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 ReligionJames Brown, U2's Bono and Bruce Springsteen all come to mind. Lenny Kravitz, who calls himself the "minister of rock 'n' roll" on Baptism's opening track, isn't sacrosanct. Rather, he's just the latest in a long line of rock 'n' roll apostles. And with Baptism, Kravitz aspires to Prince-ly ambitions -- he even looks like the Purple One on the cover, which features a barechested Kravitz holding a guitar in a pool of red paint. And like Prince, Kravitz was in complete control of the music here, writing, producing, arranging and performing all the songs himself. He even played every instrument. It's an impressive accomplishment, but it also smacks of self-importance. Back in the studio
The rockers are the potent stuff, here. Despite its self-aggrandizing theme, "Minister of Rock N Roll" marries a techno beat with Kravitz's howling vocals and sounds like a cross between the Crystal Method and the Rolling Stones. The stuttering "Lady" is another solid rock track, relying on Kravitz's yelps and a steady piano riff. The ballads are a different story. The love song "Calling All Angels" is schmaltzy, even by Kravitz's standards. On the tender "Baptized," Kravitz tries to sing in falsetto but can't quite pull it off. No matter how hard Kravitz tries to recapture the spontaneity of Let Love Rule, he falls short. By Jeff Niesel http://www.hearsay.cc/reviews/albums/07-10-06-04/LennyKravitz.html |
