Music review: Lenny Kravitz – ‘Strut’
Charisma has a new name, and it鈥檚 called Lenny Kravitz. With the release of his 10th studio album, Kravitz impressively proves that he鈥檚 getting better with age.
鈥淪trut鈥� features the 50-year-old singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and actor delivering more of the same retro-sounding anthems containing splashes of rock, soul, R&B, funk and psychedelic found on earlier albums such as 1991鈥檚 鈥淢ama Said鈥� and 1993鈥檚 鈥淎re You Gonna Go My Way.鈥�
While 2011鈥檚 鈥淏lack and White America鈥� revealed a stylistic vision of hope, love and togetherness through a strong collection of well-crafted songs reminiscent of classic Stevie Wonder, 鈥淪trut鈥� is a sensual bombshell focused on the chemistry of love and relationships.
Produced entirely by Kravitz, 鈥淪trut鈥� possesses plenty of swagger, grit and sex appeal through songs like 鈥淒irty White Boots,鈥� 鈥淭he Pleasure and the Pain,鈥濃�漇he鈥檚 a Beast鈥� and 鈥淔rankenstein.鈥�
鈥淭he Chamber鈥� is the album鈥檚 lead single and standout track with its slick blending of early Blondie and INXS flavorings.
鈥淣ew York City鈥� is a funky and infectious ode to the artist鈥檚 hometown and serves as a testament to the city鈥檚 strength and perseverance. A few years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to see Kravitz perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The performance lived up to all the hype as Kravitz ripped through his diverse musical catalog, all the while whipping the capacity crowd into a controlled frenzy.
Kravitz shows a softer side on the passionate 鈥淚 Never Want to Let You Down鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檓 a Believer,鈥� while closing the album with a soulful cover of 鈥淥oo Baby Baby鈥� from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Although it鈥檚 been 25 years since Kravitz debuted with 鈥淟et Love Rule,鈥� he demonstrates that love still rules his heart in a fashionable manner.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.