Lenny

Lenny Kravitz is known for proudly wearing his influences on his sleeve, but on his sixth album it's clear Kravitz has at last honed a sound he can call his own. Mixing hard rock and ballads, Lenny kicks in with the blistering "Battlefield of Love," a solid rocker with a funk groove. The retro "If I Could Fall in Love" displays a touch of psychedelia, while the Lennonesque "God Save Us All" is bluesy and uplifting. The success of "Again," the smash single from his 2000 hits package, appears to have registered with Kravitz, who surfaces a new crop of midtempo ballads here--all far stronger than "Again." "Yesterday Is Gone (My Dear Kay)" is a finely crafted tune on it's own, yet Kravitz experiments with atypical sounds. The soulful "Stillness of Heart" builds with acoustic guitars and layered harmonies, concluding with a lovely string arrangement. And "You Were in My Heart" mixes synth loops over solid rhythms and a haunting melody. Lenny may seem like an oddly nondescript title, but it's apt; these 12 songs simply sound like the work of Lenny Kravitz. --Gail F.