"Rock And Roll Is Dead" snubs alternative rock and rap acts who "can't even sing or play an instrument," while Kravitz plays guitar, bass and drums with confidence and a well-learned sense of groove.

His gift for molding AOR idioms into new forms jumps on the John Bonham wagon for the heavy wallop of "Beyond The 7th Sky"; his Hendrix-ian wah-wah mixes perfectly with some Sly Stone bump-and-grind on "Tunnel Vision"; and the Beatlesque guitar on "Can't Get You Off My Mind" proves that mimicry just may be the sincerest form of flattery.

There is even a hint of Stevie Wonder on "God Is Love." And though you may spot the references as if they were highlighted on a map, CIRCUS pulls it off with precision and inspiration.

The flower-power and funk melodies throughout CIRCUS stir together a different era of sounds and effects for a '90s audience. They make Kravitz's appreciation for rock's foundation down-right contagious.

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