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Music : Greatest Hits |
- Great starter collectionThere's been a few Kavitz songs that I've heard and loved, so I started with this CD in purchasing his music. I really enjoy it. Looking to exploring which CD(s) to buy from here. Very enjoyable.
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- Finding his own voiceNow I don't claim to be a Rock expert, or a devoted fan of Mr. Kravitz. I have followed his career for a number of years, and every now and then a song of his will catch my attention. This CD is the perfect one for me, as I won't be getting all his CDs, and this covers the best of them( saying that I would like his very Curtis sounding' What goes around come around' from his Mama Said. This leads me to my second point. In his earlier CDs as he struggled to find the right line between sounding like your idols, and finding his own voice, he often came across as an immature artist. I believe that after four or five Cds he is finally starting to find his own voice. My favorite songs on this Cd are' Are you Gonna go my way?'' Fly away', 'It ain't over 'till it's over', 'Always on the Run', and the excellent 'Let Love Rule'.
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- Cool CompI heard this at my last job about a year ago when one of the A/V Techs played it. It's cool, standard Kravitz, it's got "Mr. Cab Driver".Cool driving/Sunday cd. Should be cheap here. Check it out.
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- As Good as a Greatest Hits Collection GetsIn the mid 1990s, I heard a concert promotion radio ad that was basically introducing the performer to be "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Star". When they announced that star to be Lenny Kravitz, I must admit, I nearly drove off the road when I heard that. I had realized Kravitz had some commercial success and had a nice following, but "World's Greatest Rock and Roll Star"? - Come On! However, now about a decade later, as I have begun to get a deeper appreciation for what Rock music has to offer, I now realize that perhaps there is some real merit to that radio ad. I'm still not ready to put Kravitz up there with the upper echelon of Rock with the Paul McCartneys, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteens, or even Billy Joels - however, it is safe to say that Kravitz could easily be one of the great revelations of the 1990s and has lived completely up to expectations as he has entered the 2000s. In 2000, Kravitz amassed enough material and success to release his first Greatest Hits album. This collection, "Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits" provides some a great cross-section into Kravitz's musical career and is a great place to start if you are interested in checking out Kravtiz's material.
"Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits" hits focuses on the first decade of Kravitz's career (1989-2000). During this time, Kravtiz would release five solo albums for an average of 1 album every 2 years. These albums (and the associated tracks included from these albums) are: 1989's "Let Love Rule" ("Mr Cab Driver", "Let Love Rule"); 1991's "Mama Said" ("It Ain't Over Til It's Over", "Stand By My Woman", "Always On the Run"); 1993's "Are You Gonna Go My Way" ("Are You Gonna Go My Way", "Heaven Help", "Believe"); 1995's "Circus" ("Rock and Roll is Dead", "Can't Get You Off My Mind"); "5" ("Fly Away", "I Belong to You", "Black Velveteen"). As with the case of most greatest hits albums, there is one new song to stimulate album sales among the deep fan base - a very solid song called, "Again". It is worth noting that Kravitz's cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman" is also included on this collection. This song was part of the soundtrack of "Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me", but was eventually included on the re-issue of "5". One thing that is very nice about this collection is that it is split among the 5 albums just about evenly. I'm pleased that there are even two songs from his first album which was really not commercially successful.
I think that Kravitz hits the three main dimensions that I expect from a successful solo artist: Vocals, Instrumentation, and Songwriting. On top of these three dimensions, Kravitz cross all of these dimensions by providing a variety of different music styles. Whether it is hard Rock, R&B, or Funk - Kravitz finds ways to incorporate these styles and more into his music. Kravitz was influenced by Prince who also incorporated similar styles into his music. "Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits" will show examples of this wide range of diversity. You can hear Kravitz's Hard Rock style on "Are You Gonna Go My Way", "American Woman", "Fly Away", "Rock and Roll is Dead" and "Always on the Run". Songs such as "Mr Cab Driver" have a definite Funk influence in it - especially on the Bass. Still songs such as "Heaven Help" , "It Ain't Over Til its Over", and "I Belong to You" show Kravitz' R&B side. Despite these obvious influences, it is not easy to pigeon-hole Kravtiz's music into one musical genre. There are many of his songs that definitely cross several of these genres and also break new ground. Perhaps the best example of this is "Black Velveteen". "Black Velveteen" has been a song that Kravitz has been criticized for, but I happen to think it's the best song he has done. The song does have a "Euro Pop" feel, but it you will hear parts of Hard Rock and even R&B overlaid on top of this. I like how Kravitz tries to do something "out of the box" and "different" to his music. Kravitz's ability to innovate didn't happen late in his career - listen to his early song "Let Love Rule". Kravitz uses combines some R&B with some Jimi Hendrix-like sounds to give a unique sound.
As mentioned I think it comes down to the three dimensions I list above. Kravitz shows incredible range on his vocals - whether it's "It Ain't Over Til It's Over", "Let Love Rule" or his new track "Again", Kravitz will show he is not one dimensional as a vocalist. From an instrumentation standpoint, Kravitz is well-known for his incredible guitar, but also listen to his Bass work as well. You'll hear Kravitz incorporate other instruments as well - such as piano on "Heaven Help" or horns on "Let Love Rule" and "Always on the Run". Lost in this whole picture is some of Kravitz's songwriting - this is perhaps one of the most overlooked dimensions of his talent. Once again, this can even be traced early to his career - on 1989's "Mr Cab Driver", he describes the experiences of racism and discrimination.
There is one negative on this collection. I normally like when an artist puts tracks in chronological order because this allows me to hear how the artist progressed over time. Unfortunately, this collection does not do so. It would have been a great strength if this had been done on this collection.
The liner notes include the lyrics to the new song - "Again". The songwriting credits as well as what album the song is included on are also included in the liner notes. Overall, this is as solid a Greatest Hits album as it gets. The only other negative may be as Kravitz continues to have success, this album might someday be eclipsed by a more current Greatest Hits portfolio.
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- Good Place to Start People!!!!!I had this album for quite some time and thought to myself that I should finally place my input on this. I had met Lenny Kravitz in the Bahamas ten years ago during the Christmas holiday and it was great to shake his hands. We are lucky to be alive to hear the work of this man. He's one of these artists' that are out there who puts so much of what is lacking in performance of contemporary sound and that is FEELING. It blows my mind the criticism he's received accusing him of robbing the stylistic graves of his idols - excuse me? So do hundreds of other artists who can't even hold a candle in tribute no matter how hard their effort or sincerity. THIS is a man who takes whatever influences and MAKES THEM HIS OWN. I have no problem whatsoever picking out a riff or musical inflection out of any of his works in recognition of his predecessors. He writes, produces, and most impressive plays almost all instruments on his recordings. Like back in the 70's, where there were numerous groups with plenty of organic vibes.
If you don't have this CD or any of his CDs, I recommend picking this one up. It also includes a never before released song called Again that I am sure you heard back in the day and loved. Lenny's greatest hits is a great introduction to his music, it has all his best songs, all his great rock songs like 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' 'Fly Away' and 'American Woman' it also has the best of his soul work like 'I Belong To You' and 'Heaven Help' but you also get a few funky numbers like 'Always On The Run' and 'Black Velvetine' this a great way for anyone to get into him, you'll see once you hear this album your gonna want more.
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