Love is the single-most intangible concept known to mankind, as equally wonderful as it is frustrating, as constant as it is volatile and as certain as it is confusing. Love can be professed in countless ways to numerous types of people and is the vessel that motivates even the most hardened hearts. One can go on and on trying to explain love, but the tuth is , love is too expansive to be summarized in a few words.
It is this broad concept of love is the central theme of Lenny Kravitz's latest release, It is Time for a Love Revolution, a 14-track illustration of the many facets of love.
Kravitz's career took off with the release of Let Love Rule in 1989, suggesting that Kravitz has come full circle with his latest album. While Love Revolution retains the classic 1970s rock style that Kravitz is known to use, it is apparent that he has mellowed-out and matured.
The album opens with Love Revolution"" and ""Bring It On,"" echoing Kravitz's distinctive unabashed style with heavy drumming, guitar riffs and high-pitched wailing. In these openers, Kravitz uses love to inspire others to work toward a better tomorrow. ""You were designed to use your mind / To move what you can't see so don't be blind / 'Cause there is a love.""
While ""Love Revolution"" and ""Bring it On"" do not explore new ground when it comes to style, the sweet, optimistic ""Good Morning"" weds Kravitz's classic retro vibe with vocal intonations similar to that of post-punk love ballads. The flat vocal tone is most prominent when Kravitz sings the lines, ""Good morning / nice to see you / how ya been?""
From there, Kravitz explores love's playful side on the fun, peppy ""Love, Love, Love,"" the soulful, upbeat ""Will You Marry Me"" and the sultry funk of ""Dancin' Till Dawn."" In these songs, Kravitz makes a distinction between love and lust, and he does so in a euphoric manner as opposed to expressing these ideas in a romantic, lingering tune.
Slower-moving ballads are definitely present in Love Revolution. The lyrical, slow pace is juxtaposed with unconventional topics such as the metaphoric sweetness of nature in ""I Love the Rain."" Kravitz's vocals are somber and mellow, coupled with drum beats in the background and a weeping guitar harmony.
""I'll Be Waiting"" is a love song that uses simple, stagnant chords as its foundation, later adding violins at the song's climax. ""A Long and Sad Goodbye"" is a tearful ballad that pays tribute to his late father: ""Papa / You meant the world to me / Why did you abandon me / Now it's a long and sad goodbye.""
Whether to motivate political interest, rejoice in happiness or sulk in heartache, It is Time for a Love Revolution cannot escape the grasp of love. Love is clearly the source of Kravitz's inspiration, and though the album does very little experimenting on a stylistic level, it has been made with much care and precision, to say the least. And it seems that love is all Kravitz really needed to revive himself.
