Product Description

Sounding like it could have been written and recorded in 1969 rather than '89, LET LOVE RULE proves that Lenny Kravitz's retro-rock concerns were not a late-blooming affectation, but were firmly in place at the time of his debut. As on hislater releases, the sound here is steeped in soul, rock, and funk of the late '60s and early '70s, though with less of the roaring, guitar-heavy sound that came to dominate efforts like ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY.
It's easy to play spot-the-influence with Kravitz, and on LET LOVE RULE one hears Prince, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and--especially in Kravitz's vocals--John Lennon. But even while wearing his heroes on hissleeve, Kravitz crafts a thoroughly enjoyable record. The fuzzed-out bliss of the title track (complete with catchy, anthemic chorus), the bluesy "My Precious Love" (featuring swirling, church-like organ), the riff-driven space-funk of "Fear", and the T. Rex-ish boogie of "Mr. Cab Driver" are only a few of the gems here. Marked by textured subtlety and variety, LET LOVE RULE is a thoroughly impressive first outing, and one of Kravitz's finest offerings.

Track Listing

1. Sittin' On Top Of The World
2. Let Love Rule
3. Freedom Train
4. My Precious Love
5. I Build This Garden For Us
6. Fear
7. Does Anybody Out There Even Care
8. Mr Cab Driver
9. Rosemary
10. Be
11. Blues For Sister Someone
12. Empty Hands
13. Flower Child

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38470 in Music
• Released on: 1989-11-20
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
With his interminable search for the right vintage guitar, the exact valve amp, it's tempting to see Lenny Kravitz--for all his much-vaunted cool--as something of a trainspotter: pastiche-rock's closet nerd. In fact, the least that can be said of him is that he's consistent in his obsessions. As single-minded (he plays virtually every instrument here) as he is deliberately anachronistic, Kravitz sincerely believes that rock peaked, as an artistic force, in the late 1960s, and has consequently devoted his entire career to recreating that particular period and sensibility. As ever, his sources are impeccable: from Sly & The Family Stone ("Freedom Train"), to the Beatles-esque string arrangement that propels "I Build This Garden For Us"; even his drumming recalls Ringo Starr--just as his vocals bring to mind the raw, emotionally ravaged McCartney of "Oh Darling". Still, he's redeemed--at least in part--by the surprising appeal of his own compositions: derivative they may be, but they're also decent rock and roll songs, albeit in a very classic vein. --Andrew McGuire

Customer Reviews

Vintage sound + peacenik lyrics = enjoyable debut from a very talented guy
As a debut album, 'Let Love Rule' is very good, although it has to be said that, on the whole, it is slightly patchy. There are at handful of truly excellent songs (the passionate, hippy-ish anthem 'Let Love Rule', the soulful, stomping 'I Build This Garden For Us', the wonderful 'Does Anybody Out There Even Care' and the good-humoured result of an altercation with a racist cab driver, 'Mr. Cab Driver'. There is nothing terrible on this album, but you will probably find that not everything is as good as the stand-out songs, although 'Rosemary' and 'Flower Child' do come close.

There is enough evidence on this album to prove Lenny's worth as a huge talent. His voice is one of his greatest assets as he effortlessly switches from soulful crooning to a big, throaty rock sound but - as he performs the vast majority of the instruments on the album himself and, apart from a co-writing credit with his wife at the time, Lisa Bonet ('Fear'), writes all of his own material - this is probably a more accomplished album than one would expect and is really quite enjoyable and moving, at times.

If you do not own any of Lenny's albums then I would not recommend that you start here. In my opinion, 'Mama Said' (1991) is his greatest moment, but this isn't that far behind in terms of songwriting and performance. This album has a slightly unpolished charm which isn't found anywhere else in Lenny's catalogue, so if you own 'Mama Said' and are looking for another album of Lenny's to add to your collection, this one has enough great songs and personality contained within just under an hour's worth of vintage-sounding peacenik music to be considered a worthwhile, enjoyable buy.

Let Love Rule Album
Ok...4 me it's not one of his best album's but still...sum great funky tracks in there! I'd happily recommend to a Lenny Kravitz Fan.

A timeless classic
Was given this album on tape when it first came out and loved it, although as technology moved on I never replaced the tape for CD until just recently. Wow!!! I had forgotten how good this album really is. My favourite tracks are "Let Love Rule" which then segways in to "Freedom Train". Worth the purchase price for just those two tracks alone. However that's not the whole story, the production is truly brilliant and harkens back to another time with a slightly different take. That Lenny Kravitz not only wrote, preformed all the instruments (except for the odd exception) and produced every track is the mark of genius. Still one of his best albums, if not the best so far. In short if you're a Lenny Kravitz fan and have not got this album already...get it because you wont be disappointed.