Lenny Kravitz
Mama Said

THE REVIEW

Two years after the debut album "Let Love Rule" (1989), Lenny Kravitz releases "Mama Said."

The record begins with a cover by Michael Kamen & Hal Fredricks, "Fields of Joy." The track starts quietly with acoustic guitar and mellotron as the backdrop to Lenny's voice. It explodes in the chorus with the addition of drums and electric guitars. The solo is entrusted to Slash of Guns N' Roses, who is also featured on "Always On The Run." A rhythmically intense piece that obsessively repeats some maternal advice (hence Mama Said). "Stand By My Woman," featuring Henry Hirsch on piano, offers us more relaxed atmospheres, which soon come to life with "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over." The whole song revolves around an original orchestration that can't help but bring a smile. The static "More Than Anything In This World" is driven by the organ, played by Lenny Kravitz himself. "What Goes Around Comes Around" is a piece of funk that's a little too light, leading us to the absolute masterpiece of the album, "The Difference Is Why." In this track, we find Lenny on all instruments (drums, guitar, bass). The guitar, with the echo at its max, performs a loop of rare beauty. The lyrics talk about a love that has ended and the impossibility of starting over.

"Stop Draggin' Around" is a simple rock track, yet it manages to be infectious and makes you keep time. The only attractive element of "Flowers For Zoe" is the somber cello played by Nancy Ives. Passing through the (dragged-out) reprise of "Fields of Joy," we reach "All I Ever Wanted." On piano, we have Sean Lennon, giving the song a somewhat Lennon-esque flavor. "When The Morning Turns To Night," with its Dylan-like atmospheres, seems almost extracted from the first album, "Let Love Rule." "What The… Are We Saying?" impeccably concludes Lenny Kravitz's best album to date. The minute and fifty of "Butterfly," with only Lenny on acoustic guitar, is timeless and otherworldly. Its beauty finds no suitable words to describe it. Pure.