Lenny Kravitz

Let Love Rule

Too psychedelic for its own good, but a great way to start

Review Score:

(8/10)
In the late 1980s, THE COSBY SHOW was the undisputed king of prime time TV & Lisa Bonet was one of its biggest stars. No doubt, her star status led to more than a little bit of condescension on the part of her new husband, musician Lenny Kravitz. The son of a TV actress (THE JEFFERSONS' Roxie Roker) himself, Lenny was just starting to even get a deal in the music business as THE COSBY SHOW was riding high in the ratings.

When his 1989 debut album LET LOVE RULE came out, musicgoers & critics had no idea quite what to make of this guy who quoted Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix & late-period Beatles as his influences, had dreadlocks for hair & just all around seemed like a leftover from 1969. Critics were the most savage in calling Lenny the "Cuisinart of rock & roll" for him handpicking certain retro sounds for his music. While they would soon come around, LET LOVE RULE in the end was a good way to debut, if not much else.

Lenny is still searching for his main line on this album & this is also when his preachiness is at its height (he would let up a little with time). The title track is the perfect example, but the song is really a great one, phasing techniques & all. This shows if Lenny had to be a Beatle, chances are his choice would be John Lennon more than Paul McCartney. The psychedelic vibe continues through "I Build This Garden For Us" (again the psychedelia can be a little overpowering) & "Flower Child".

Elsewhere, Lenny's got his Sly Stone & James Brown vibe working on "Freedom Train" (could have used some help in the lyric department), "Sittin' On Top Of The World" & "Does Anybody Out There Even Care". The music is funky sho'nuff, but it's of a darker hue, more of THERE'S A RIOT GOIN' ON than DANCE TO THE MUSIC.

Of course, the album does have its slight snags. "Mr. Cab Driver" is a bit too confrontational, while "Fear", "Rosemary" (both written with Lisa Bonet) & "Blues For Sister Someone" go so far as to be a little naive. These songs surely are an acquired taste, but that can be expected from a first-time artist.

In the end, LET LOVE RULE seemed like an album doomed from the beginning. With his wife's career bigger than his own, any objectivity towards Lenny Kravitz's music seemed a lost cause. But he would soon mature & start to develop his own identity. So really, LET LOVE RULE's only problem was that it sounded too much like a debut. Lenny was still finding his footing maybe even as the tape was rolling, making this album every bit of a work in progress. Since then, Lenny's career has been ever more about that progress.

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