After some time waiting for Lenny Kravitz to release his next album, I’m sorry to say that Baptism was more than a little disappointing. Overall, it lacks the soul and energy from previous albums, and unlike his earlier masterpieces, it takes a long time to grow on you.
Kravitz has been reported as saying that for this (his seventh) album, the creative juices flowed, and everything came together thanks to a trip down memory lane in downtown New York City. That may be true, but he does not convincingly express these emotions in his latest effort. The album as a whole lacks conviction as being something close to his heart.
I wouldn’t even say that the album is particularly original, although his recent collaborative efforts with artists such as Jay-Z have obviously rubbed off – there is a mixture of influences throughout this album, as far reaching as Jeff Buckley in Baptized, Jet in Flash, and even (unsettlingly) David Bowie in I Don’t Want to be a Star.
As I listened to Baptism over the weekend I kept hearing myself thinking, “what happened to your passion, Lenny?” – the lyrics are as uninspiring as the music, and lack strength in most cases, most notably in the empty Calling All Angels, where he appears to struggle to keep awake from start to finish.
Having said all that, Lenny still has an amazing ability to make music, and there are some redeeming features to Baptism. The first track, Minister of Rock ‘n Roll is by far the finest, with all the raw power and sexy arrogance you can expect from Kravitz. This track reminds you of how much Lenny can take you on an experience with him, and that he is, eternally, a rock legend.
I Don’t Want to be a Star starts off a little lame, but quickly takes you back to the grunting guitar and soulful crooning he is so good at. Regrettably, the repetition of the chorus in this track is the beginning of a disappointing downward trend for the rest of the album. Similarly, Sistamamalover starts out with classic Kravitz urgency and pure sex, but once again after the second verse you realise there is nothing more to give, other than another dozen or so rounds of the increasingly tedious chorus.
There is an element of openness and purity in Baptism that Kravitz himself mentions, however it lacks depth, and you begin to wonder if he was really paying attention when he wrote the lyrics. As another reviewer noted, Baptism is “another collection of capably performed songs that are ultimately unremarkable” – I hate to borrow other people’s comments, but couldn’t have said it better myself.
Overall I would rate this album as ‘average’, and recommend a dose of Let Love Rule to remind us all of the soul-searching that Kravitz is truly capable of.
