Music Review: Lenny Kravitz: Baptism

Lenny Kravitz has become something of a institution in the modern free-for-all known as rock ‘n roll. His cover of the Guess Who’s “American Woman” will have him enshrined in rock lore for a long time, while original tunes like “Fly Away” showcase his ability for assembling a great hard rock song.

When Lenny Kravitz is on, he’s classic.

However, try as he might, Kravitz can never seem to come away with more than two great songs on any given album. I fear his attention is mostly given to creating his hit singles, and the rest of the tracks he spends time baring his soul with limp-legged uninspired tunes.

When Lenny Kravitz is off, he’s forgettable.

Baptism is proving to be no exception to the rule. Blasting on to the charts powered by his lead-off single “Lady,” it was then followed up with the more impressive “Where Are We Runnin’?” which then proved to be the last we heard of Lenny for the meanwhile.

The other eleven tracks on this album prove to be easily skipped over on the CD, because there just isn’t anything there which is that inspired.

The one late highlight to the disc is Kravitz’s duet with Jay-Z who makes a notable guest appearance.

Aside from “Lady” and “Where Are We Runnin’?” I fear this album will slip into the $4.99 bin at Wal-mart soon enough, joining many of his other works like Lenny, Mama Said and Are You Gonna Go My Way?

Kravitz has a phenomenal persona. His image and his style add up to being truly larger than life. Sadly, I just don’t think his talent or vision is capable of keeping up.

Final Grade: C-