Lenny Kravitz, Raise Vibration | Album Review 💿

Following a four-year hiatus, Grammy-winning rock musician Lenny Kravitz returns with his 11^th studio album, ‘Raise Vibration.’

Sometimes, you have to wait for an artist.  That’s the case with Grammy-winner Lenny Kravitz, who goes three and four years between album releases.  While that’s a “tough pill to swallow” for a ‘super fan,’ it’s totally understandable for Kravitz – what else does he have left to prove? While the announcement of the release of Raise Vibration has been on the horizon for a while, the album arrives with much less fanfare than the Lenny of old.  It comes with age.  Nonetheless, Raise Vibration has plenty of awesome musical moments.

“We Can Get It All Together” 

“We Can Get It All Together” kicks off Raise Vibration thoughtfully.  As is common with Lenny Kravitz, he’s socially-conscious, with the bigger picture in mind.  Does he change a crazy world with the retro rock opener? Nah, but his heart and mind are in the right place. The hella groovy, soulful “Low” ends up being an electrifying follow-up.  The chorus is absolutely infectious, finding Kravitz dipping into a sweet falsetto.  One of the key lyrical moments occurs on the second verse, when he asks, “Is my sexuality / Creating such a tragedy.”

“The war won’t stop as long as we keep dropping bombs / Dropping bombs.” After playing around with funk and soul, Kravitz gets a bit more experimental, blending psychedelic rock and fusion on “Who Really Are the Monsters?” While it’s fresh, it also has a vintage quality.  Title track “Raise Vibration” is an intriguing, if incredibly quirky record. While it’s not your standard listening experience, Kravitz makes his point – becoming better people and making the world a better place.  He follows up with the lovely ballad, “Johnny Cash.” Like the majority of his albums, Kravitz handles most of the vocal and instrumental duties, save for Craig Ross providing awesome volume pedal electric guitar.  The chorus is stunning:

“Just hold me like Johnny Cash
When I lost my mother
Whisper in my ear
Just like June Carter
And though I fight these tears that I hide
Just hold me tight for the rest of my life.”

“It’s Enough” 

On “Here to Love,” Lenny Kravitz puts down the guitar completely – shocking.  Instead, he’s accompanied by piano, Mini-Moog, and strings, courtesy of David Baron.  Furthermore, he gets a lift from a 12-member choir.  Key words include love, peace, and unite – “We must all unite / There’s no more segregation.” He continues to think about a more perfect place.

“When will the desire for love / Outweigh the desire for power?” Lenny Kravitz makes it clear he’s not happy with the current social-political climate on “It’s Enough”, the promo single for Raise Vibration. “It’s Enough” is the lengthiest song of the album, running eight minutes in duration. Nonetheless, it benefits from an incredibly soulful groove that is reminiscent of the Marvin Gaye classic, “What’s Going On.” In addition to being soulful, the groove has a distinct, ‘percussive’ nature.  Kravitz sings about the many problems that plague America including racial injustice, unarmed shootings, and political corruption and lies.  A simple chorus sums up the sentiment of the times.

“It’s enough, it’s enough, it’s enough
In the system, you cannot trust
It’s enough, it’s enough
When the whole wide world is corrupt
It’s enough, it’s enough
And we all are just getting fucked
It’s enough, it’s enough.”

“5 More Days ‘Til Summer”

“It’s Enough” seems to trigger a couple of strong numbers from Kravitz.  No, he doesn’t reinvent the wheel with the pop/rock “5 More Days ‘Til Summer,” but it’s certainly enjoyable.  Listening, the influence of Prince is clear as a bell.  The chorus is repetitive, but infectious.  Arguably, “The Majesty of Love” is even better, with superb rhythmic guitars and clavinet, anchored by the hella percussive groove and a sick bass line.  This is feel-good funk at its best. In regards to classic soul, it reminisces back to a Tower of Power classic such as “What Is Hip?” Harold Todd makes things even better with his excellent saxophone solo.

The heavy, guitar-driven, vocally-harmonized chorus stands out on “Gold Dust.” It makes sense within the context of Raise Vibration – Kravitz bounces back and forth between a variety of styles.  Penultimate record “Ride” keeps the groove going – one of the strong suits of this album.  The song itself is respectable, but not necessarily as electrifying or exciting as the crème de la crème.  “I’ll Always Be Inside Your Soul” concludes Raise Vibration embracing more contemporary sounds in comparison to everything else.  On the one hand, it shows Kravitz’s ability to assimilate.  On the other hand, it’s not nearly as effective or intriguing as his throwback joints.

Final Thoughts 

For the most, Lenny Kravitz satisfies his base (the likes of yours truly) on Raise Vibration.  Like many socially-conscious albums, he discusses relevant issues plaguing the world, even if he fails to offer a clear-cut solution. All in all, there’s nothing downright objectionable. It’s worthwhile, even if there are arguably better albums in his catalogue addressing similar subject matter (Black and White America comes to mind).

Gems: “Low,” “Johnny Cash,” “It’s Enough,” “5 More Days ‘Til Summer” & “The Majesty of Love” 

Lenny Kravitz • Raise Vibration • BMG Rights Management • Release: 9.11.18

Photo Credits: BMG Rights Management