Lenny Kravitz

A collage of sounds and styles, of hip-hop grooves and rock guitar, classic melody and 21st century ambience, 5 is Lenny Kravitz at his most eclectic and his best. Of the record’s range, Lenny says, “Making this album, I felt like a kid with a box of crayons. And I used all the colors.”

An aesthetic chameleon ever since his 1989 debut, Let Love Rule, Kravitz has never been comfortable with borders, boxes, limitations. And with 5, a fascinating mix of old and new, of vintage Lenny and Lenny-right-now, he’s again reinventing himself. “The album took eight months, because I had to learn a whole new style of recording,” Kravitz says.

Lenny produced himself and enlisted the legendary Terry Manning as engineer (Al Green, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Staple Singers). At the beginning of his career Lenny was a pioneer of a return to basic recording, this time Kravitz embraced hi-tech, incorporating his own samples and loops into his trademark tube-amp, down ‘n’ dirty recording approach. “No tape, this time,” Lenny says, “And ‘Digital’ used to be a dirty word for me. But by working instrument by instrument, building up the sound, I was able to construct the record like a puzzle. I was listening to a lot of New York hip-hop. I like that technique the sparseness, the groove, the rhythm.”

As always, the multi-instrumentalist plunged into marathon studio sessions, 16-hour days in New York and the Bahamas crafting sounds. The result? Lenny’s fiercest, fullest music the vocals crisp and immediate, the instrumentation surprising (everything from wah-wah guitar to mellotron and mini-moog to “green Heineken bottles” as percussion). Craig Ross is again on hand, turning in hot guitar. Lenny’s horn players Michael Hunter and Harold Todd are given space to soar. Female back-up vocals (an unusual twist for Kravitz) add elegance and heart. And Lenny’s own work playing all the instruments is more fluid than ever. “Even before Let Love Rule, I was playing funk. I’ve gone in different directions, too and I’ll continue doing so, but it was great to get back. It’s been two years since I was on stage with the HORDE tour. And I haven’t made a record since Circus. So, even though I’ve been making records professionally for nine years, this time I’m making music again as if it’s my first album. No preconceptions. No expectations. I’m just flowing. And it’s a blessing.”

A child of two cultures, Kravitz grew up half-Bahamian, half-Jewish in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the son of TV producer Sy Kravitz and actress Roxie Roker (Helen on “The Jeffersons”). Raised around music, he dug jazz and R&B in NYC; moving to LA, he sang with the California Boys Choir and recorded with Zubin Mehta. Hitting first with Let Love Rule , he followed up with the tougher Mama Said (1991), the rocking Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993) and the kaleidoscopic Circus (1995). Critics noted his originality and breadth of influences (Hendrix to Lennon, gospel to funk). Crowds responded to his incendiary live performances and demanded more.

5 honors that legacy and extends from it. Like so many of us as we grow older, Kravitz has experienced loss in recent years, with the death of his mother. That loss has influenced his music. “Thinking Of You” is one of his most beautiful efforts; fittingly, it’s a tribute to his mother. He thrives on his own experiences as a parent, and incorporates these emotions into creating music with renewed energy and customary fire. “I love being in ‘Daddy mode,’” says Kravitz. “Little Girl’s Eyes” evinces grace and tenderness. “That song was my daughter’s ninth birthday present,” says Kravitz. The track “Black Velveteen” was inspired by recent news stories. “I was thinking about cloning and how the future is now. The song’s about a virtual mate, a virtual companion.” The calypso-inflected “I Belong To You” showcases Kravitz’ melodic flair. Of the witty and explosive track “Super Soul Fighter,” Kravitz says, “He’s like a comic-book character, going around spreading good vibrations.” “You’re My Flavor” and “It’s Your Life” reflects Lenny’s thoughts about interracial couples. “That’s where I come from. Even these days, there’s sometimes a stigma about it. And I was saying to two people in love, ‘Don’t worry about the world. Be yourselves.’” The sweeping and majestic “Take Time” is among Lenny’s own favorites. “I like the power of it; it’s like time travelling back in history.”

Now readying himself for touring, while also taking time to produce new SONY/Work artist Cree Summer and work on re-mixes for 5, Lenny Kravitz is doing what he’s always done 24 7, the man loves music. It’s his purpose and his joy. “Can We Find A Reason,” the album’s closer, in fact is all about purpose it was inspired by a CNN report Lenny saw about a young man “all by himself, with a truck, cleaning up rivers in Mississippi.” And, finally, that’s what Lenny’s music has always been about soul and fervor and inspiration.