When Lenny Kravitz released 2004's "Baptism," it was supposed to be a whole new direction for the funk-rock artist, but with his latest release, it seems he's back at square one.
"It Is Time For A Love Revolution" is an eclectic mix of the Kravitz the industry knows - vocally and lyrically - and a blend of late 60s and early 70s rock. The result is an uninspiring yet solid rock album with a few diamonds in the rough.
Over the course of the 14 tracks, "Revolution" draws on many inspirations ranging from David Bowie to Led Zeppelin to The Rolling Stones and even a bit of John Lennon.
A perfect example of this is the track "If You Want It," which sounds like it could have been recorded by any of the great Southern rock bands like Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws or Lynrd Skynrd. The only difference being the lackluster lyrics that make the song sound like a self-help country ballad.
"If you want it / You can change your world today / If you want it / Just break free / And walk away," he sings, with the assistance of what sounds to be a gospel back up singers who appear unexpectedly on the chorus.
"Revolution" starts off really strong, the first half of the album really gets the job done, but the last seven tracks or so kind of mesh together and really don't do much for the album. In fact, the best songs of the album are the first four.
The album opens with "Love Revolution," the only song on "Revolution" that feels modern and it could definitely be featured in one of those iPod silhouette commercials. The track bounces back and forth from sounding like The Strokes and The Hives, and even sports Kravitz doing his best Julian Casablanca impression.
"Good Morning" seems to channel a mix of The Beatles on the vocals over a backing of one of Kravitz's bigger hits, "Again," and the strings from Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony." But the difference between this song and the rest of the ones on "Revolution" is that it blends these elements to create something amazing and original. The relaxed tone and the strings really compliment each other well in this scenario and just deliver an enjoyable experience about waking up in the morning and greeting the day.
"Good morning / Nice to see you / How you've been / The beginning of another lovely day," Kravitz's sings.
Continuing the sound-alike theme, the track "Bring It On" sounds so close to Mountain's "Mississippi Queen," from its guitar riffs to vocal pacing, that you almost expect Leslie West to begin belting out the trademark chorus.
What "Revolution" lacks in actual revolutionary sounds, it makes up for with callback to the rock days of old and the few gems in its roster. Ultimately, however, none of the tracks are memorable enough to merit purchasing the full album so pick and choose instead.
Three out of five stars.
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