CD reviews Lenny Kravitz Sheryl Crow Hot Chip
February 16th, 2008, 4:55 am Hobbies And Interests
IT IS TIME FOR A LOVE REVOLUTIONLenny Kravitz** 1/2If the knock on retro-rocker Lenny Kravitz is that he’s never had an original musical thought in his life, then it’s not a good sign when the dude starts borrowing album title ideas from himself. Maybe Kravitz, now 43, wanted to evoke his 1989 debut, “Let Love Rule.” Or maybe he doesn’t care. He’s never been sly about swiping from Sly. Or Jimi. Or anyone. Kravitz does it with confidence and competence.On Kravitz’s eighth studio album, his song remains the same. During opening track “Love Revolution,” a basic electric guitar riff snarls repeatedly while a drum smacks in the background with all the complexity of an infant banging a spoon. It’s an energetic, gratifying rock formula - just not as gratifying as his 1993 hit “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” The relentless “Love Love Love” is better. “Will You Marry Me” turns out to be a dirty, James Brown-soaked groove. The sitar-laced “Bring It On” screams Led Zeppelin.Unfortunately, Kravitz soon slows down, as usual. Heavy-soul track “This Moment Is All There Is” may get an egg or two fertilized. But “I Love the Rain” will cause you to drift into a vaguely Kravitz-related daydream. (Cue harp: “I wonder if Bill Cosby is still mad at Lisa Bonet for getting naked in ‘Angel Heart’?”) Disposable protest song “Back in Vietnam” kicks up the tempo amid duller tracks near the end.But the verdict is already in: Kravitz still rocks, and still derivatively. If you need a Kravitz fix, you’ll cherry-pick two or three fiery tracks from the CD’s first half and pass on the rest.Michael DeedsDETOURSSheryl Crow***Sheryl Crow seemed destined to meander down one of those winding roads she claims that every day is, adrift into adult contemporary la-la land, where every song is kinda nice and sorta bland.Following three solid albums, Crow’s introspection on 2005’s underwhelming “Wildflower” felt just as forced as the pretend perkiness of 2002’s “C’mon, C’mon” and its pop-pandering “Soak Up the Sun” single. Her sure-footed mix of rock, country, blues and pop seemed to get lost in some sort of ill-advised chase.Well, Crow is lost no more. She has found her way with “Detours” (Interscope), a remarkable album that is as ambitious stylistically as it is lyrically focused.Crow certainly has plenty of issues to work through - from her public breakup with Lance Armstrong, a battle with breast cancer and the adoption of her son, Wyatt, to her outspoken views on the environment and the war in Iraq, as well as her dinner spat with Karl Rove. And with the help of producer Bill Bottrell, who helmed her breakthrough “Tuesday Night Music Club,” she attacks them with an impressive arsenal of styles and vocal approaches.”God Bless This Mess” is her twist on a Dylanesque folk song, taking on the Bush administration and showing her support for the troops. “Now That You’re Gone” is a post-breakup song that glides by like a sweet slice of Bonnie Raitt R%26B, while the gorgeous, spare “Diamond Ring” exquisitely draws out the discomfort that comes with busted engagements.In “Gasoline,” Crow takes the detailed, party vibe of “All I Wanna Do” and turns it into a futuristic indictment of government energy policies. Even the current single, the bouncy, Cajun-tinged “Love Is Free,” mixes the carefree with warnings about crooked politicians.It’s a masterful move she uses throughout “Detours” and a reminder not to count her out ever again.Glenn GamboaMADE IN THE DARKHot Chip** 1/2
Avant-garde darling Hot Chip is the kind of band that cutting-edge critics keep celebrating as the next coming of The (alt-)Beatles, but fans of traditional song structures might be left cold.But there’s a reason for all the hype. Though many listeners will find the jarring staccato beats of “Out at the Pictures” irritating, there are plenty of clever nods to Kraftwerk, Devo and even Stereolab lurking behind the noise. “Ready for the Floor,” the album’s “hit,” borrows the bouncy synths from early Depeche Mode, before they discovered their dark side. Pleasant and catchy, it really will make you ready for the dance floor.Not so for “Shake a Fist,” whose shifting voodoo beats are balanced by eerie falsetto chants, but quickly becomes grating. The hypnotic, melodic “We’re Looking for a” “Lot of Love” and the almost bluesy, maudlin “Made in the Dark” offer nice changes of pace, but are so stark they threaten to bleed toward oblivion.”Wrestlers,” powered by a faux hip-hop, slow-jam beat, is an amusing commentary on relationships, gay and straight. The lines “Now whatcha gonna do when I come at you with all I’ve got/I’ve got a roll of coins, I’m aiming for your loins and I will never stop” are nearly worth the price of the album.Michael Hamersly
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