Lenny Kravitz “Lenny” Virgin
Records
Over the years, Lenny Kravitz has been one of the most
consistent musicians rock music has to offer. His sixth studio
album, simply titled “Lenny,” is Kravitz’s most
recent outing after achieving mainstream recognition and Grammy
success. In comparison to his earlier works, “Lenny” is
a removal from Kravitz’s signature retro-rock styling.
“Lenny,” however, seems to be missing much of the charm
of Kravitz’s previous albums. Lyrically,
“Lenny” is introspective, depicting each song as a
hypothetical situation which portrays Kravitz’s emotional
transition from passionate lover to hopeless romantic. Many of the
tracks on “Lenny” are pretty slow, and the lyrics are
seemingly out of sync with the music itself. For example,
“Yesterday Is Gone (My Dear Kay)” is a song about a
failed romance that is somewhat droning and repetitious rather than
reconciliatory. Even the sanctimonious “God Save Us
All” seems to lack the spiritual sincerity of some of
Kravitz’s older songs in relevance to God. As for the musical
aspects of “Lenny,” much of the instrumental sounds are
manufactured electronically rather than by Kravitz’
multi-instrument talent. There are traces of Kravitz’s
renowned guitar brilliance, as is evidenced through the energetic
“Bank Robber Man,” which describes Kravitz’s
real-life incident with Miami police officers last year (Kravitz
was mistaken for a bank robbery suspect.) Other notable tracks on
the album are the funky “Dig In” and “You Were In
My Heart,” which is reminiscent of an electronic-version of
“I Belong To You,” from Kravitz’s “5”
album. Rounding out the best tracks is the semi-sweet
“Stillness of the Heart.” Overall, “Lenny”
is missing much of the raw energy and spirituality that defined
much of Kravitz’s previous music. With the recent success of
songs like “Fly Away,” “American Woman” and
the Kravitz staple “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” it seems
as if “Lenny” is trying to forgo his past rock elements
in search of a new musical definition. “Lenny” is
a decent attempt, but it comes off sounding like “5”
instead of a brand new album.
Abraham Cruz  Lit
“Atomic” RCA
As radio friendly as ever, Lit returns with
“Atomic,” following up on the success of its RCA debut,
“Place in the Sun,” which included the hits “My
Own Worst Enemy” and “Miserable.” The modern rock
quartet has cranked out another album full of catchy hooks, which
has already yielded the radio single, “Lipstick and
Bruises.” The easy to sing-along quality of the somewhat
repetitive lyrics and simple melodies are perfect for fun,
driving-to-the-mall-with-friends excursions. No new ground is being
broken here, since Lit is sticking with a formula that has worked
well for it in the past, and continues to do so. Singer A. Jay
Popoff’s voice though raw and effective, is largely
unchallenged by these songs, which don’t demand much in the
way of vocal range. One of the highlights of “Atomic”
is “Happy in the Meantime,” a slower song that breaks
up the otherwise fast-paced and loud album. “Slip” also
slows down the tempo a few tracks later, but with lesser results.
Of the upbeat songs, “Everything’s Cool” is the
most fun to listen to, with the possible exception of the
already-popular “Lipstick and Bruises.” The track is
largely pop-influenced, but there is something to be said for
piecing together an addictive and catchy song. On the upside,
“Atomic” doesn’t leave the listener searching for
the skip button on any tracks, but it’s at the cost of
variety and creativity.
Mary Williams  Kottonmouth
Kings “Hidden Stash II: The Kream of the Krop”
Suburban Noize Records
Fans of music that merges marijuana and social commentary
rejoice! The Kottonmouth Kings’ newest offering,
“Hidden Stash II: The Kream of the Krop” is chock full
of funny and funky rhymes that are sure to provide the atmosphere
for a good smoke session. “Hidden Stash II” employs
heavy bass beats, clever loops and samples to promote the joys of
“˜chronic’ usage of nature’s other
tobacco. The album is a homage to the recreational effects of
varying states of consciousness, and endless metaphors and
terminology to describe every pot smoker’s favorite vitamin:
THC. Nearly all of the songs chronicle the adventures of various
group members as they spend their time wandering around while high.
The songs offer comedic takes on munchies, smoking themselves sick,
the differences between quality versus crappy weed, and the
perennial anti-authoritarian favorite: harassment by the police.
There is little if any doubt that some of the songs were influenced
(or written under the influence) by the King’s herb of
choice; however, the CD does provide some humorous narratives of
the pressures of staying continuously high. The rhymes flow
seamlessly, and listeners who opt to rap along may find themselves
gasping for breath before continuing with their recital. Thus,
the Kings display yet another hidden talent: a capacity for
maintaining an impressive air supply in spite of an overindulgence
in one of America’s favorite controlled substances. As an
added treat, the CD features a remake of The Getto Boys’
early-’90s hit “My Mind’s Playin’ Tricks On
Me.” What gives this remake its appeal is the
song’s re-arranged lyrics that describe weed-induced paranoia
and an interest in protecting their sacred stash from freeloading
stoners looking for a free hit. Anyone from hardcore potheads to
recreational smokers may get a kick out of this CD. Its
content is sure to offend parents and social advocates alike, but
its interests are obvious enough to encourage prospective listeners
to load it up, light it up, and blaze with the Kings “¦
figuratively speaking, of course.
Abraham Cruz  Roundtable
MCs “Table Manners” Neck Exersize
PHONOgraphics
The Roundtable MCs are on a crusade. The three MCs are on a
mission to take over the underground hip-hop scene and if the
group’s latest CD predicts anything it is headed toward
success. Though esoterically known mainly in San Diego, the
Roundtable MCs is slowly working towards conquering the LA scene.
Freestyle Fellowship: you have been warned. Perhaps the most
refreshing aspect of “Table Manners” is the biting,
sharp beats. Reminiscent of the laidback innovative beats used by
Jurassic 5, Roundtable MCs melds slick syncopated drums with just
about any melodic patter the group can get its hands on. As good as
the group’s beats are, they aren’t the only draw that
the group has. On the contrary, the group combines surprisingly
innovative beats over the sophisticated rhythms. Songs with
apocalyptic sounding title tracks and the crazily carnivalistic
“Steady Rockin’ Remix,” highlight the groups
lyrical talent. With some of the best hip-hop cuts around, the
Roundtable MCs have declared So Cal its kingdom.
Antero Garcia