Let Love Rule

Performances: solid. Songs: kinda OK; kinda not. Concept: 90s radio rock with 60s nostalgia. Question: Why is this on the list? Rating: a very soft three stars

Lenny hadn't grown into his voice or writing abilities yet on this album. He has never been a favorite of mine and this album confirms why. I'm glad he's matured since this album because this one isn't that good.

Better than expected but not blown away. Budget Prince if he lived in a society.The kind of religious/protest songs that make you want to be an atheist in sin.

I really like this guys slower songs, but the high energy ones are not my jam. Could listen to the slower ones over and over though. Top Tracks: 1) Let Love Rule 2) My Precious Love 3) I Build This Garden For Us 4) Does Anyone Out There Even Care 5) Rosemary 6) Be

That was very nice! Pleasantly surprised! I think this would be a 3.75 for me, but it was very pleasant listening, fun bass…generally good vibes

While listening to this I kept thinking that it sounded like a collection of Prince songs that weren't good enough to be included on his album releases. Not unlistenable and not all bad but understandably not good enough to be included on an album. I was also hearing some Beatles pastiches and what sounded like some post-Beatles John Lennon. This album didn't do much for me and I found myself fast-forwarding through most of it. I don't have any interest in hearing it again.

He’s good at his sound, but it’s never felt like anything special. Just a retro sound with middling lyrics.

43/100

No thanks

bangers and bops

At first I was very skeptical, but it grew on me. Impressive instrumentals, less impressed by the voice, but overall a good experience

Meh, it’s alright

Some cool songs, not my favorite

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.

Man bagged Lisa Bonet. He could fart in a mic for this album and he'd still be winning

Maybe when this came out it was great but right now I'm amazed how awful this album is. Two stars only because of Mr. Cab Driver and Flower Child which you can actually listen.

4/5. I wanted to give this a 3.5, but there is obviously no such thing on this. I think this is Lenny’s best album as it’s more relaxed and focused on the fundamentals. It’s soft, it has soul. I’m feeling generous and will give this album a 4.

Pretty groovy. Great album for a debut especially knowing where Lenny got to from here. Standout tracks for me are problably Let Love Rule and Flower Child.

The fact it's pretty much a one man production is impressive, sure, but a bunch of it is pretty slavish Beatles worship. Dunno - it's all competent enough, but it just doesn't quite grab me. I'd probably go 3.5 if that were an option. Fave track - "Let Love Rule", let's say...

Ehhhh it's okay

i love lenny kravitz. this album doesn't do anything spectacular, but does infuse some acoustic soul rock into your day.

was good

Jaa heel nice eigenlijk nooit echt bewust Lenny Kravitz geluisterd maar is dus wel echt wel goed

Didn't love it. Liked some. Then it got religious a lot?

Not for me

Minusta Lennyn huudot ei kuulosta aina hyviltä vaan korviasärkevältä. Albumillinen Lennyä on muutenkin liikaa mulle, liian smoothia siitä huudosta huolimatta, liian monta kertaa sana "love". Ihanhan nämä onneksi biisejä ovat eikä vain edellä mainituille tunteilua. Joku Let love inissa vetää vähän.

Pahimmillaan ekstrajuustoisen geneeristä, parhaimmillaan vain geneeristä.

I'm sure Lenny means well, but he really struggles to overcome his limitations as a songwriter and vocalist. Best song "My Precious Love" Lady Cab Driver > Mr. Cab Driver 🚕🚕

Really good album, I knew only the titular song as I have never really listened to a whole Kravitz album. Enjoyed it for the most part.

I thought I liked Lenny Kravitz. Turns out I just liked Are You Gonna Go My Way.

Good album, I liked the title song of the album and I Build This Garden For Us best.

it’s a pastiche but at least it’s a positive pastiche and he’s singing about loving the Lord instead of grovelling to satan

Not great. Some of the songs are very gospelly.

Some of that Lenny style comes through but he's obviously still developing it in this first attempt. It sounds like "Lemmy does classic rock", not bad but not yet great. Another example of an album that is interesting in context but not The Best.

What a strange, disconnected album. Frankly, it feels like the songs from two different albums were shuffled together like a deck of cards. Not that I didn't like it. I liked it quite a bit, actually. It just feels like what it is: a debut album by an incredibly talented artist trying to figure out what his "thing" is going to be. Everything you love about Kravitz is here. There's just a lot of... other stuff. Not bad stuff, mind you. Just not what we've come to expect as Kravitz stuff.

It was ok

I never listened to this album before. It has the same issues that his cover of “American Woman” has: namely, it’s pretty bland and empty.

It was ok. Robin Cerbotsky likes him.

5 4 3 Let Love Rule, I build this garden for us, Does anybody out there even care, Be 2 My Precious Love, Fear, Freedom Train, Mr. Cab Driver, Rosemary, Blues for sister someone, Empty hands, Flower child 1 Sitting on top of the World Have to admit, I was expecting (hoping?) to like this more. Fair bit of repetitious, musical masturbation going on. Gave "Let Love Rule", "I build this garden" and "My Precious Love" a 2nd listen and decided I think them as much 2nd time around. The screechy 2nd verse kinda killed "I build this garden" for me. Could have been a 4. 2.5 plus 1 for playing all the instruments.

Smooth and mellow. Will not likely listen again as it's not my wheelhouse, but I did enjoy it during the listening session.

Quite liked the lofi production. I expected a Hendrix/Prince derivative but it was more interesting than expected. Too long though.

Some of the tracks land well here, it's made up of the same bluesy/jazz chord stuff thats having a big comeback at the moment. Unfortunately, this well and truly overstays it's welcome and you're left with a lot of "filler" tracks that don't contribute much.

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 is an artist that I forget about. I could have a million conversations about music but would never think to mention him. When his music is playing I quite like him. I saw him in concert and enjoyed the show but only went since someone else got the tickets and invited me. He fuses rock and soul very well and incorporates the right amount of organ in the right way. His voice on some songs reminds me of Lennon’s more obscure solo material and on other tunes reminds me of Lou Reed. Not sure why I don’t listen to him more.

The record company execs must have been licking their lips when they first heard Lenny. A mix of soul and rock, radio-ready and Grammy-destined. I’m most impressed with the fact he plays all those instruments. I like the song “I Build this Garden for Us” and the songs get more interesting/less commercial near the end. He gets a little Lou Reed-ish on “Cab Driver”. It sounds like he could hurt his tonsils when he tries to belt one out.

This is a solid debut album by rock-soul revivalist Lenny Kravitz. Here he sounds like the second coming of Jimi crossed with say Gary Clark Jr. Apart from the obvious hits I thought My Precious Love was impassioned and soulful. Lenny would really come into his own a few years later with Are you going my way which I think is his best song.

Lenny Kravitz: 5 This album: 2

I didn’t mind this although perhaps it’s more because compared to the rest of this week’s albums, it was listenable. 3*

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

Liked this! Flower Child was great!

Never been a Kravitz fan. Don't know why but just doesn't do it for me

Album aanwezig

I really just find this so boring I’m sorry Lenny

Ugh, why is this on the list?

I like the highs a lot, but it loses focus at times and it's easy to tune out

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

Cool mix of styles, definitely rock but with a lot of funk and soul and folk influence. I like his voice, though a few of the lyrics were kind of, uh, dodgy, and some of the songs dragged on too long. Best song: Let Love Rule

Very, Very good. 4.5/5

A very average album. His biggest hits aren't on this album. Some of the lyrics are kind of lame. There's a Jesus song. Kravitz is obviously doing his best to be Prince here. I thought I even heard a little Elvis Costello in one of the songs too.

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.

pretty good, first song made me think i was gonna like it a little more than i did though bc that was a fucking banger. good and consistent album, only one or two "wow" moments though. Rating - 6.5 Favs - Sitting On Top Of The World - Flower Child - Mr Cab Driver

4. What a nice surprise. I don't think I've ever listened one of his albums before, but really enjoyed this one.

I don't know a lot of Kravitz song, but his voice is clearly one of the most recognisbable, charismatic and coolest voice of the 90's (1989 i know). The softer and chill vibe of that reccord is very cool, it almost look like Blood sugar sex magik of the Red Hot, a kind of funk sound but with accoustic guitare, powerfull voice and on top of that a psychedelic sound too. Especially in the song let love rule, but Sitting on top of the world is my favorite, the accousitc, funky and soul mix is very good, the best in the album. Other good songs are: Freedom Train, Mr cab driver (a rockabilly/RNB song, who look like good ol' rock n roll) and i build this garden for us (Look a bit like Strawberry field, with the organ and the violin so a psycehdiclic song) This album really pay tribute to old rock n roll (even for 1989) like the psychedelic, funk, hard rock and soul influences but with Lenny's incredible voice and charisma. Unfortunalty, not every song impress me but its honneslty a very good album

10/10 ayo new favorite album just dropped

I got sick of the sameness

Lenny kravitz sure is a unique guy. This album was basically 1970s peace and love album with a 90s alternative guitar carrying much of the instrumentals. This isn’t a terrible album but man he wasn’t very good at singing when he first got started. The songs weren’t too exciting but they were okay. Probably would just let this one fly away. 6.1/10

Pretty groovy

Man this album just does not sync for me. Lenny's lyrics are terrible and this record just feels like a justification for a newly purchased rhyming dictionary. 3/5

lenny kravitz' let love rule was an album i knew, two songs in, that i would enjoy. what i'm stuck on is if i enjoy it on its own or that it's got a lot of prince vibes. well, i know i'm not upset with the prince similarities. in some ways, this felt more like a family friendly version of prince. when you add to the fact kravitz did prince's trademark--performing almost all instruments by himself--well, that isn't a uniquely prince attribute, but it's another connection. regardless, it's admirable. there was *so* much funk here! kravitz nailed it. great immersion with rock and soul music.

While I might have guessed that Lenny Kravitz would be on this project, I wouldn't have guessed it would be this album. This album contains virtually none of the songs or sounds he's really known for and contains all of the funk/R&B/soul material that by this point in 1989 had already been done time and time again and seemed a bit derivative. Nonetheless, Kravitz is really quite good at embodying the spirit and sound of this era while still giving it a bit of a fresh sound, so it was an enjoyable listen for people who appreciate these timeless sounds in any decade. I will say, if anyone was going to make genres from the 60s and 70s sound cool in what was almost the 1990s, it would be Lenny Kravitz. Not specifically sure why, but "Rosemary" was such a needed Monday morning jam, so props to that, for sure!

Goede muziek, bekende artiest. Het is wel een heel rustig album, dus je moet er een beetje voor in de stemming zijn. Maar ik kan het wel waarderen.

I really like the songs of Lenny Kravitz that I’ve heard, but I don’t recognise any song titles here on this album. To be completely honest, I didn’t even know he started making music in the 80’s (I always thought he got big in the 90’s), so let’s find out how this album is! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: I Built This Garden For Us, Fear I’d always considered Lenny to be a rock musician. Although there are certainly rock elements found here, this felt a lot funkier that the music I’m already familiar with. I’m assuming from this that he leaned more into the rock genre as time went on (but always kept a funky element). His vocals are perfect - there is genuinely nothing I could critique about his singing as he sounds great. Overall, I enjoyed this but I think I’d personally prefer his later albums.

I think this one was solid. And I'm not just saying that because I would scream MR CAB DRIVER over and over again with my toy guitar as a kid.

It's fine 2/5

1,2 4,5,6 8 10 9 3 7 12 13

More disappointing than anticipated.

I'd rather listen to Len! I like Mr. Cab Driver but the rest not so much!

Good, consistent funk rock album overall, though the songs don't really stand out. Mr. Cab Driver was the only song that was truly memorable.

Funkrock met redelijk wat soulgehalte. Niet slecht

Not my jam but pretty good

first time listening favorites my precious love does anybody out there even care least favorite i build this garden for us

A great album, made amazing by the fact it was almost entirely solo. Definitely some Beatles influences in there. I had no idea how old it was because the music holds up so well.

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

This debut album rocked.

The album was alright. I was not familiar with any of the songs previously.

Boring

Ben = 2, Monique = 3.9. Cliche lyrics and some Prince-knock-off sounds but the album still holds up for its time.

This album grew on me. Second half of this album made me listen first half one more time and it definitely wasn't wasted time. Music and vocals are both great. As usual I really appreciate keyboard.

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.

Huge when it came out. Lenny was such a unique performer. Everyone loved or hated him. Standouts: Let Love Rule, I Build This Garden For Us, Does Anybody Out There Even Care? Mr. Cab Driver. Others: Sittin’ on Top of The World, Freedom Train, My Precious Love, Be. 3.5 maybe 4

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

La parte del directo mejor que la de la grabación en estudio. Un 4.

Lenny Kravitz.

I actually enjoyed this album a bit, but it was pretty repetitive and the topics of the songs started to repeat enough it got kind of old. Still, pretty good. There's a style to this that's generic but still it's own flair to make it different.

From all the negative reviews I thought this'd be terrible, but it's really pretty decent all the way through. The songs are pretty varied, there's nice instrumentation across the board, and it's sang well with plenty of character.

Listenable, but not a big shot

Gillar de softa och släpiga låtarna.

Sounds like a bad Beatles cover album. More like John Lenny Paul McKravitz am i rite

Love good. Hate bad. 2/5

Une très belle performance de Lenny Kravitz qui va confectionner une merveilleuse robe à Katniss Everdeen pour la parade des tributs. Cette dernière fera bonne impression auprès des sponsors potentiels mais Lenny mourra dans le deuxième film. Tant pis pour lui.

Lenny Kravitz possède une belle somme de tubes à son actif, bien évidemment son unique album du générateur n'en comporte aucun. Robert tu as aujourd'hui signé ton arrêt de mort.

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.

I genuinely thought I hated Lenny Kravitz 🤔

Sounds kinda lo-fi but I like it. A trying album. Lots of cool influences going on too

I liked it? didn't leave much of an impression on me tho

Slightly irritatingly "right on" lyrics, but nothing Stevie Wonder wouldn't have sung. Obviously influenced by The Beatles and Wonder and a little Hendrix - no bad thing when done well. Very enjoyable from my nostalgic standpoint and what appeals to me. But I already knew this!

Vad ska man säga? Nej, tror jag.

Wow, awesome. Did not expect to like this at all.

An ok hard rock. Neat but completely forgettable.

3, he makes his lyrics count

Such a boring album, completely lifeless. He is clearly super talented, but these one man band projects usually prevent good external ideas from coming in that probably would have benefited the album.

Personally i found this one rather dull and boring. Every song was seemingly a copy of the other ones

Fine

Decent if average 70s throwback hard rock, the highlight being Lenny’s impassioned vocals where they are featured

Det känns som att han alltid gör det musikaliska och stilmässiga drag som är mest safe. Tråkigt, men inte är det så hemskt för den delen! Lenny Kravitz är karismatisk i varje fall, rätt mycket bättre än nörd britpop.... Hans baby nivå social commentary hjälper också, helt sött!

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.

Lenny Kravitz is the man. Not his strongest set of songs here, but I love the dude-rocking-an-electric-guitar-and-singing-his-ass-off vibes. Plus, he just oozes cool.

Beter als verwacht

I loved it 30 years ago and is still great

menfou

entités supérieures donnez moi le courage d'écouter les 40 albums de retard

Har utsatt detta ganske lenge, men god grunn

Cinna funky as hell goddamn

Was a favourite when I was a student. Blatant throwback, even in the late 80s, to the golden age. Still holds some water, but mostly sounds cliche now

Genre: Alt rock Review: Decent, contemporary alt rock. This is no era-defining artist like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden or Nirvana but still half-decent, just another example of an overrated inclusion into this list. The voice is manufactured and tears off way too often, and the music is interesting if occasionally dry at times. Rating: 6/10

A few good songs with a very diverse style. I could see Beatles and Jimi Hendrix influences in several places. Would give it a relisten; for now, high-ish 3/5.

I... _WANT_ to like Lenny Kravitz. I feel like he is trying his best to meld the past, present and future into one thing in his music. A guy who brings out John Paul Jones to play with him on stage gives you a pretty good idea he wants to honor the music he dearly loves. But I listen to a song like "Empty Hands", and I can hear him lift a guitar lick right off of Zeppelin's "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You." I feel like he can do better than that. This is in comparison to Oasis, who I also admonished for pretty much copying a song. But I felt that they were doing the best that they could in homaging. They could not elevate that style any higher. Whereas I think that Kravitz can move things forward, like he does in some of his songs that work, like "Let Love Rule," which sounds like Lennon without quoting him directly. Or "Fear," which I really liked. That was probably my favorite off of the album. Part of me feels like I'm using a double standard here, but this album has a lot of potential, and I see it in some of the songs that he performs later in his career. So I will rank this album higher because of that, as opposed to Oasis' first album.

I like Lenny Kravitz. I even love some of his work (Are You Gonna Go My Way is an incredible song, Fly Away is also great). This album was boring. I kept looking at the clock. Admittedly, it's got some funky elements that you didn't hear much of then, so not a throwaway. But I don't see what the big deal is here. Next.

I didn’t realize this came out in the late 80s. The production doesn’t sound as dated as some of the albums that came out in ’89. Lenny’s guitar playing is solid and it’s cool to see that he plays almost everything else on here but there weren’t too many standout moments. The track “Be” was my favorite track but I also really liked “Let Love Rule” and “Mr. Cab Driver”. This is a good debut album, but it didn’t really make me want to check out any more of his stuff.

I've always liked Lenny but never dug deep into his albums (with the exception of "5", which I've listened to a lot). Great groove, funk, rock, psychedelic. Lots of great moments - I particularly like the transition from Let Love Rule to Freedom Train. Every song is good, but the main strike against the album is a lot of it is pretty derivative. That said, I'd listen again any day, which makes it at least a 4 for me.

Lenny's beste plaatje. Hier heb ik veel goede herinneringen aan toen ik begin jaren 90 een 'DJ duo' vormde met mijn buurjongen Menno.

Nooit zo'n fan van Lenny geweest, maar heb hier toch prima naar kunnen luisteren.

Om Evan Dando te quoten: Lenny, you're so good to me, And I'm only fifteen, baby - whooo!

Oelala, wat een jeugdsentiment weer. M’n broer had een heel leuk vriendinnetje. Zij was fan van Lenny en zo leerde ik zijn muziek kennen. Toen ging ik vooral voor de ballades zoals ‘Rosemary’, die vind ik nu het minst interessant.

Solid album, I liked it.

that was alright. Some good r&b sound. Never heard any pre-Are you gonna go my way Kravitz

lenny just does something solid for me man i love his style of songwriting and lyricism

it's good

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.

Very solid for a debut

Me gusta más el disco Circus

Solid debut album, comfy songs

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.

Yeah it was pretty good.Felt a little long and wasn’t really my kinda music but I liked it.Could’ve done with less Jesus stuff though but that’s his choice I guess

Cant stand this guy. Overrated and boring

A patchy album; a couple of strong songs, but a lot of filler.

Lenny Kravitz sure is a talented musician and I've listened to some of his hits. He's got some great songs. This album doesn't stick to one genre of rock between the songs. I didn't feel like any of the songs stood out and the album as a whole is OK.

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

It was ok to me, but didn’t stand out as anything spectacular that must enter my ears frequently in the future.

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

6/10 Fave: sitting on top of the world

real hard

Dad rock

banco una banda 8/10

Being the debut album of Lenny Kravitz, I was expecting something much more standardized and less "Kravitz." However, it was the opposite, and he already had all his energy and personal style of making music. It's not perfect, but I enjoyed it a lot!

It's ok, I guess.

Like Prince, but boring.

Solid 2. A couple of decent-ish songs, mostly pretty boring and uninspired.

Not bad! Not really my taste in music but it was decent. I liked "Mr. Cab Driver" the most. I wasn't aware of Lenny Kravitz until the late 90s so I always forget he was around earlier. I appreciate the blend of genres here and respect him doing something so different from what other musicians were doing at this time. This album is kind of timeless in that way; there's nothing inherently 80s about it (to my ears, anyway). Probably more of a 3.5

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.

Bloat is a big issue here, honestly liked most songs, but too many on the same record methinks.

Decent rock album. Sounded more influenced by soul than hard rock

Meh

I like Lenny. His music will, as a whole, always 3-stars music.

Didn't expect to like it but really rather good.

Hef ekkert á móti Lenny kallinum, en ég þarf ekkert á honum að halda heldur. Takk fyrir mig, sjáumst kannski síðar, en þá bara fyrir einskæra tilviljun.

It’s ok, blues stuff with some good songs. Rosemary is good.

Lots of passion, dudes really feeling the music he's making. Yells a little too much. Like every song. But yeah he's giving it his all

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.

Not my cup of tea, felt pretty generic. Not got much more to say than that.

I was bored by this album halfway through.

Decent Debut. Solid enough 60's/70's psychedelia inspired songs, with the title track being the stand out. Preferred the follow up: "Mama Said" if I am totally honest though

“We have Prince at home.” The Prince at home:

Kudos to Lenny for playing just about everything on the album. It's good in bits, derivative but in a fine way - healthy respect for some classic funk in there. But it just lacks spark - never really stands out. Road trip music.

I mean, he's a great musician, but this was pretty boring for me.

Soft rock with a few nods to the Beatles and the Hendrix. Played it a couple of times, didn't particularly stand out. Not terrible, not great.

Аа?

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.

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

relaxing

I like the funk elements.

I was jamming to it. Has a lot of sounds I dig

Better than expected

I didn't think much of this album until the later part of the first half. Kravitz knows how to show desire and longing in his lyrics. Fave track(s): I Build This Garden For Us

I have a huge amount of respect for Lenny Kravitz, but I’ve never enjoyed his music a lot. I’d give this album a 3.5 if I could. It had a few songs I liked, but I don’t think I’d listen to the whole album again.

2/13, 15%

I definitely prefer later Lenny Kravitz. This felt a little bit inane to me. I think the stuff he did later with Craig Ross was a bit more dynamic. A couple of the tracks stood out - Be and Cab Driver but the rest just blended in. I do have fond and amusing memories when I think of him, though, as I watched my very first episode of Baywatch in Craig Ross’s house. I think that gets a star on its own.

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!

Decent and authentic-seeming, though perhaps too overt in its desire to be a rock record and also a bit all over the place. One much prefers “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”

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

Sounds like typical Lenny to me. Enjoyable. Light.

Beetje zeikerige stem, niet voor mij

It's ok

It’s alright

Pretty bad for Lenny. As a whole, a bit of a snooze fest

Lenny klikkar ekkert. Fíla þessa plötu mjög vel.

A generally very cool listen. There are lush arrangements all through the album. The title track stands out as a sweet groove. Songs were Lenny deals with racism are striking and articulate. His voice is strong and expressive. I’m not a fan of the outright call for Christ love of Rosemary, but that’s ok. Some of the other tough imagery isn’t fun either, but it’s the mourning of the suffering of these characters that brings out the righteousness of Lenny’s message and his funky gospel.

cool

Surprised by how much it this didn't suck. Trite lyrics and cringe delivery as expected, but I can't deny those instrumentals. Not bad.

Was a vibe, I didn’t dislike but got repetitive. He’s a hottie though and his daughter is amazing.

Yeah Lenny kinda ate ngl. Bass goes hard and I dig it. He really feelin it (or something)

Let Love Rule was a pleasant surprise in 1989 and has aged well. Nothing innovating about the music or lyrics, but it just makes you happy.

I mean it was alright enough, a few bangers here and there, but instrumentation-wise the music was pretty one dimensional, the only time where I noticed a change was Fear --> does anybody out there. Definitely a cool style but I think he was still trying to find his footing as an artist - the lyrics aren't there yet and neither is the real emotion eh like low 3?

A pretty well rounded album of excellent singing and some topical songs. Most are not too crazy though to write home about.

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.

Non sapevo che Let Love Rule fosse dell''89, ho cominciato ad ascoltare Lenny attorno al 2000 e lo adoro. Chitarra elettrica adoro.

Ho una naturale diffidenza per Lenny Kravitz un po' a prescindere, limite mio. Ma in ogni caso 3 è il massimo che possa dargli.

Pretty good, probably won’t listen to it again

This is a phenomenal album! I remember the first Lenny Kravitz song I ever heard (American Woman, off of Big Shiny Tunes 4). I thought it was a fantastic song, and really liked his style, but never really delved into his back catalog at all. I found myself enjoying that same sound on this album (rock mixed with strong funk/jazz/blues vibes). This album touches on topics such as peace & love, racism, and religion. The piano breakdown in My Precious Love was fantastic!! Favourite songs : Let Love Rule, Rosemary, Blues For Sister Someone, I Build This Garden for Us, Flower Child Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Mr. Cab Driver, Freedom Train, Sitting on Top of the World 5/5

I liked this album. I found that his voice could be a little grating at times when it begins to sound scratchy. The actual songs and instrumentation were pretty good though. My favourite songs were Let Love Rule and Does Anybody Out There Even Care.

Only really heard his hits before. Enjoyed this more than I was expecting great debut and probably deserves its place on the list.

I bought this one on vinyl when it came out. Really strong debut album. It seemed to go against the grain at the time, which was heading more toward alternative and grunge. This felt a bit more like throwback classic rock, and it was a breath of fresh air. I didn't really track Lenny much after this album, other than hearing the hits. 4 stars.

hi lenny, huge fan of your role in the hunger games. Fashion king. However, that’s about it. I’d convert for your daughter tho

Lenny u may have mega swag but im not sure that romantic sex songs are really your thing. The amount of voice cracks is annoying and every song blends together. However the instrumental portion of each track is awesome so theres that.

great

Sorry Zoe, your dad has officially been diagnosed with wokeism. Luckily, you are incredibly seriously good looking. Always thinking of u, love bean <3

p607. 1989. 4 stars Well done pilfering of Prince, Hendrix and Beatles circa Abbey Road. Was surprised at how much I liked this. 1 star deducted for some tracks outstaying their welcome. Still on the replay list, though.

Insipid shite. Runny Crevice.

he has the odd tune but just can't shake the fact he's insufferable.

Ei varsinaisia toppeja tai floppeja, mutta silti miellyttävää ja helppoa rockia.

Monta uutta tuttavuutta. Ei tää mattoa jalkojen alta vienyt, mut tosi laadukas kokonaisuus

Bluesy

This was such a unique album when it came out. Today, it still sounds great. I haven't listened to this is years. Really enjoyed hearing it again. 3.5/5

Oke ja weer leuk hé maar nu ook niets next level

I build this Garden for us.....super repetitive.....turned into a gospel song! So-so album. Super Lenny style and a bit outdated.

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 bought this album when it came out, and it was on steady rotation for a while. Now — as I was then, I'm impressed with the songs, performances, vibe, and the sparse but adept production. The experience held up on this listen, the first in many years. This is just a plain solid album, and that's without delving into the fact that Kravitz apparently did most of it himself. I was never again enthralled by anything Kravitz released, he seemed much more focused on being a rock star that a music artist, and I felt the next bunch of releases were devoid of the things that made this album so great (good songs and honest performances). I've pretty much not listened to anything since 1998's "5," which disappointed me (I did buy the CD, though I no longer have it). But that's a tangent, this album is really good. 'Nuff said.

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

Always had this down as a 4* album but only remembered a few songs. It is obviously very well made (with Let Love Rule as the 5* stand-out song) and generally enjoyable, just like Kravitz's second and third album. But a little bit too pastiche (same with other acts at that time like Ween / World Party / Jet Black Joe).

Hadn't listened to this since a long time and was reminded what a great album it is. A warm bath!

3.1 - The one redeeming thing about this album to me is that Kravitz wrote and performed (almost) all of the music on here. Clearly the man is talented and skilled. He's also put in the work, creating an hour's worth of music in 13 songs, each with lyrics and melodies. But the songs, while pleasant enough, are just mediocre. There are a bajillion teenage boys across the US who have similar songs written in their little notebooks (I was one of them). They've probably written a song about a prostitute walking the street ("sex work BAD") or injustice in the world ("hate BAD love GOOD") or having to face prejudice ("racism BAD")... Where would Lenny Kravitz be if he didn't have beautiful dreadlocks, an adonis body and, most importantly, Hollywood-connected parents?

Not a fan

Pretty good all over the map stylistically. I wish he'd find his sound and stick to it. 2.5 🌟

First time listening to the full album by Lenny Kravitz and my first thought is - Why haven't I done this sooner? It's a very well made album, entertaining from start to finish (although it falls off a little by the end). Mix of rock, at moments hard rock, with blues and soul, resulting in extremely fun record for a wide variety of fans. Lenny was the solo artist on this album - vocals and lyrics, guitars, bass, drums and other instruments were composed and played by him. And you can tell how talented he is. It wasn't over the top at any point, which happens to some other overcomplicated recordings, but also it wasn't too simple, it hit the right mark. Guitar solos felt really at place and in the groove of the song or beat. Additional instruments like sax or trumpet added another layer to the mixture. And finally, it wouldn't be as attractive without great singing voice of Lenny. He could swing in-between slower, more emotional tracks and fast and heavy ones with ease, and you could tell he felt good and comfortable in any setting. I am very surprised with this album, but it easily jumps to the list of my favourites.

Lenny Kravitz introduces himself to the world with an impressive and pure distillation of his talents-he performs all the vocals and instruments himself (then-wife Lisa Bonet co-wrote two of the songs). Several pieces arguably meander a bit too much, but there are some decent lyrical ideas presented therein.

Not very interesting

Good songs, but sometime too hippy Lanny

Not Objectionable. Tbh I slept a very deep sleep through this.

Tycker detta var bra, men samtidigt lite väl långt.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Sitting on top of the world, Freedom train, I build this garden for us, Fear

It is the acoustic equivalent of a mid 90s cross colors hoodie.

From the outset this was a really enjoyable collection of songs with shades of hippie rock, psychedelia, soul and funk. Kravitz is quite obviously a massive fan of late sixties psychedelic rock and this is apparent in the music styles and especially his lyrics; whilst cliched they never jar. He sings enthusiastically throughout and the music has plenty of breathing space. There's a few nice touches like the processed vocal effect on 'Freedom Train' and strings on 'Fear'. Great stuff.

Nice he did all the instruments, just a bit aor middle of the road.

Poor. Just cut to the chase and listen to Hendrix or Prince instead, not a poor pastiche.

Oh no, it's like being stuck in the mind of a horny 55 year old woman with poor taste.

I like Lenny Kravitz, he's a cool dude. With this album, musically, I liked it, most tracks start off well but then seem to peter off without much direction.

8/10. This was pretty good. long album, of course, but pretty enjoyable every step of the way

You’re trying just a little too hard, Lenny. 7/10

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.)

311225 14:39 2.5

I was in between a 3 and 4 star ranking, and I think the 10 tracks of the official album are a 4 star, but there isn’t a good indication (other than Wikipedia) that the last three tracks are “CD bonus” tracks, and the quality is a real step down.

If you're going to be *this* retro, I suppose you may as well also be this unabashed about it. Don't think I ever realised just quite how goddy it gets at times, but Leonard was sufficiently rock'n'roll that he'd never really cut it in the Christian market proper. Wears a bit thin by the end but the high points are great.

I've known the name but never listened. This just sounded bland and very B-sidey. Just fine music but kinda long. Inoffensive stuff that I see no need to return to.

Haven't heard this album for a long time. Very well done

Outstanding AND a first album!

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

Ok all round. Hard to get engaged Cover art 1/1

It’s a cool, atmospheric album. Lenny has cultivated the 60s ideals of peace and love, and infused them with his smooth funky flow. He’s offering it all up for a new generation of groovy-minded people. I like it a lot. It’s a solid debut album, the perfect introduction of what’s to come.

pretty darn good for a first album 3.5

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

Good, different than expected

funky rock

queria conhecer o sítio dele no brasil e q ele fosse meu sogro

Genre: Rock 3/5 Nearly entirely self-made, Lenny Kravitz's debut album, Let Love Rule, is a solid, albeit rather bland, way to end the decade. No new wave, no post-punk, no studio manipulation, just all rock. Kravitz plays almost every instrument involved in this album, much like his idol, Prince, used to do. For what it's worth, Let Love Rule, the lead single and one of his biggest hits, is pretty damn good considering it's just him playing AND singing. However, it doesn't redeem everything here, as talent doesn't necessarily translate into good songwriting. A lot of what makes this album good is Kravitz's voice. Not a true virtuoso on any of the instruments being played here, he lets his voice rip every now and again into a distorted scream, which adds a lot of emotion and flavor to some of the otherwise fairly dry rock cuts. After the title track, Mr. Cab Driver is a decent track, mostly for its social commentary on the racism faced by everyday black Americans, but it's also a not-so-bad rock song. As for the rest of the album, nothing much in terms of musical or lyrical content jumps out to me, but it's a decent project, and you got to tip your cap to the hard work Lenny put into this one.

This one was really cool

My impression of Lenny Kravitz after hearing “Fly Away,” “American Woman,” and “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” on the radio forever is that he’d be hard to take seriously. Listening to this album though I’m like…what if Lenny Kravitz is good???

Cool! I liked it but I didn’t really like it 😂😂

some of these songs have laughably bad lyrics

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.

El debut de Kravitz ja prefigurava el so de tota la discografia que hauria de venir. Rock retro, contagiós, amb un so descaradament vell però molt particular i personal. Tot i tenir èxit, els seus propers treballs encara dispararien molt més la seva popularitat, i encara hauria de millorar molt el que aquí es conté, però continua sent molt bon material, disfrutable al 100%

Still love it.

Genial, genial, la pasé re bien.

I had honestly only ever listened to fly away before this but this was a great intro into Lenny kravitz. Excellent album and his yelly voice with the production just works

In his first album with everything to prove, Lenny Kravitz writes every note, plays every instrument and seals everything in his own production, all the while borrowing heavily from his musical heritage. It’s an admirable achievement, which yields good (if not great) results. Kravitz is an engaging performer, but wears his influences on his sleeve in his stylings and songwriting. The Prince comparisons make a lot of sense: Kravitz’s vocal timbre glides nicely between low seduction, occasional crystal-clear falsetto and a grizzled howl (used to particular effect in slow-crawling bluesy funk tracks like “Fear”). More than just the Prince-alike vocals, Let Love Rule” resembles the Purple One’s “Around the World in a Day” era in particular, with live orchestrations and a generous helping of 60s psychedelia (enter Beatles). There are strings swelling underneath “I Build This Garden”, complemented by melodic McCartney basslines, electric piano, organ and an ultra-fuzzed out lead guitar at the end. “Let Love Rule” is a naive but sweet plea to do just that, over a diluted “Hey Jude” style mantra of a chorus. It has a warm and familiar sound and is never actively bad, but a lot of the time it isn’t particularly exciting either. For example, there’s nothing particularly special about a track like “My Precious Love”- Kravitz’s passionate vocals aside. It’s well-trodden ground and not at all cutting edge by 1989. I did enjoy a lot of this album and would happily listen again, but it’s comfortably middle of the road.

Super-groovy and awesome.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Safe, mellow, forgettable

It's okay. Not great or a must listen, but good enough to be enjoyable background music. It's a bit too long though and some songs don't have much substance. "Freedom Train" is lyrically on the same level as "Around the World" by Daft Punk. "I Build This Garden for Us" and "Mr. Cab Driver" were my favorites. I'm pretty sure I've heard the latter one before. Learning about the penis flop incident was also great.

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!

This album fucks! So atmospheric, so driven, and so intentional. Love the sound and the lyrics. Groove!

With nods slinky soul, funk, R & B, glam rock this album is a winner. Freedom Train, Let Love Rule, Be, Mr Cab Driver and more show him as an inspired artist letting his freak flag fly.

Solid and rich-feeling all the way around – a throwback-feeling rock record, made by a big talent with a feel for genre-mixing. Feels authentic, if a bit reachy-y at times. Maybe a touch all over the place. “Are You Gonna” is the better LK record. Solid 3.25

Unexpectedly cool album. Based on the selections for this generator, I can always appreciate some accessibility and non-boringness.

Rock, blues, soul

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.

funky stuff thanks Lenny

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!!

Meh