Lenny | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 30, 2001 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:21 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | Lenny Kravitz | |||
Lenny Kravitz chronology | ||||
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Singles from Lenny | ||||
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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.
The lead single, "Dig In", which reached number 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100, was the album's most successful song that helped Kravitz win his fourth consecutive Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, while the song "If I Could Fall in Love" was featured on the Blue Crush soundtrack and gave Kravitz yet another nomination in the aforementioned category in 2003.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote for AllMusic that " 5 gave Lenny Kravitz a career revival, thanks to a really big hit with "Fly Away", and he followed it with a hit, the cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman", which surely benefited from its presence on the blockbuster Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me . Then, he threw out "Again" as a new track for Greatest Hits (wh[ich] sold over 3,000,000 copies worldwide), setting the stage for the return to form that's Lenny." [2] Kravitz has joined the ranks of Michael Jackson, Prince, George Michael, writing, arranging, producing and performing every song on the album, creating a minimalist one-man show of acoustic and electric guitars, live percussion and drum programming. [3]
The opening track, "Battlefield of Love", is built around a rudimentary guitar riff reminiscent of Grand Funk Railroad—on which Lenny incorporates a wah-wah solo into the mix. [4] Fourth single "If I Could Fall in Love" and first single (described as "a gritty rocker" by Slant [3] ) "Dig In" make use of electric guitar work, with simple structures and pop melodies that have become Kravitz staples. [3] Slant also said "'Dig In' evokes Sheryl Crow at times—only with slightly less keen lyrical content." "Yesterday Is Gone" was said by Entertainment Weekly to have a "Beatles feel, but [it] no longer feels like [Lenny's] consciously trying to rewrite 'Tomorrow Never Knows'." [4] Slant elaborated further, "Kravitz's neo-hippie sentiments abound on tracks like 'God Save Us All' and 'Stillness of Heart' ("I'm feeling incomplete/What am I buying/My soul is crying")." [3] "The stripped-down approach works well throughout the plaintive ballad 'Believe in Me', which sounds like a low-tech Seal song. The amusingly Chuck Berry-ish story line of the hard-charging 'Bank Robber Man', is based on a real-life incident in which the star was mistaken for a criminal and busted by Miami police officers last year. Do you think that I'm the one that did it/Just because I'm tan?/Just then the officer at hand said/'I don't give a damn that you are in a rock and roll band,' Kravitz sings, and for once the social commentary doesn't feel contrived." [4]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 69/100 [5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blender | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | 1/10 [7] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [4] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
USA Today | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Initial critical response to Lenny was positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 69, based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [9]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote a positive review for AllMusic, commenting that "There may not be singles that are as immediately grabbing as "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over", "Let Love Rule" and "Are You Gonna Go My Way", but there are no dull spots, either, and this easily stands alongside his first three albums as a set of classy, near-irresistible pop for listeners weaned on classic and college rock, which is a wholly welcome surprise." [2] Tom Sinclair wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "While it's hard not to wish that Kravitz's music was just a few degrees better than it actually is, he has improved over the years." [4] Graham Reed of Drowned in Sound wrote a negative review, stating "If you love music, take a hammer, and smash every copy you can find. You’ll be doing the world a favour. This is the exact antithesis of everything music stands for. Its stale, unoriginal, formulaic, repetitive, and shows as much originality and passion as a tribute band. There’s thousands of musicians out there with more originality and passion out there than Lenny. This is nothing more than a self-indulgent, artistic void of turd poured into plastic". [7]
Sal Cinquemani wrote for Slant Magazine that "the singer's classic rock influence (and devoted recreation of it) is once again evident on Lenny, with tracks like "Yesterday Is Gone" and "A Million Miles Away" recalling the crisp harmonies of John Lennon and the electric guitar riffs of Jimi Hendrix." [3] Billboard wrote that "It's an invigorating, electric blend that is pushed over the top by lyrics that are smart and spiritual without ever pressing too hard." [12] Blender commented about "its 12 tracks", writing that "they are unusually raucous and raw, as Kravitz finds a comfort zone with turbocharged punk and arena rock." [9] Rolling Stone perceived that "Nothing on Lenny can match "Again", but he gets close sometimes, lumbering with a meatball sense of purpose that's all his own." [9] While Q magazine concluded that "As before, it's a heady swirl of rock, soul and hippy lyrics. However, it feels fantastic and, unless the record company is snoring soundly, it's full of hits." [9]
All songs composed by Lenny Kravitz except where noted.
Bonus Japanese acoustic CD
Musicians [16]
Production and artwork [16]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [48] | Gold | 20,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [49] | Gold | 20,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [50] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [51] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [52] | Gold | 25,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [53] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [54] | 2× Platinum | 200,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) [55] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [56] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [57] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [58] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [59] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [60] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Fly or Die is the second studio album by American rap rock band N.E.R.D. It was released on March 23, 2004.
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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.
Come Clean is the debut studio album by American rock band Puddle of Mudd. Released on August 28, 2001, the album's music was responsible for breaking Puddle of Mudd into the mainstream music scene. It features the singles "Control," "Blurry," "Drift & Die" and "She Hates Me". Various tracks were re-recorded from the band's previous releases, Stuck and Abrasive. The album was the band's biggest hit on the US Billboard 200, peaking at number nine.
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.
Lovers Rock is the fifth studio album by English band Sade, released on 13 November 2000 by Epic Records. The album was titled after a style of reggae music known as lovers rock, noted for its romantic sound and content, which frontwoman Sade Adu listened to in her youth. Lovers Rock was seen as a departure from the band's previous use of jazz elements, opting instead for a wider use of musical elements from soul music, R&B, soft rock, folk music, dub, reggae, neo soul and lovers rock. The album's production has been characterised as spare, with simple arrangements and reggae flourishes. A concept album, the lyrics focus on both the positive and the negative sides of love; the album's lyrical content also touches upon political themes.
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.
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.
"Where Are We Runnin'?" is a song performed by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on April 5, 2004, as the lead single from his seventh studio album, Baptism (2004). Kravitz wrote the song with his long-time collaborator Craig Ross and produced it himself. Following its release, the song reached number 69 in the United States, number 13 in Italy, and number four in Spain.
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.
Strut is the tenth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on September 23, 2014 and was the first release on Kravitz's own Roxie Records, with distribution by Kobalt Label Services. The record also produced five singles released both in 2014 and 2015.
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.
Blue Electric Light is the twelfth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on May 24, 2024, by Roxie Records with distribution handled by BMG Rights Management. The album was preceded by the release of the lead single "TK421" on October 13, 2023.