Reviews (page 7 of 7)
Lenny Kravitz has an annoying habit of writing choruses that are just the title of the song repeated over and over. I don't always mind it so much, but when it's most of the songs on the record it starts to really grate.
Lenny Kravitz: 5 This album: 2
Little bit disappointed.
Between 2/3*. As title of album suggests a lot of the songs are about love, with lots of Christian lyrics thrown in there. Guitar+man singing with some sax/drums in there too. The lyrics got very descriptive and out there sometimes. I do think Christian rock is slept on a bit, I just wasn’t feeling these as much, but the quality of the production means it’s not lower than a 2
Never been a Kravitz fan. Don't know why but just doesn't do it for me
Ugh, why is this on the list?
Really loved the instrumentation and his voice, but I would never listen again unless there was an instrumental version? or just like him scatting for an hour? these lyrics are horrendous
AJ: Does anyone like this guy’s music or do we all just want to fuck him? Hippie, Prince, funk band leader… pick one, you stink at all of them. I am not gonna go you’re way. Now you know.
frekar leiðinlegt og langt.
It's fine 2/5
1,2 4,5,6 8 10 9 3 7 12 13
More disappointing than anticipated.
Aggressively mid. Kravitz is talented, absolutely, but his first time out sounds like a 90s bar band doing unreleased Beatles and Prince tracks.
Love rules—this record does not.
sermon or album?
Easy background listening but not something I’d choose to listen to again. Last song was enjoyable though and would actively listen to again
Sounds like a bad Beatles cover album. More like John Lenny Paul McKravitz am i rite
Love good. Hate bad. 2/5
In some ways, I can see some appeal of this album. The blend of styles seems natural and the raw approach in production and self-made vibes of this album give it a bit of personality. That said, I would greatly prefer this album with more accomplished musicians rather than one solo, sub-par multi-instrumentalist and I would also greatly prefer it with production being at least a bit better. Despite the mix of styles, songwriting also simply isn't interesting, with few examples such as I Build This Garden and most notably, Flower Child (the only track I actually enjoyed). This one really doesn't cut it for me.
Yesterday, I got one of my all-time favorite albums. Today, the law of averages caught back up with me. I don't have many positive things to say about this album. The only track that I thought wasn't completely cheesy was "Rosemary," with "I Build This Garden For Us" in a close second. Musically, this album wasn't terrible. It was pretty inoffensive, but also completely forgettable. Lyrically, it felt forced and hacky. I think it's awesome that Lenny Kravitz wanted to record some socially aware music, but he just really misses the mark here, and nothing feels very genuine. It's still impressive that Lenny Kravitz pretty much created and recorded this whole album by himself, but it's a shame that there's not a whole lot here to write home about.
Vad ska man säga? Nej, tror jag.
astoundingly beige grunge-rock that will have you checking your watch for each song. some neutral head-bopping backing with truly uninspired lyrics 2/5
It's all very much okay. It's very well lit together, he is talented, but it's all a bit derivative. A bit of Prince, a bit of Hendrix, a lot of 60s.
Har utsatt detta ganske lenge, men god grunn
I just do hate his exaggerated way of singing, as if the world is collapsing. Just can't bear this. Songs are at best tolerable.
Cant stand this guy. Overrated and boring
A patchy album; a couple of strong songs, but a lot of filler.
An exceptionally boring album. I really don’t think Lenny has that great of a voice and many of the songs rely pretty heavily on it. On top of that, the songwriting is boring as hell and so nondescript that I can’t tell the main purpose of most of them. 3/10
Good, got a little too preachy
Brauch eigentlich niemand
Dad rock
It's ok, I guess.
Like Prince, but boring.
Solid 2. A couple of decent-ish songs, mostly pretty boring and uninspired.
Something about this is so close to feeling like it could be good, or interesting, or fun, but it just falls short into some sort of mildly terrifying uncanny valley.
Meh
mid
Sorry but definitely says “yeah yeah yeah yeah” too many times for me. But it’s decent. Probably won’t ever listen again though.
I was bored by this album halfway through.
I mean, he's a great musician, but this was pretty boring for me.
Before Kravitz broke through with hard funk rock hits, he was a successor to Prince with a softer, janglier chamber sound. He has some cool ideas, but nothing really stands out among the crowd. 90% of the time it's a clean and boring sound, trying too hard to mimic his influences. I'm hearing Lennon in "Let Love Rule", "I Build this Garden", and "Mr. Cab Driver". Favorites: Let Love Rule, Fear, Rosemary
2/13, 15%
Meh
It started better than I expected - middle of the road dirge. I made it to track 8 (Mr Cab Driver) before bailing, pretty atrocious as the album continued. Could have been a decent EP but he dragged it out to 13 tracks? Shame on you Lenny!
Beetje zeikerige stem, niet voor mij
It’s alright
Pretty bad for Lenny. As a whole, a bit of a snooze fest
It felt like nibbling on crackers. You might be eating something, but there's very little in terms of substance. For Kravitz, the ideas were there, but he failed to go into any real depth to make them meaningful.
Tilgerðarlegt
Not great. There are a couple okay tracks, but when I spend about half of the album just waiting for it to be over, it's not a good sign.
I always felt Kravitz was a middling talent (although I dug him as Cinna in Hunger Games, and I love "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over"), though I've never had strong feelings about him. But damn, I was not expecting to actively dislike this album. I never thought he was a great singer, but there are so many moments on this album that were cringe-worthy. And his lyrics have never been strong, but that's especially true here. And on top of all that, the music just doesn't work for me. The grooves aren't compelling, the hooks are lacking. I liked the strings on that garden song, but that's about it.
What’s this dawg
Not a fan
Pretty good all over the map stylistically. I wish he'd find his sound and stick to it. 2.5 🌟
Not very interesting
It is the acoustic equivalent of a mid 90s cross colors hoodie.
Nice he did all the instruments, just a bit aor middle of the road.
Sorry, just don't get the hype of Lenny Kravitz. Yeah he's a good vocalist, good looking and basically this entire album is a one man show (apart from a couple of songs co-written by his then wife Lisa Bonnet), but it doesn't really offer me much else. Best: Fear Worst: Mr. Cab Driver 2.5 Stars
Like a soft rock Hendrix pretender. I.e a bit shit. Even the album cover annoyed me - I have a nose ring I'm so alternative, but also safe enough for the middle of the road
some of these songs have laughably bad lyrics
I was looking forward to this when it popped up, but it's pretty boring. A couple of good songs, but overall is pretty one note. In case you weren't aware, Lenny wants two things from everyone: 1) be good and, 2) not be bad. And he tells us that in approximately 13 different ways on this album. Thanks, Lenny!
I was confused by some of the negative reviews on this page, and then I passed track four and it became clear that the good ideas were being stretched mighty thin. A lot of the runtime of this record was rough, and I removed the bonus tracks from the queue pretty early. But I found myself liking a few of the choices - organ! - and soft toward even the goofier bits. But overall: Youch.
Meh
Terrible. Has nobody noticed that his singing has pitch issues? The lyrics are lame? The music is samey and cliched?
Best Song: Mr. Cab Driver. Feels like the root of a decent folk song, even if it isn't totally successful here. Worst Song: Freedom Train. Took until nearly the end of the song for me to realize what he was even saying. Why is it mixed like he's singing from inside a suitcase? Overall: Not good. Largely feels like is co-opting a sort of hippie, "free love" aesthetic and presenting it in this smarmy, overly "cool" fashion. The album sounds like Kravitz has cornered some 19-year-old in the corner of a bar and is saying "we should all love each other", but it's pretty clear he doesn't mean all, and he probably doesn't mean love either. Gets weirdly religious towards the end. Combined with Kravitz occasionally pulling this vocal technique where he sounds like he's singing with every ounce of strength he doesn't have, its hard to believe this was a breakout debut.
lenny is sexy. idk it was hard to get into cause im not used to this music. voice is hard to hear. mr cab driver was fun though
it's ok, but not my vibe
Took me like a week to finish. Boring. Highlight tracks: 2, 6, 8
Got me some prince vibes, with his crazy demeanor and long instrumentals, but with themes and messages that are a bit lighter. One of them is of course racial inequality, which is usually far from light, but it's also just about a cab driver who didn't want to serve him. 2/5
The instrumentation is there, but everything else falters big-time. The entire LP is so repetitive that once you've heard the first verse-chorus set you can skip the entire rest of the song.
L-Krav seems like such a cool dude. What a waste of personality on music that basically has none. Also, considering the album he put out after this is the one with all the hits… does this mean there will be at least 2 Lenny Kravitz albums on this list?? Hoo boy. This thing is in need of a 2nd draft.
a little dull
Ok, but too slow for my tastes.
While I can find arguments to listen to debut albums for different groups, it's a bit harder with certain acts. One of which is Lenny Kravitz. His mainstream success has been paramount to his appeal and this album is lacking any true single. That being said, we are left with a solid album of B-side level tracks for when he hones his songwriting.
A good start but he got better...
surprisingly old-fashioned sounding and quite hippy.
First song is grating. It doesn’t get better. I misremembered Let love rule as an enjoyable song. I rarely pay attention to lyrics but these sound very primitive.
Dull, tried to enjoy it more but couldn't. Might be okay live but boring.
What’s my problem with Lenny Kravitz’s voice? Why won’t I give him the time of day? He’s objectively talented. He write soulful, funky music? So what’s my deal? No idea. But I’m definitely the one with the problem. I must be, right? Lenny is beloved. 2 stars, but don’t count it. Read another review. This one is broken.
Never a fan
Not bad, but mediocre. 6.9/10
I grew up with Lenny's top 40 hits on the radio, but didn't know much beyond that. I liked the funkier tracks that opened this one. I Build This Garden for Us was recognizable but I have no idea where I've heard it.
je suis content d'écouter ça fav : I build this garden for us, flower child, empty hands oh mon dieu c'est nul Lenny kravitz en fait 3/10 En fait non 5, quelques bonnes chansons quand même
nice. Let it be sort of track
ok.
He thinks he's so cool, and so much is so lame. Doesn't in any way rock out. Lots of God-bothering as well.
Was really into it, up until he started singing about Jesus
Musically is decent... Love his voice, lyrics are terrible, melodies bland
Mama Said is a great album, this is just ok - couple of strong tracks
Never have I ever listened to a Lenny Kravitz album, let alone Lenny's debut album from 1989, a time when pop music was having an identity crisis and fracturing in exciting "alt" directions. I get the feeling Lenny thinks he's invented a whole new genre of Sly Stone+Prince+Beatles and here to save us all. Essentially ignoring that the 80s ever existed, Lenny mines the 60s and 70s, extracts a wheelbarrow full of rock and funk influences, and stuffs it all into his shiny leather pants. What a weird time. The Black Crowes tried the same strategy. Both were wildly successful, and also criticized for being derivative and nostalgic. Now anyone can do it with no consequence. We're in end times. History no longer exists. Greta Van Fleet and Robert Plant are homies. C
There were moments where this shone and moments where it stunk. Was Kravitz more of a Bohemian version of Prince at the beginning then Rock fucked up his sound? I can hear the funk still embodied in his fashion sense. But mostly I didn’t like this album, sometimes generic, some songs sounded like they were recorded in a closet. Most of the lyrics were too on the nose and lacked nuance, exemplified in Mr Cab Driver. So Rosemary is just a Christian song? Puke. He’s doing something almost interesting here, spans a few genres, but he doesn’t do it well. Reminds me of Gary Clark Jr.: fashionable bohemian black man, pretty good in the guitar, rock focused, on the nose lyrics, marketed to white people with no taste who want to feel cool—Matt P. Also likes Gary Clark Jr. so it makes sense. 2.
Good lyrics but his voice is hard for me
A little too generic
I always think I like Kenny kravitz and then I’m like ugh.
Lenny Kravitz is just fine. I listen to this and think "He sure is making that music and singing". It stirs no strong emotions in me. For reference, Doolittle by Pixies came out the same year, so, yeah. I hope I get to listen to a good album this week.
Better than I initially expected. Still not really my thing, but not the worst thing I've ever heard either.
Other than fly away I've not really listened to much Kravitz. First up he sounds a bit like Prince when hes singing. Thats where that comparison ends though as the songs are weak and try to get by on elongated guitar and sax solos. Its basically a more modern version of that Jimi Hendrix album I hated. 2/5
false
Way too jesusy
NOT LENNY!
Creo que fué su primer disco... se siente crudito
'Boring' is the word that keeps coming to mind. I can appreciate that Kravitz is a talented singer and musician, but nothing on this album is standing out for me.
Not my thing.
лень описывать, почему это посредственно
'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.
I just don't get it. Musically, why is he so well liked?
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.
It's blasphemy to compare this dude to Prince. Let Meaninful Music Rule. Uninspired. I'm living in fear of finshing this album.
Oof this is really bad. RYM: N Saved a song: N
Who compiled this list? I just want to talk real quick.
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
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
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.
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.
Zzzzz
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.
I thinj i hate lenny kravitz
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
this album is like if The Beatles were just one guy and that guy sucked
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
Painful listeb
Hot fuckin' garbage
Not a big fan. Not even a little one.
¿Es neceario escuchar este disco de Lenny Kravitz antes de morir? No lo creo. Es un trabajo repetitivo y aburrido; un refrito de tendencias de la música negra tratadas comercialemente, lo suficiente para apelar a un público blanco masivo a través de la venta de una figura "sensual". Ninguna de las canciones es lo suficientemente buena como para justificar los vápidos mensajes antiguerra y proamor. ¿Cuál era la intención de Kravitz al grabar esto? Ninguna, te aseguro. No entiendo esta lista a veces. ¿Qué harán después, hacerme escuchar un disco de Milli Vanilli? Pistas destacadas: I Build This Garden for Us
Hmmm, Terrible !
Das klingt alles irgendwie weinerlich! Ich möchte, dass mich Musik wach und fröhlich macht. Trübsal blasen kann ich alleine! Nö, wieder eine furchtbare Nullnummer.
Fucking sucks bad.
I can hear the Prince/Beatles yearnings, and I mean, that's some good stuff to yearn for. But overall, a weird blend of cringey and tedious.
Genuinely did not enjoy this even for one second.
Hell ya Lenny I also think Prince is pretty cool
Nowt but attempts at style. Has the energy of forced fun at a work retreat.
Sorry but I fucking hate it. Genuinely what is the point of music like this, particularly these utterly tedious on the nose lyrics. It's just absolutely artless, while the music sounds like you fed all the worst Beatles songs into ChatGPT. This album is one hour long but it felt like 6. BAD BAD BAD BAD.
Let Love Rule is among one of my least favorite songs I've heard on this list, and it's the title track for this album...
Generic guff.
How unremittingly dull. Feel like the winners of Rock School. Sure all better musicians than I could ever hope to be but so boring. Lyrics that probably come from a good place but doling out tired references to freedom, love etc etc. and I honestly couldn't find it in me to make to the end.
Didn't like this at all. It sounds like it's trying to emulate Beatles but without any actual soul. The musicianship is fine, but no, not for me.
#30/1001 🇺🇸 I felt a bit sorry for Lenny back in the day. He was the target of much ridicule from the comedy columnist Mr Agreeable in the Melody Maker. Having said this, i'd never listened to this album. It's not that it's bad musicianship, he has a great voice and he's extremely handsome. Some of the lyrics are dreadful and i don't care for any of the tracks. If it was background music in a shop or bar, I wouldnt run out holding my ears. I don't want to hear it voountarily again howeve. Best track: Meh.
This entire album feels like it was written by a supremely earnest tween
Ever hear of the uncanny valley? Its used to describe the phenomena of seeing human like things that closely resemble actual humans, but ironically make you feel creeped out. Lenny Kravitz is an audio parallel to the uncanny valley. He can sound close to Prince. His playing style can mimic Hendrix. Some of the tracks seem to fit the Laurel Canyon 60s vibe… It all falls short though. And the result is that I feel like his music is a shitty rip off instead of its own thing I say this knowing that I actually like some LK tunes e.g. Are You Gonna Go My Way is a banging track. This album does not hit and was a massive disappointment for me
Every morning when I wake up, before I open my eyes or even move a muscle, I think about that picture of Lenny on stage with the crotch of his black leather pants split wide open, no undies, trouser hog flopped out for all to see. Google it, learn it, love it, make it your phone background. I did.
No thanks.
Just nah.
That's a nepo baby, innit?
Tedious. It just feels shallow and insipid throughout.
Meh
I expected something more than what I got. A lot of reviewers are saying .. boring ... and they are right. I'm sorry to say I was called away from this album after 5 songs ... and didn't come back. Sorry, Lenny.
Boring
If I’d never heard of Prince or Stevie I would be impressed, but I have and I’m not
Bland lyrics, white noise and repetitive themes. Lenny Kravitz was writing AI rock music 35 years ahead of its time
My only exposure to Lenny Kravitz before now is the side-splittingly hilarious Architectural Digest videos. It’s pleasing to see that he is the exact same character here. He takes the most dramatic and forceful elements of The Beatles and adds a dash of Soul singing. It’s all a bit cheesy and overwrought for my personal tastes. He regularly pushes the performance too hard into quite grating territory.
I hated this. Lyrics seem too on the nose and lacking any depth. Did not enjoy a single song
Love, did not, in fact, rule ….
What an absolute piece of shit this was.. this sounded like the guitar guy at the party was really horny
I don't get why this on the list. He has better stuff (are you gonna go my way) but this just isn't it. Weird album and choice for the list
One of the lamest attempt at music I've ever heard. This sounds like AI music before AI. Ridiculous.
Janice Hendrix meets Jimmy Joplin
Hate it. Hate the sound and the lyrics are made for stupid people.
Don't like it
1.5/5
Not much redeeming about this one. Completely boring bunch of songs with little to make them stand out. And some really obnoxious lyrics and melodies that bordered on cliche. Hard to believe he was so popular after listening to this.
1/5, not for me
Quero começar dando crédito pro cara. De acordo com Wikipedia, ele compôs o álbum todo com exceção de uma faixa, e ainda tocou todos os instrumentos. Bem comendável a sua virtuosidade, apesar dos resultados serem abaixo de estelares. Lenny Kravitz certamente não é nenhum Stevie Wonder. Pra começar que achei todo o disco bem pastelão. A voz de Kravitz não é ruim, mas também não é boa. Passa batido, um vocalista completamente esquecível. Uma voz que serviria mais para atender clientes em um drive-thru. A instrumentalização, composta e tocada inteiramente por ele, é sem gosto. Básica, pedestre, nada notável. O resultado é este. Um disco completamente inofensivo, mas também desprovido de qualquer personalidade própria ou maior ambição. Parece que ele existe apenas para existir. E é aquilo, não conheço nada sobre o artista em si, mas tenho certeza que se fosse conhecer ia acabar gostando ainda menos desta obra. Vamos tentar novamente amanhã, 1001 álbuns. 1/5
In a nutshell: foreplay music for a movie It’s as if Lenny is a mix of Prince and Sly Stone. The funk/soul stylings, a sensual voice (for the most part), multi-instrumentation. Speaking of, I find it amusing that the Personnel entry on the album’s Wikipedia page lists Lenny’s credits as “lead and backing vocals, all other instruments.” All other instruments. Good for you. Overall: 2/10
What a half-baked mess. Each track is like one of Hannah's dolls in Toy Story - made up of pretty parts; but stitched together, they are comically unpleasant. Does nothing to disabuse me of my sense that he's famous because of that face.
Ultra boring.
Why is this album on the list??? Totally unimaginative and boring.
I don't know how Lenny Kravitz convinced himself so contritely that he was good, let alone anyone else; in the words of Ongo Gablogian "DERIVATIVE" He saw Prince moving into new sonic territories to mixed success and then jumped into his grave. The only saving grace, is this palette somewhat sounds like how Prince would revive himself with in 95 and thereafter.
Oh this was not good. Highly irritating.
I never need to listen to this one again
Homie is vibing in his room alone feeling himself, wanking himself and decided to release the video for some reason
I know Lenny Kravitz's 5 or 6 hits, and based on that, I expected to at least partially enjoy a few songs on this album at worst. I couldn't wait for it to end. There's hardly any meat here. None of the songs go anywhere particularly interesting. Not musically, not lyrically. Several songs touch on compelling subjects, but ultimately the tone is too preachy and / or the rhymes are too cheesy. Rosemary, for example, is basically just a really bad CCM song. (Not knocking the genre itself - I could name dozens of Christian rock songs that are infinitely better than anything on this album.) The first half sets up a story that could really go somewhere, but it evolves into a sermon. What a complete turn-off. Not for me.
1. Let Love Live 2. Does Anybody Out There Even Care 3. My Precious Love
I really didn't care much for this one. The vocals in particular were bad to the point I couldn't listen to half the album before needing to turn it off, even while I was working on other things. No good!
Спасибо за дочь, наверное. Лучшая песня - Rosemary.
It's not for me.
positiivi, komparatiivi ja superlatiivi, tämä on tylsin albumi jonka olen pääkoppaani laittanut vähään aikaan…
I built this garden for us Forever
this is sweet, it really is. lenny loved prince, the beatles, jimi, and stevie so much that he self-produced this loving macaroni art tribute. it's sweet, but it's not good.
I’m not going to let my deep disdain for Lenny Kravitz’s absolutely horrendous cover of “American Woman” have any effect on this review, as that travesty was released on a different album. Having said that, I really just cannot stand this guys voice. Musically this album is.. fine? Pretty generic late 80’s/early 90’s pop rock, definitely designed for radio airplay aspirations. But the voice is really what kills this record for me, I’m not even entirely sure why, but it’s just so grating to me. Not something I’ll ever even consider listening to again. 1*
Lenny Kravitz tells us to love each other and love god. I was hoping this album would show me a new appreciation for him, but I didn’t find that here. It’s really just bluesy pop rock that doesn’t stand much. It occasionally tries on a little more edge or a dil of psychedelia for color, but it’s shallow and not enough to really influence the sound. Almost just a nod to an influence or cool factor without really embracing it. There are some decent instrumental breaks which were probably my preferred parts. While I respect that he does almost everything in his own, maybe he’d benefit from some collaborators.
Aggressively lame.
poundshop prince is overpriced
Was a little surprised by how painfully corny this was. The lyrics on this album are just terrible. I’ve never heard much beyond Kravitz’s hits, but I was under the assumption he was a lot “cooler” than this. I feel like this album has no business being on the list, so it’s getting a rare 1 star from me.
Stream of consciousness review. First track - Stevie Wonder's keyboard. Erm. Freedom Train. Freedom Train. Track 4 is Prince from Wish. Noone says that now, Prince from Temu. The wars of viral marketing between the cheapo websites for control of that meme phrase are violent and ongoing. The lyrics "Little fishies in the sea say hooray" No comment necessary there. Some real sub-Beatles/Peter Gabriel/Tears For Fears snoozefest songs follow. Does Anybody Out There Even Care or know any of these songs? Lenny has 3 genuinely good songs, and they're on three different albums. None of which are this one. No more notes necessary. So unremarkable. Why have I listened to this?
“Are you gonna go my way?” “No mate, sorry” 1/5 13/4/25
It was a shock to me that I didn't enjoy this album more than 2! I like Lenny's guitar but a lot of the songs are too long and even some of the shorter songs like Freedom Train are too repetitive for me (for a rock song). A lot of the melodies are recycled - I liked Fear but didn't like how much it sounded like War Pigs. I also kind of liked the writing in Fear and was curious as to why so much of the other writing felt sophomoric and naive - that one was written by Lisa Bonet! The super Christian stuff near the end like Rosemary was so grating to listen to and felt like a high school creative writing workshop where people with little lived experience are trying to write about extreme circumstance and the sanctimonious Christ stuff on top just really left a bad taste in my mouth. Some good riffs though! I understand why this album created hype.
Not a fan Rating: 1.5
Didn't really like this.
I thought Prince was crap, but this, fucking hell It's a shame tbh some of the guitar work behind it was decent
I have some money here for you, so reach into me and grab it And I've never understood why anybody likes Lenny Kravitz I see no reason for this to continue I don't have anything else to put in you Now go back home girl, and do whatever it is that you do - from the song "Lenny Kravitz" by Electric Six
Hot derivative garbage. Nothing worse than a nepo baby singing about the plight of the marginalized.
Aggressively boring Psychedelic Rock.
DNF, could not get through this. His voice is atrocious in this. Best Song: N/A Rating: 1/10 Stars: 1
Generic funk soul twoddle. There’s playing with your whole heart like the marvellous set of influences that he isn’t shy about plagiarising and then there’s cold and technical. I honestly felt the square root of F-all listening to this bloater.
1. zitting - 0 2. rule - 1 3. train - 1 4. preciouz - 1 5. garden - 0 6. fear - 1 7. care - 1.5 8. cab - 1 9. roze - 1 10. be - 1.5 11. bluez - 0 12. empty - 0 13. child - 0
lenny, you ever consider that cab driver had heard your music before?
Poseur
Yeah. I'm gonna go ahead and skip this one. UPDATE: I went back and listened to it. So, so boring.
Awful
I did not know that he got his start making Christian music. This is really awful stuff.
Lenny Kravitz has the voice of an angel. Except it's a fallen angel. And it's actually Satan. And he sucks as singing. Lenny Kravitz strikes me (and probably his dog) as the kind of guy who sings about love all the time, but also viciously beats his dog or hookers. Album sucks lol bad voice annoying lyrics 1/5
Not really into it. Lenny sounds like if you mixed Prince and Paul McCartney. His instrumentals aren't all that interesting either.
hollow
Insipid, just like each and every one album by Lenny Kravitz, a talented musician and performer but a rather bland composer, except for a fistful of hits. Worse, this debut doesn't even have the bangers of *Mama Said*, or "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and its infectious hits. Deep cuts are not just deep cuts with this rich Beverly Hills kid who just profited from happy circumstances. They're abyssal. 1/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 6/10 for more general purposes (5 + 1) Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've went over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 433 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 257 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 318 (including this one)
This album hit me with a double whammy. It was an hour-long ordeal of Lenny Kravitz delivering what I found to be terrible music, and just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, the last song felt like a punch in the gut on the way out.
Didnt enjoy
kinda gay
This is so much worse than I thought it would be. It’s got the wimpiest, flattest mixing, but the dude is doing his best Prince imitation with horrible, screeching vocals.
can't get over some of these lyrics I know a girl who gets off By sticking needles in her vein Oh lord what a shame
Couldn’t do it.. I am not a fan of Lenny.
I'm not sure I'm the demographic for this album. It is far too neutered - it feels like Lenny is straining to deliver some better material. Really dull, and uninspiring/uninspired instrumentation.
This album is pretty mediocre to me. Even the "hit" songs on this album are not great and forgettable. I'm glad that he kept making music because his later stuff is much better. Guess there is a reason I never heard this album before now.
Not for me
Unable to finish this
Bloody awful.
Bit plodding, cock rock.
Oh hell no
So boring. I couldn't wait for it to be over.
I like Lenny, but this album specifically seems another Lenny. Too much screaming.
Let Love Rule is not good. The main problem is that Lenny Kravitz can't sing, or couldn't at this point, and it starts on the second line of the first song. The music itself is pretty meh, not especially creative or interesting, but it's dragged down further by the vocals and it's not a enjoyable listen at all. Don't see how I can reach to a 2, it's so poor, not downright bad and offensive like other 1s (although it is lyrically quite empty too), just embarrassing.
This album hit me with a double whammy. It was an hour-long ordeal of Lenny Kravitz delivering what I found to be terrible music, and just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, the last song felt like a punch in the gut on the way out.
we need to ban annoying people from making music because ngl this is just slop. like it’s so bad, i think it made my eczema flare up
This has to be a joke. Probably better off going your whole life without hearing this. Cheers Len. Watch Pat Finnerty's Kravitzbowl on YouTube instead of wasting your time here.
WTF. Seriously W.T.F. This was shaping up to be a solid 3 stars (a score reserved for music I don't give a crap about. Then came Rosemary. WTF. Rosemary is a five year old girl living on the streets after being abandoned by her parent but apparently that's OK because God. WTF. Not a word of condemnation for her parents (who clearly weren't cab drivers) or society or anyone. WTF. Just platitudes about God and Jesus. EFFING HELL So EFF Lenny Kravitz and EFF Lisa Bonet the co-writer of this vile despicable garbage. PS: W.T.F. PPS: EFF L & L for making me want to believe in Hell so garbage humans like them will get their just deserts. Unfortunately Hell doesn't exist so no just deserts for L & L. PPPS: Seriously EFF L & L.
Just sounds like a studio version of a dude with an acoustic guitar sitting below a tree on a college campus trying to get laid.
It gives the vibes of a Christian youth counciler trying to help inner city kids find God while also sliding into a 15 year old's DM's.
Love transcends all space and time. This album thinks it does too.
LOL! This is absolute trash.
My favorite part of this album was when it ended. I'd say this album put me to sleep if he didn't wail through half of it. Boy do I not care for Lenny Kravitz's music.
i like Lenny but this album did nothing for me.
god what a pretentious loser I actually can't stand listening to this guy. Look at me I'm so cool I'm a soulful huge rockstar. No you aren't!!! He had mild success and can play guitar and has a good voice and wrote the least authentic, most generic and meaningless ass songs and just started acting like he was Prince. Prince already behaved like a weird egotistical loser if you ask me, he just had the music to back it up. God idk why i hate this guy so much but fuck him. lenny crapshitz hehe
Funkadelic, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Hendrix... he's copying from good source material. But the problem with wearing your influences on your sleeve is that when you're this bad it just reminds everyone how much better music there is they could be listening too instead. Insipid lyrics. "There is a woman who does drugs and has sex for money, ain't that a shame." "What if we like, did a love, instead of like, doing a hate?" It's so embarrasing when dumb rock guys really go for it with the deep social issues songs. Thin grating voice. Slow repetitive songs that just play the one-line choruses over and over again. The sax is good at least and Fear has a a pretty good groove until the boring riff kills it.
Incredibly repetitious all throughout. This albums marks 32/1001 for me, and it’s the first one I couldn’t finish. I hated it.
I got 3 songs in and got a headache from being screamed at.
Hahahha die voice crack by Sittin on top of the world, hi-la-risch.. Dit album voelt heel erg alsof iemand heeft gegoogled "Hoe maak ik een Rock album" en dat daarna maar tot op de letter gevolgd heeft. Er gebeurt niet zoveel bijzonders, Lenny heeft besloten dat teksten optioneel zijn en dat je veel beter gewoon de titel van het nummer kan herhalen... Nu vind ik Daft Punk geweldig en kan ik ook genieten van Fatboy Slim, maar daar gebeurt muzikaal een stuk meer dan dat hier gebeurt. Dat geschreeuw in I built this garden for us, erg onnodig Lennert... Ik vind dit gewoon echt een matig album, als je mij 3003 albums zou geven dan zou ik dit nog steeds niet op de lijst zetten. Zn zang is vrij irritant, muzikaal is het niet heel interessant en de teksten... Oh god de teksten... Lennert, je bevindt je in goed gezelschap, want dit is een 1. FAVO
Not really a fan
Chat GPT's take on how to mix Beatlesesque song structures, some Hendrix guitar stylings (toned down so nothing too scary), Prince vocals and a DOA early nineties production style. Lyrics auto-generated from keywords 'love' 'baby' 'freedom' and 'peace'. But we're still a world away from AI creating anything you could call original.
It's a bit like a Prince album, just without the amazing songwriting, or the incredible voice, or the intense sexual energy and charisma, or the great guitar playing, or the decent lyrics. Whose idea was it to put this snoozefest on the list?
Didn't like this. Competent, but that was about it. The songs and the playing dragged, and I don't find his voice particularly interesting. Bailed after 5 songs.
I figured this would be a bit on the dull side and I was not disappointed! Not as bad as I may have expected, but I guess being a sexy rockstar does get one a few album deals. I’ve never really gotten Lenny beyond that rockstar persona. A lot of the songs are vaguely rock and funk and R&B but I’m not really wowed in any one way. He definitely had the fashion but I feel a little bit that he was channeling Prince but not achieving. It’s not devoid of talent or interesting songs, but all I can think is Lenny Kravitz waving a “make love with Lenny, not war”. This was a 2/5 until rosemary. That barfbag was enough to tick this down to a 1 for me. That and B and empty hands. This first half of the album feels one sex and the second half is poorly made Christian rock? What is happening?
Early 90s Lenny Kravitz was one of 14 year old me’s first ideas of what cool was. He had a nose ring and dreadlocks and was married to Lisa Bonet. He had a song about racist cab drivers where he used the f word. His music was theoretically the kind of thing I would put on if I ever got the chance to make out with a girl. Super cool super edgy. For all those reasons I was looking forward to revisiting this album from my youth. Turns out this music plays a lot better to a tween who’s just getting into music than to a aging music nerd with decades of listening to all the people Lenny’s ripping off. This is boho poser music of the highest order. This is the guy who pulls out a guitar at the party. This is the trust fund hippie who’s always bumming smokes. These songs are reasonable surface level facsimiles of the Jimi/Sly/Beatles type Lenny is going for, only with some astonishingly trite-ass lyrics. I did listen to a little of Mama Said just to see if all of it is this dorky and thankfully it does improve a bit. I guess since it eventually led me to the real stuff I’m ok with Lenny Kravitz as gateway music for a kid who was still playing with action figures a year before he dubbed this album onto a cassette. I think the first time I heard Lenny Kravitz might have been on Square One TV (look it up, kids) when they were doing a segment on racism and a cool girl a grade above me pointed out that they were playing Mr Cab Driver and I pretended that I knew the song. Seems appropriate.
Pahimmillaan ekstrajuustoisen geneeristä, parhaimmillaan vain geneeristä.
I got sick of the sameness
I'd rather listen to Len! I like Mr. Cab Driver but the rest not so much!
Despite being a well known name, I had next to no knowledge of Lenny Kravitz’s music & had no idea what to expect. Just felt incredibly generic & didn’t keep my attention at all
Boring
Admittedly, I didn't like Lenny Kravitz on sight alone. I had never really listened to his music aside from the music I absorbed through osmosis, but something about him seemed... off. Which is a shame. He's clearly a talented guy, since Wikipedia notes he played most of the instruments on this himself. However, I think I finally have a spot to plant my flag: the lyrics. Kravitz's lyrics are first-draft, but he howls them with such confidence as to obfuscate that fact, or maybe because he feels like what he's saying is *that deep*. It's coffeeshop, "Why can't we all get along, racism is bad," type shit. I flipped between a two and a one on this project, mostly due to the hook and riff of "Fear", until I hit "Rosemary". It was a double whammy, honestly: the whiplash of the religiosity of, "He love you so much He gave His only son," with two lyrics later telling the titular five-year-old to "stay down on [her] knees." Obviously, he means prayer, but... did you run that one by anyone? Anyone? At all? Especially when the rest of the record is so, so, so very horny. Kravitz obviously enjoys Prince, but tries to blend that with a few Christian themes here and there (notably, "I Built This Garden For Us"), and the two just... don't particularly mix. It also doesn't help that Kravitz feels like a Prince the record industry tried to synthesize in a lab. I'm not heartless and can admit that there is some genuine (instrumental) talent on here, but it's nowhere near enough to save this project.
I remember this guy being forced down the record-buying public's throat back in the late '80s, and was very confused as to why anyone wanted a 3rd-rate Prince/Hendrix/Stevie wedding singer/elementary school lyricist. Music for people who hate music. I've done greater crowd-pleasing farts than "Freedom Train" or "Fear". "Be" and the subsequent tracks are almost crimes against humanity. Obviously a dumb rich kid who just needed a hard slap at the appropriate moment; unfortunately we're stuck with the consequences of bad parenting. I hesitate to give this a 1* as it distinguishes it from just another boring effort, but this is *passively terrible* (compared to e.g. Radiohead which are more interesting through being actively awful) and I wish it never existed. Fuck off Lenny
Not my cup of tea, felt pretty generic. Not got much more to say than that.
It makes a case to be a 2 because while it's pretty bad, the occasional good riff or funky part pops up. However it gets a 1 for all the damn times I had to hear "I Want To Get Away" (or whatever it's title was) and that godawful American Woman cover back in the day. It'd also too freaking long.
It started fine and got worse. Lyrically simple bordering on laughable, musically uninteresting. I quite like LK as a concept but this album needs binning
Insipid shite. Runny Crevice.
he has the odd tune but just can't shake the fact he's insufferable.
Poor. Just cut to the chase and listen to Hendrix or Prince instead, not a poor pastiche.
Not good. (Thank God for the edit button! Moving this from 2 to 1. It always should have been 1 but for some strange reason I felt guilty but regretted it ever since. Finally I have righted a wrong.)
Afternoon drive time radio fare - at times going to be interesting but then falling short to mid-tempo rock / blues. Maybe I’m biased but time hasn’t erased the sound of Lenny Kravitz voice as the sound of fast food music - and the writing is a bit too Christian rock for my linking - struggled to give it a fair listen - but was better on the second round.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Not so good. Some of it is downright bad. It had the hallmarks of genres I like. But I felt like I was being screamed at for half the album!!
initial thoughts: i’m actually bummed bc I literally hated this album. fav from album: literally none - I didn’t vibe with anything
No, this is bad.
There's not a bit of this that grabbed my attention. The song Let Love Rule is fine, but the rest of it just never got its hooks into me.
Just not my style at all.
Not my style, disliked very much
here's the most interesting sentences about this album on its wiki page - "Let Love Rule reached number 61 on the Billboard 200, while it peaked at number 56 on the UK Albums Chart. The album is also featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. " credit to him for the production, which is very good for 89, and that he played all the instruments but the songs are crap. i didn't get more than a minute out of many tracks.
Lenny Kravitz is the dirty slut who broke my mother's heart.
Must have been a practice album. Not as good as he later material. Even his voice isn’t as good
Santo dios que puta pesadilla
Production feels a little too soft and the album sort of bumbles along without leaping out in the way it probably wants to. Lyrics are pretty trite. Buried in the album are some more interesting moments (like the end of Freedom Train). Most tracks feel like watered down rip-offs of much better songs - a classic Christian rock mood.
I think I only like his pop stuff?