Let Love Rule - Lenny Kravitz (1989)

I suppose the first time I came across Lenny Kravitz was the title track’s video on MTV. It’s a slow builder that ends up in a ripping psych-soul fervor, which certainly got my attention.

I bought the record, and I was struck immediately that this guy was not just a fad. While it sounds very little like what he’d record over the following years, the overall aesthetic is there from the beginning.

At that time in my life, I was learning guitar in addition to listening to everything I could get my hands on. The mix of acoustic guitar with much heavier elements interested me just on a sonic level, and Kravitz builds on top of that combo to make a record that doesn’t sound exactly like anything else, even though it’s always familiar.

Kravitz plays multiple instruments as well as producing the record himself. He’d been knocking around the LA music biz for several years so it’s not a total surprise, but it makes for a definite coherent statement.

Tracks I Liked

Let Love Rule - as mentioned, it’ll stick with you

Freedom Train - one I hadn’t remembered, but a great one.

Mr Cab Driver - I was extremely sheltered from America’s race struggles so I’m thankful for things like this that seem to be stating the obvious but that I and kids like me needed to hear.

Be - A deep cut, for sure, but one of the best tracks on the album. Sonically, it’s a bit like Ballad Of A Thin Man trasnposed to a psych-soul piece. The lyrics aren’t Dylan, but they’re great.