen. Down to get down in more ways than one.

sometimes lenny rocks, sometimes lenny rolls

Enjoyable, but this will be my first & last listen. ★★★

There's something to be said about an entirely self-contained, self-produced debut like this one. This an authentic and enthusiastic album throughout this album, which really lets its human element (its imperfection) shine through. The funk influences are abound on this and really lend an excitable energy to a rock album that came out in an era where the genre was becoming increasingly dour and introverted. That said, Kravitz's performance leaves something to be desired throughout this album; his voice almost struggles to get to where he wants to go on certain songs, and the whole album being so strongly rooted in the rock and soul funk mix makes it come off as a derivative of its ancestors, namely Sly Stone. Prince and Jimi Hendrix. This album is SO CLOSE to being a rock-solid debut but it fails to reach the necessary highs more often than not, which makes it somewhat hard to sit with for its 55 minutes. Overall, it's a fine, albeit inessential, debut album from an artist who would do far better just a short time later. Key Tracks: Let Love Rule, Fear, Be

This gets some leeway because Lenny Kravitz is undeniably talented and has a pretty cool voice. Otherwise, meh. Also found this gem from his Wikipedia page: "Kravitz began banging on pots and pans in the kitchen, playing them as drums at the age of three. He decided that he wanted to be a musician at the age of five." So unique.

pretty groovy, pretty funky, wrapped up in some pop appeal. enjoyable, but no song really blew my mind. favorite song is I Built This Garden For Us. soft 3

Rating: 5/10 Maybe the definition of average. At this point we've gotten a good few albums in the realm of the rock, funk, and soul that Kravitz plays here in the year 1989, like The Beatles, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, and Prince; and this album which obviously takes influence from them all to the point of homage is just not nearly as good.

Cheap rock that I can't take seriously. It's kinda just junk and isn't stylish or that "good" at all, and for some reason it annoyed me when he overlayed his vocals over himself like he just discovered the concept of music production 3.2/10

Pretty good.

Raw & unpolished music is totally fine and valid, but I know Lenny has better releases, so this wasn't the one to nominate for this purpose. It's not even that interesting.

Oh, lord. I’m sure this is a classic album for some but I just found this a hard listen. Too slow paced for my rotted brain. I guess I’m not into psychedelic rock/funk. 😞 Shoutout to Empty Hands, you sorta got me jamming out.

Good not great. There's something cool about Lenny Kravitz and some of these songs are pretty enjoyable, like Let Love Rule (that saxophone is where it's at). I think the album is a bit too long though and the songs do start to blend together. I will say that whatever violin/fiddle action is going on in Empty Hands is pretty cool.

I’ve never intentionally listened to Lenny Kravitz. I accidentally listened to the 20th anniversary of the album so we had hours of this album yesterday. It was great Saturday background music to play.

Crazy that this guy was in the hunger games... actually really liked his performance in that movie. This album started STRONG, let let rule was a fantastic song. So grandeous, and the harmonies during the chorus were so heavenly. Then this saxophone comes in to top it all off! That was where things peaked though... the rest of the album just sorta tapered off, his voice didnt offer much variety and most of the other songs were a bit forgettable. Happy I discovered Let Love Rule though, I will be returning to that one many times down the road.

soulful rock with a gravelly voice. yes.

I thinj i hate lenny kravitz

I’ve never been a big Lenny Kravitz fan.

I think people are being a little hard on Lenny here. It's just an album by a guy who really wants to sound like Prince. It's not great, but it's not nearly as bad as people are saying it is. Still probably doesn't have any business being on this list.

Pretty good, buuut also kind of boring at times. He’s very talented though. There are definitely better albums in his discography

Niet mijn muziek

Lenny Kravitz seems like a supremely great guy. He's got a great voice, is a solid guitar player, has a distinctive sound, and isn't afraid to do his own thing. Unfortunately, I find his own thing to be by and large very very boring.

I listened to the whole thing and I feel like I owe it one more listen, but I also know that this is never going to particularly click for me. Lenny is a good looking fella. He makes good music. I respect his energy.

About six months after this album came out, I saw Lenny Kravitz open for the Cult. Even at 13, I found his hippie-rocker shtick cheesy, though maybe I was more put off by his linking hands and swaying with audience members. Or maybe it was the couple next to me who made out the whole time. Anyway, it was inauspicious, and nothing changed for me once Kravitz became a superstar. Imagine my surprise, then, at kind of enjoying this 36 years later. (Well, not so much "Flower Child.") I probably won't come back to it, but I didn't mind it. How far I've come. 3.5 stars.

I respect the idea on paper - a skillful combination of old school pop-rock, 80s pop, soul and funk, carried by a convincing voice. The end result is groovy and smooth... maybe a little too smooth, even. It also sounds too shallow and easy-listening for my taste, as if most of the songs were specifically created to be radio hits. The arrangements are all right but lack complexity and can sometimes sound repetitive, while lyrics are completely uninteresting. But my main gripe is that I didn't hear any real emotion here - it feels more like a product than an album, and it started to bore me halfway through. Not unpleasant overall, but clearly not something I'd listen again. 4/10

A very good start for Lenny Kravitz with "that 70's" vibe. Although nothing new, it was quite original in it's time with that nostalgic touch.

Franchement un bon album mais pas si excellent que cela, il a su mieux faire par la suite, donc je m'en tiens à 3 étoiles

A precursor to the whole 70s revival wave that would follow. Nothing much to complain about, it just works, maybe a little too smoothly. I think the later albums are stronger, but the blend of soul, rock, blues and even touches of hard rock is undeniably effective. Almost so polished that you end up searching for the soul underneath it.

Good

Way more like Prince than I expected this to be. That's not good or bad, just an observation. I thought this was going to be more guitar fueled like his later work I'm more familiar with, but the inclusion of a bunch of other instruments (strings, sax, etc) makes for a more interesting listen than I was expecting.

Hard to believe Lenny had already formed his sound back in the late 80s. Bluesy rock features here, with highlights being the title track, Mr Cab Driver and Flower Child. Recommended

why do these dudes insist on releasing hour long chorefests? you cannot tell me i needed to listen to this over weezer's debut or neutral milk hotel before i died. 1.5

Average

2

Ég get ekki hætt að hugsa um fölsku nótuna í upphafi plötunnar. Var hún viljandi? Var hún óvart en ákveðið að hafa hana með til að ögra? Annars er þetta bara fínasta fönkrokk og vel flutt. Ég fílaði hann meira en ég bjóst við en samt er það þessi falska nóta sem ég kemst ekki yfir.

Muy bueno, nunca había escuchado algo de lenny y me llevo una buena impresión, además de fachero canta bien, que cldo

this album is like if The Beatles were just one guy and that guy sucked ass

Really liked this album when it came out. I think it’s his best album by a country mile. I felt his albums and songs that followed this in the 90’s were too deliberately similar to other classic bands and songs, as if they sat around and said “let’s do one that sounds like x song from John Lennon/Plastic Band,” or “y song from Jimi Hendrix.” Seems to me he found his own sound in the 00’s. Anyway, this album to me has a Sly & The Family Stone vibe but with more of a rock approach. Really appreciated this album listening to it after all these years.

One of the first cds I ever bought was Lenny Kravtiz’s “5” because I really liked his cover of “American Woman”. The lesson is that Jr High Brett had horrible taste. This album is better than that one. I’ve always liked “Mr Cab Driver” but the rest of the album really isn’t notable from my perspective. 2.3

3.4 I have never heard the song Let Love Rule before and about a tenth of a second into the 1st chorus, I thought I should get strapped in for an extended chorus jam at the end of the song. That probably got played for 10 minutes in concert. Rest of the album was certainly listenable but not overly original. Havent heard Cab driver in years, thats a decent tune

3.5

I guess the key to letting love rule is ignoring the lyrics. In fact, when I reflect on my 20+ years of marriage, I do think that my wife ignoring half of the s*** I say has been a key to our success. 😅 This album and its publicity including w Lisa Bonet did more for nose rings than any pirate movie ever did. Please Lord let it be that they marked their marriage by placing matching nose rings on each other?🙏 More seriously, the word is Derivative. Kravitz is supremely talented, perhaps even moreso than his The Jeffersons-starring mom, but not particularly original. Listening to this record is like playing music trivia: which 60s-70s rock n soul tunes is he borrowing from? His tunes can be expressed like an algebraic formula. This album might be (2(Beatles-Everley Brothers) + 3(Isley Brothers) + 1.5 (Delphonics) )/(Prince - George Clinton).

I've always enjoyed hearing and listening to Lenny Kravitz over the years, so I'm glad that we get one of his albums, although I do wish we could have gotten an album later than his debut; he definitely got more polished and more interesting as the decades wore on. I hadn't realized that--at least on this album--he wrote, produced, played and sang everything on the album, a la Prince and others (except for co-writing by Lisa Benet on a couple of tracks). It's not the best album overall, and certainly not his best, but it's kind of interesting to see him getting his footing, and nice that he had complete direction by taking charge of everything. It's a bit too throwback for my tastes, and strangely slow across most of the tracks, but a few of the singles seem like good highlights of the album (The Beatlesesque "Let love rule" and "Mr. cab driver" especially); sadly, the videos actually detract from the songs (especially the plodding "I built this garden for us" as well as "Be"). I can definitely see why the reviews for his debut were pretty mixed, but glad he persevered and found a lot of success in later years.

Puts the "me" in "mediocre"

Lenny Kravitz has always seemed like a decent dude, and I don't mind that he's still doing his thing, but there is nothing about this album that I liked or want to experience again. It ain't the 70s anymore, bro.

After listening to this album, I am now anti-love

Go on then.

3.25

Pop rock, Prince tinged, some interesting songs.

So I’m not really into rock that much but this album really changed my whole perspective of rock cause i thought it was gonna be one of those rock song that be yelling and shit, but this album was more of a chill relaxing type of album, this is the type of album you play when you’re in a long roadtrip or when there a festival at a park or sum. One of my favorite song were,Let love rule, and I build this garden for us Overall I give this album a 2.5/5

not for me i guess

aigth

Great Songs: Let Love Rule, Rosemary, Be Good Songs: Freedom Train, My Precious Love, Fear, Does Anybody Out There Even Care, Mr. Cab Driver, Blues For Sister Someone, Empty Hands, Flower Child Mid Songs: Sitting On Top Of The World, I Built This Garden For Us Bad Songs:

Lenny isn't sure if he's a rapist or not? Favorite track: Be 2.5/5

Painful listeb

Hot fuckin' garbage

The first time I heard Lenny Kravitz was when he was on Saturday Night Live promoting his Are You Gonna Go My Way album. Beyond this or hearing his hits on the radio, I have not really heard a lot of Kravitz's music. Fear, Be, and the title tracks are the stand-outs for me. A number of the other songs got REALLY repetitive... I'm looking at you I Build This Garden for You... and others. This over repetition is what keeps this from being a great album for me.

An enjoyable introduction to Lenny’s music. It feels like his sound isn’t fully formed here, but I was certainly fond of what he was going for. The instrumentation and vocal inflections are engaging throughout, creating plenty of fun moments, even if some tracks drag a bit. 1 listen Favorite Track: Title Track

Expectation: -> Expecting a Lenny Kravitz album to be 3-ish for me. I do like his biggest hits. After listening: -> Enjoyed the blend of sounds/styles on this album. Like the interspersed saxophone and orchestral moments. This was Kravitz's first album and for me lacks a big hitter. Too many songs fell flat and were a minute longer than needed. Track ranking: Let Love Garden Precious Empty Flower Cab Blues Care Rosemary Be Fear World Train

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I need to listen to more Lenny

This album gets absolutely shredded in the most popular comments, but I’d say it’s just fine. The sound is ‘The Beatles with a side order of Funk’, which makes it quite derivative but a pretty listenable. The lyrics are pretty basic, but it does at least have some inkling of a social conscience. Nothing special, but enough for 3*.

I enjoyed elements of this, it was very Beatles-y and there were some funk elements on some tracks, but I have to say there wasn’t a lot that stuck in my mind. ‘Mr. Cab Driver’ and the title track ‘Let Love Rule’ were the highlights.

This psychedelic rock/soul album was considerably better than I was expecting given the scathing top comments and a 2.99 current average rating. The lyrics might not be great poetry, but they’re not THAT bad (they do their job as a vehicle for some solid vocal performances), and are secondary to the music anyway. This is mostly pretty good, and sometimes even great, albeit a bit derivative of the 60s/70s. However, as I love that stuff, this didn’t bother me too much. It’s a bit too long, but I’d give it a strong 3 stars, very nearly 4.

2.46

Not bad, not spectacular, but not Lenny Kravitz yet. You can see places where he'll evolve from.

Lenny rocks, he souls, he funks, and he even rips off the Beatles much better than most. Is there anything this guy can't do musically? I might not love it all, but it's a pretty solid album and always a good listen.

Not bad but not good

boring

I enjoyed this album. I think he has a great voice, and sometimes the albums songs blends together for me, but there’s so much expression in each one. Fav song is My Precious Love, least fav is Freedom Train.

Very strong debut album by a great musician.

134. nice

Other than the title track and Mr Can Driver it bored me.

Not a big fan. Not even a little one.