Sexy rocker Lenny Kravitz returns to talk to us about love and hate with his eleventh opus: Raise Vibration, which will be released tomorrow September 7. Small overview.
A necessary return to the roots
Lenny Kravitz is in good shape and proves once again that his inspiration has not aged despite the doubts that have crossed him, as he confided in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
"After doing this for 30 years, I didn't feel it. I had never felt so confused about what to do. And it was a scary moment. You don't know when it's going to happen."
It took him to take refuge in his home in the Bahamas (where his mother is from) for the inspiration to return in the middle of the night and decline title after title, until forming Raise Vibration.
This eclectic opus, the11th of our 54-year-old rocker, is dotted with delirious brass, heavy beats on which come to rest sometimes funky gimmicks (as on Low) or crash squeaky electro vibrations (Who Really Are The Monsters), psych rock guitar (Raise Vibration, Johnny Cash) and an African soul that we find here and there by small touches (tribal singing on the end of Raise Vibration, percussion on " Who Really Are the Monsters" and "The Majesty of Love").
So many colors to shape this painting that comes to tell us about Yin and Yang, where Lenny questions the state of the current world and transmits that our salvation lies in the only possible alternative: Love.
Raise Vibration, in search of love and kindness
While the first title of this11th opus, We can Get It All Together sounds like a call to deliverance, the rest of the album will oscillate between denunciation of the worst in Man and hymn to love.
While Low is a little funk nugget that addresses an exclusive love (our favorite of this album supposedly by the way), Who Really Are the Monsters, without transition is more aggressive, mix electro funk with dull vibrations on which Lenny will point his lazer " Who really the monsters, maybe it's time to stare " It's all about the money / It's all about the fame / It's all about control / It's all about the Game".
Then follow Raise Vibration, rock injunction and Johnny Cash : a peace melody that begins on a funky touch and quickly lands as a ballad on simple guitar chords.
We stay in the simple melody with Here To Love which lands on some piano chords. Lenny calls for unity in a benevolent peace in an almost naïve way, but without artifice "We are here to love, there's no room for hate, We are just one human race, We are here to love, there no time to waist anymore- we must all unite"
With It's Enough, a long title of almost 8 minutes, Lenny Kravitz rebels and expresses his anger against the current state of the world, plagued by racial hatred, attacks, destruction. "I'm tired of racism. I'm tired of war. I'm tired of environmental destruction, of our dishonest world leaders. We need to get back on track to move forward with better understanding," he said in a statement. A title with resolutely committed and conscious funk resonances, carried by a concentrated clip of real scenes of senseless violence and massive destruction to turn your stomach.
Then follow 5 More Days 'Till Summer (not the craziest of the album) and The Majesty of Love funky title. Gold Dust and Ride are more inhabited and take us to the heights, all in rock and pop airy: while Gold Dust begins on a background of Gospel inspiration, Ride hovers quietly and smoothly on strings above the clouds.
I'll Always Be Inside Your Soul closes this album on a sensual and calm note.
From Raise Vibration to good vibrations
In conclusion, at 54 years old, more beautiful and sexy than he has ever been, Lenny is also always good at delighting our ears with some small nuggets well felt and although in our opinion we could leave some titles aside we can say that Raise vibration succeeds worthily to the previous opus of the artist. It should be noted that, as usual, as an accomplished musician he composed almost all of this album himself and played most of the instruments (with the exception of the string musicians and his long-time friend guitarist Craig Ross).
He still has many surprises in store for us with the arrival of a next album on which he is currently working, announced as completely different and totally impregnated with funk. As far as we know at the moment, Lenny is working in collaboration with George Clinton, Allen Toussaint, Fred Wesley and jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell.
While waiting for this release, we let you discover Raise Vibration, available tomorrow !!
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