Lenny Kravitz is an often overlooked Rock musician. He has made many hits on the charts during his lengthy career. He also has starred in movies and has amassed a rather large fortune as a millionaire. In other words, Lenny Kravitz is a success at what he does. This compilation, although released fairly early on in Lenny Kravitz’s career, is a good starting point for those who have not heard his music. It contains his early hits and for Rock fans, it has some interesting tunes. Let’s jump into it.

Are You Gonna Go My Way is actually a Christian Rock song. It begins with Jimi Hendrix style guitars and pounding drums, before launching into a catchy and driven piece of music. Lenny Kravitz does sound a lot like Hendrix here, although it is pretty obvious that he is not Jimi Hendrix himself. The guitar riffs throughout are extremely catchy and unique. The combination of musicianship and glorious sounds here are fantastic. The solo section in the second half is really cool and is played wonderfully. A very catchy song from start to finish, this does sound superb and wonderful. A good song to kickstart this compilation with.

Fly Away is likely the standout song from Lenny Kravitz. It begins with an extremely catchy guitar riff in the left channel before this wonderful tune gets kicking. This quickly launches into a really excellent and awesome set of verses, before launching into the euphoric chorus. The vocals in the chorus are heavily autotuned, but does it matter? No. This is a great song to bring a smile to your face and is top stuff from start to finish. A really fantastic tune, everything on this song is perfectly placed. Lively, happy and upbeat, this song is a must-listen for those who don’t know who Lenny Kravitz is. Worth repeat listens, this is a fun song. This is for those who want to feel on top musically. A must listen.

Rock And Roll Is Dead is a very ironic song, considering that at the time of writing, Rock music has been replaced by other forms of music commercially, mainly Electronic based music. It begins with some palm muting, followed by an excellent Rock riff and the band quickly follows. This is amazingly good and catchy, and it foresees the future of the music world. Very catchy and awesome listening, this sounds really terrific. Lenny Kravitz sounds like he is on fire, and done excellently here. There are several key changes and a natural progression throughout. Very, very catchy, the guitar solo in the second half is really fantastic, sounding Led Zeppelin-ish. An excellent tune to hear on repeat, this sounds clever and catchy. Nice work brother, more people should hear this underrated song. A great effort.

Again is one of the most heartbreaking songs you will ever hear, a real tearjerker of a piece. It begins as a slow ballad with punchy drums and acoustic guitars, before launching into a real classic piece about being in love with someone. “All of my life, where have you been? I’ll wonder if I’ll ever see you again.” is the unforgettable chorus phrase and this is so deep and meaningful that it demands repeat listens. A really fantastic song, there are soothing vocals leading into the very emotional guitar solo. For all those who miss a loved one or lover from the past, this song is for you. A very pure and wonderful listening experience, hats off to Lenny Kravitz for understanding human emotions. The repeated chorus and outro will leave you yearning for love. Great and fantastic song from start to finish.

It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over begins with a drum roll, launching into a pseudo-Disco music piece. This also has some funky guitar. This is a more upbeat and enjoyable groove-based piece by Lenny Kravitz about more love and relationship issues at hand. Lenny Kravitz does a great job here, and the music and lyrics match each other very well. This is another slice of inspired Pop/Rock masterwork that is very, very good. The single-coil bluesy guitar solo is fun to hear, before quickly launching back into the chorus. This song may seem a little repetitive to some but nonetheless is a Lenny Kravitz classic anyway. Enjoyable and romance based listening, this is proof of the power of great tunes. Lenny Kravitz does have great tunes, a nice song.

Can’t Get You Off My Mind is next, and begins with clean guitar riffs and strummed acoustic guitars. Lenny Kravitz sings emotionally about the trials and tests of romance, once again, but sounds extremely cool and original on this tune. A wonderful and catchy listen, this is a great singalong tune that sounds really fine. The harmonies that are sung and production on this song are nothing but fantastic, and this is a very powerful listen. A really intense yet enjoyable piece of music, with a dramatic key change in the second half, this is definitely essential listening for Classic Rock fans. A wonderful and squealing guitar solo follows, which is really impressive, sounding rather David Gilmour like. This song is very decent listening from start to finish, highly recommended. It ends with some acoustic guitar riffs.

Mr. Cab Driver begins with crunchy electric guitar and is an early Lenny Kravitz song that directly tackles the nature of racism that is prevalent in the USA to this day. Very catchy and simple, although admittedly a little plain, this is a good song that still makes a political and anti-racist impression to this day, it sounds really wonderful about the fact that one should not judge another from their looks. An interesting lyrical and good song, although not the best Lenny Kravitz song ever. The fuzz-laden guitar solo present in the second half is very Classic Rock, it sounds super uplifting. This song should have been a bit shorter, but nonetheless is good for what it is. A good song that needs more work on it.

American Woman goes back to the more Poppy side of Lenny Kravitz and is a great singalong piece about an unsatisfactory woman chasing one. There are some excellent production and textures on this song that make it sound lively, and this song is more about production and instrumentation than singing and lyricism. In any case, the guitar playing on this song is really outstanding and although this song is more style than substance, it is very enjoyable. A really fun listen, this can induce headbanging and dancing. In the second half are some screamed vocals which sound pretty unnecessary, but this is a good, yet flawed tune. It ends with wah-wah keyboards, handclaps and hi-hats.

Stand By My Woman is a much gentler sounding song, beginning with some pretty piano work and quickly launches into a fairly John Lennon sounding song that is reminiscent of his work on the Imagine album. Except this is Lenny Kravitz, not John Lennon. The chorus in particular is reassuring in its intent, and this is a very beautiful song throughout. If anything, this is a really fantastic and top listen that sounds really great and refreshing. It does remind one of the works of Burt Bacharach and has a beautiful saxophone solo in the second half that is fairly brief. Sure, this is melodramatic, but it is really decent listening. A really top tune, this is really inspiring to hear. The screaming towards the end is a bit much, but otherwise a great song. Nice work.

Always On The Run begins with some legendary Rock guitar riffs, before launching into an amazing sounding Rock music tune. Extremely catchy and Funky, this must be heard if you like loud electric guitars. The lyrics are pretty ordinary, but nonetheless, this piece does sound super cool and demands shades to be worn whilst listening to it. Very catchy, despite the naff lyrics, this is a really cool listening experience. The guitar solo in the middle is super incredible, and everyone in the band does really well here. A great song that is powerful and enjoyable from start to finish, Lenny Kravitz proves his worth in this compilation. Great tune, and very cool tune. There are some Sgt. Pepper style trumpets at the end, before finishing abruptly. A good piece of music.

Heaven Help begins with some pretty and melodic piano before Lenny Kravitz sings very nicely in this song. This is one of the lesser songs prevalent on this compilation, but it still sounds really lovely and direct in its intent. Fortunately, this is a little shorter as a song and just sounds pretty and marvellous. Once again, this is a love and romance based ballad that pulls at heartstrings, not brain strings. In any case, this is a good song that is nice to listen to on occasion. A nice and gentle piece of music.

I Belong To You is a strong piece of music, beginning with a cool groove and a bell-like sound. Lenny Kravitz begins singing with treated vocals and is quickly followed by great electric guitars. The chorus is fantastic, very deep and emotional listening. A really cool and interesting piece of music, this is another deeply romantic piece with some troubles in it. A fine musical tune that sounds top notch for those who like mushy ballads, this is for you. Enjoyable and emotional, this is a deep love confession from Lenny Kravitz. The harmonies and guitar solos are fantastic. Great music, this demands repeat listens for those who like Classic Rock. Cool music to hear. There is a nice and lengthy fade out at the end.

Believe begins with church style organ, somewhat like what early Led Zeppelin would have on their records. Some harpsichord follows, with some effect-laden guitars. Lenny Kravitz sings into a vocoder, with some clear vocal harmonies as well. The chorus is soppy and melodramatic but proves that if one wishes to make it in life, one has to believe in themselves. Nice sentiment, although this is a rather trashy song itself. With references to God and spirituality, this sounds gorgeous and incredibly moving. A good song that sounds like it could have been edited lengthwise, it is fairly emotional, however. A really moving guitar solo is in the second half of this song, and it is deep and soulful. The outro could have been shortened, but still, a nice listen anyway. A good song for all its flaws.

Let Love Rule is from Lenny Kravitz’s first album. It is, from the beginning, a good if a rather forgettable piece. It doesn’t sound as good as it could do, to be frank, despite the fact that it would have matched the music of his early career. Anyway, it’s okay but definitely needs editing lengthwise and adjustment musically. On the positive side, the guitars and performances present in this song are very pretty and well-executed, even if the song itself is a little dull. A lovely saxophone solo then enters and makes this piece come nicely alive for a bit. The midsection is dramatic and different, and the horn sections make this worth hearing at this point. This song also exceeds five minutes in length, which is a drag. Towards the end, this piece has some rather ordinary screaming in it, and it sounds more subdued once he stops screaming. This is an average song that definitely could have been edited down for this lengthy piece. It’s only okay.

Black Velveteen begins with some 4/4 electronic beats, and sounds weird, like a House Music piece. In any case, this is a throwaway piece of music that doesn’t need to be listened to at the end of this album. It’s not even good listening to at all and has no real sense of melody or direction about it. The worst is fortunately left last on this album, nothing more requires to be said here, apart from hitting the stop button before this rubbish piece begins. There are some interesting electronic sounds in the middle of this piece, before going back into the ordinary piece that it is. Awful, boring and unnecessary, this is a real shame to have on this compilation. The lyrics are weird, too. Anyway, a pathetic ending to an otherwise good compilation and raises the question: why put this on this compilation? Once it is over, breathe a sigh of relief after the pathetic outro of crowd and guitar feedback.

This is a good compilation that shows a mixed bag of Lenny Kravitz. Some songs are amazing, some are good and some are in desperate need of editing. Still, Lenny Kravitz does well overall and especially Fly Away deserves repeat listens. A good but not great mixture of songs.

Interesting.

7/10