This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2017) |
5 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 12, 1998 | |||
Recorded | October 1997–February 1998 | |||
Studio | Ghetto Lounge Studios and Compass Point Studios | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 66:00 (original) 75:00 (re-release) | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | Lenny Kravitz | |||
Lenny Kravitz chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from 5 | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | C [3] |
NME | 4/10 [4] |
Robert Christgau | C [5] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 3/10 [7] |
5 is the fifth full-length studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 12, 1998, by Virgin Records. The album produced six singles released over the course of 1998 and 1999.
Pre-production work on 5 commenced during early 1997. [8] It began being recorded in Kravitz' New York carriage house studio in October 1997. [8] Celebrities including Madonna, Chris Rock, Bobby Brown, Marilyn Manson and Gwen Stefani visited this studio during the recording. [8] Later sessions took place at engineer Terry Manning's Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas. [8]
The album contained more of his '70s-inspired songs, funk and soul, mixed with his rock style. In the production of the album, Kravitz worked with digital technology such as synthesizers and tape loops providing the album with a more modern sound. It was his first album to be done using Pro Tools. In an 1998 interview with Audio Technology magazine, Manning said "we recorded the whole album on ProTools, we never went to tape, we just stayed in the digital domain. Which is a different tack for Lenny to take given his retro reputation, but it really worked well." [9] [ full citation needed ] Regarding digital plug-ins, Manning said "that’s one area of ProTools that I’m not wild about. There are some plug-ins that work extremely well, for instance the [Antares] Autotune plug-in is amazing. But for the most part the plug-ins that function like outboard gear – such as compressors, EQ, chorus and flangers – I don’t generally like very much. I think that they have a harsh artificial sound. [Although] I’m not saying we didn’t use any plug-ins."[ citation needed ]
The album featured such hits as "Fly Away" and "I Belong to You", which helped Kravitz to expand his success in Europe. The album won two Grammy Awards. [10]
5 was re-issued in 1999, including Lenny Kravitz's latest single from the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me , "American Woman", plus a bonus track called "Without You"—initially a B-side to the lead single, "If You Can't Say No".
Initially, the album received mediocre reviews by some critics, and its rise to commercial success was quite slow, until it gained traction towards the end of 1998 and throughout 1999 producing a string of worldwide hits and becoming one of the most successful albums of 1999. Despite paling in comparison in US chart position with Kravitz's other albums, it managed to have a remarkably long chart-life, charting for nearly three years straight on the Billboard 200, two of which were spent in the top 100.
The album gained Kravitz multiple awards nominations and gave him his first two Grammy Awards in the Best Male Rock Vocal Performance category for the hits "Fly Away" and "American Woman". [10]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated "Without hooks, melodies, and style, Kravitz's Sly, Mayfield, Hendrix, Lennon, and Prince pastiches are a bore. 5 has a few passable cuts, yet it falls short of the quirky hero worship and melodic smarts that made his first three records so enjoyable". [1] Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly commented "It's useless to keep railing about Kravitz’ endless grave robbing. On 5, he shows no signs of halting his lifts from Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and the Beatles. At least this time he targets some new catalogs (Gary Numan, Depeche Mode)". [3] Robert Christgau wrote "His racially convoluted formalism having long since come clean as a total absence of original ideas, he grabs the brass ring from the back of a tacked-on Guess Who cover best heard on the far more imaginative Austin Powers soundtrack. Lenny, your work here on earth is done". [5] A reviewer of Classic Rock Review added "This winner of two Grammy Awards, successfully found Kravitz both establishing himself as a genuine funk and R&B artist while also advancing his incredibly diverse fusion of rock and soul which he had established early on in his recording career. The result is an accessible and accomplished work that offers an array of sonic candy... While 5 is pretty solid throughout, the second half of the album is where real gems lie with rock, funk and soul musical diversity". [11] Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club wrote "Kravitz's fifth album—appropriately enough, it's titled 5—has a few exhilarating fragments scattered throughout its 66 minutes. But those moments are too infrequent to be easily extracted... Kravitz's most forgiving fans will appreciate the diversity and sheer volume of 5; everyone else should give it a pass." [12]
All tracks are written by Lenny Kravitz, except where noted. All tracks produced by Kravitz
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Live" |
| 5:10 |
2. | "Supersoulfighter" | 4:59 | |
3. | "I Belong to You" | 4:17 | |
4. | "Black Velveteen" | 4:49 | |
5. | "If You Can't Say No" | 5:17 | |
6. | "Thinking of You" |
| 6:24 |
7. | "Take Time" | 4:32 | |
8. | "Fly Away" | 3:42 | |
9. | "It's Your Life" | 5:02 | |
10. | "Straight Cold Player" | 4:20 | |
11. | "Little Girl's Eyes" | 7:45 | |
12. | "You're My Flavor" | 3:48 | |
13. | "Can We Find a Reason?" | 6:25 | |
Total length: | 66:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "American Woman" |
| 4:24 |
15. | "Without You" | 4:46 | |
Total length: | 75:40 |
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [50] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [51] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [52] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [53] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP) [54] | 2× Gold | 200,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [55] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [56] | 2× Platinum | 200,000 [57] |
Japan (RIAJ) [58] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [59] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [60] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [61] | Gold | 25,000* |
Poland (ZPAV) [62] | Gold | 50,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [63] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [64] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [65] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [66] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [67] | 2× Platinum | 2,920,000 [68] |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [69] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 6,000,000 [70] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Get a Grip is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in April 1993 by Geffen Records. Get a Grip was the band's last studio album to be released by Geffen before they returned to Columbia Records.
Baptism is the seventh studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 17, 2004, by Virgin Records. The album produced five singles and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 74 on the UK Albums Chart.
Mama Said is the second studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released in April 1991 by Virgin Records. Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash co-wrote and played on the song "Always on the Run". He also played on the song "Fields of Joy". The song "All I Ever Wanted" was co-written by Sean Lennon.
Let Love Rule is the debut studio album of American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on September 6, 1989, by Virgin Records. Then-wife Lisa Bonet wrote the lyrics to "Fear" and co-wrote the lyrics on the song "Rosemary"; other than that the album is virtually a one-man Kravitz show, as he wrote and produced all the songs and played nearly all the instruments.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on October 24, 2000.
The Best of 1980–1990 is the first greatest hits compilation by Irish rock band U2, released on 2 November 1998. It mostly contains the group's hit singles from the 1980s, but also mixes in some live staples, as well as a re-recording of the 1987 B-side "Sweetest Thing". In April 1999, a companion video was released. The album was followed by another compilation, The Best of 1990–2000, in 2002.
Lenny is the sixth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released in October 2001 through Virgin Records. It reached number 12 on the Billboard 200 and number 55 on the UK Albums Chart.
Wandering Spirit is the third solo album by Mick Jagger, released in 1993. It became his only solo album released in the 1990s, and was co-produced by Jagger with Rick Rubin. The album was commercially successful, reaching No. 12 in the UK and No. 11 in the US, getting a gold certification from the RIAA.
Clandestino is the first full-length solo album by Manu Chao, released in 1998. The album contains many soundbites throughout, two of which are bits of a speech by Subcomandante Marcos and, like Chao's subsequent albums, was mostly recorded by the musician himself in various locations around the world, using a small laptop—which is referred to in the liner notes as Estudio Clandestino. The French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named this album the 67th greatest French rock album. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album was ranked number 469 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020.
Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture is the original soundtrack album of the 1996 film starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes cast. An album featuring the film's score by James Newton Howard was also released. The soundtrack was released by Warner Sunset and Atlantic Records on November 12, 1996. "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly was first released on the soundtrack.
Circus is the fourth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released in 1995 by Virgin Records. It reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 and number five on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Kravitz's first top 10 album in the US and second in the UK.
"Fly Away" is a song by American singer Lenny Kravitz. It was released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, 5 (1998). Released to the radio on May 11, 1998, "Fly Away" peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Fly Away" topped the charts in Iceland and the United Kingdom and peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Performance in 1999.
Magic is the fifteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on LP on September 25, 2007, and on CD on October 2. It was his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002, and topped the charts in six countries, including the US and UK, going triple platinum in Ireland. Two songs from the album – "Radio Nowhere" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" – won a total of three Grammys, making Magic the second of only two Springsteen albums with three wins, after The Rising. It ranked No. 2 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
It Is Time for a Love Revolution is the eighth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on February 5, 2008. The album produced four singles released in 2007 and 2008. This is Kravitz's final album for Virgin Records.
"I'll Be Waiting" is a rock song written by Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross for Kravitz's eighth studio album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution (2008). It was released as the album's lead single on December 6, 2007. The iTunes download release date for the song was November 6, 2007.
American singer Lenny Kravitz has released 12 studio albums, one greatest hits compilation album, four box set compilation albums, two extended plays, 62 singles, and eight video albums, including three live albums. His debut album, Let Love Rule (1989), peaked at number 61 in the US, and while receiving generally positive reviews, it became a huge success in Europe but took a long time to reach success in the US. Its followers, Mama Said (1991) and Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993), sold better overall than his debut, achieving platinum and multi-platinum status respectively, establishing Kravitz in the music industry and expanding his success in Europe and South America. However, despite only two years between albums, personal issues such as substance abuse problems, the aftermath of divorce, and his mother Roxie Roker's illness led to a decline in commercial sales with Circus (1995).
Black and White America is the ninth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on August 30, 2011. The album also produced six singles released in 2011 and 2012.
Are You Gonna Go My Way is the third studio album by American singer Lenny Kravitz, released on March 9, 1993, by Virgin Records. It was recorded at Waterfront Studios, Hoboken, New Jersey, by Henry Hirsch. It became Kravitz's first top 20 album on the United States Billboard 200, and his first number one album in both Australia and the United Kingdom, achieving worldwide success that helped to establish his popularity as a performer.
Armageddon: Music From the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the 1998 Touchstone Pictures film Armageddon, released by Columbia Records and Hollywood Records on June 23, 1998. The album features several songs recorded specifically for the soundtrack, including "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and "What Kind of Love Are You On", performed by Aerosmith, "Remember Me", performed by Journey, and "Mister Big Time", performed by Jon Bon Jovi. Our Lady Peace's "Starseed" is a remixed version of the original. The album was commercially successful in Japan, and was certified double platinum for 400,000 copies shipped in 1999.
Raise Vibration is the eleventh studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on Roxie Records via BMG Rights Management on September 7, 2018 and produced seven singles.