Lenny Kravitz:I'll admit I was skeptical when I heard about him originally. I thought - oh great, Lisa Bonet's husband, yeah, this is going to be good...
But Let Love Rule was good. And then came the brilliantly amazing Mama Said. An album, that if I really had to make such a list, would certainly be in my top 50. A bit of Lennon, a bit of Hendrix, a heavy dose of Sly, and a lot of 70's pop and R&B - and it sounds great in the headphones!!
My expectations were understandably high for the follow up Are You Gonna Go My Way, and while I do enjoy it, it really doesn't hold up against it's predecessor.
But then came Circus - bleh, and 5, and then - oh hell I can't even remember the titles, or the songs that appear on them. It still all sounds like Lenny, but seemingly missing that certain something that captured my interest. I don't hate it, I just don't love it like I did those magical first 2 albums.
Sheryl Crow:
Tuesday Night Music Club caught me off guard when I first heard it. Leaving Lost Vegas is a song I shouldn't like, but the infectious rhythm grabbed me at first listen. The album had catchy tunes and attitude. It reminded me of Rickie Lee Jones' debut but updated for the 90's. It's actually not surprising that I enjoy it as much as I do considering the contributions of both of the Davids of David & David fame (Baerwald and Ricketts) whose Boomtown remains a favorite of mine.
Unfortunately Sheryl didn't do like Lenny and follow up a good debut with a brilliant follow up. In fact, I really couldn't have been more disappointed with Sheryl Crow. With only brief flashes of the fun of the original, it's lyrically nearly incomprehensible and sort of a mess really.
C'mon C'mon was the end of the road for me and Sheryl. The songs are all sunny and warm and everything but beneath the fluff it's just more fluff. It's more of a return to form than the melancholy of the sophomore effort but to me it just feels forced, and fake.
Wildflower got good reviews and I guess I should give it a shot, but I really don't get any sense that it is going to be so remarkably different or appealing to me.
As for the two new songs I heard today, here it is just 12 hours later and I can't even recall them. They didn't suck enough for me to change the station, but they were really in one ear and out the other - which is sad because I know these 2 artists can do better.
SB
Not sure what either are doing musically these days. I enjoyed Lenny Kravitz' first few records for the Lennon and Hendrix influences.
Trench - I'm not sure what's changed, or perhaps it is that he is just retreading the same thing. I do still enjoy him, just not as much as I would have hoped.
Herb - Yep, those first 2 albums are indeed the ones to get. The Lennon-ish cuts on Mama Said are fantastic.
Thanks for the comments all
SB
Same goes for Lenny. The last song I remember coming out from him was Are You Gonna Go My Way and Lady.
I do agree with Trench who said in the beginning you can see the artist's hunger and as time and success builds that hunger tends to disappear.
Really, however, I am not qualified to comment on any of this, since all I ever hear these days regarding music is my 2-year-old's Strawberry Shortcake DVD.
Thanks for the visit and comment - my wife and I both really enjoy your blog
SB
LOVED that David & David, too. I still listen to Baerwald quite a bit, too. For a time, I was a frequent visitor at his web site, and he was cool enough to read and respond to comments. (ANd I don't think he's a Crow fan, either!)
I've read a little about the fighting over credits on TNMC, as each release of hers gets weaker I am starting to believe it.
SB
Not sure what happened to Lenny. It's like he fell of the face of the earth...