Lenny Kravitz’ upcoming album won’t rock. The 20-year music industry veteran is exploring a musical side of himself that the public has yet to see. Kravitz’ described material for his new allbum to Billboard.com as “very raw, with a lot of jazz and R&B elements. There’s still a rock sound to it, of course, but it’s more on the funk side.” This may come as a shock to fans who see Kravitz as a rocker to the core, but change has been something that the 45-year-old musician has been getting used to for the past few years.
Kravitz, who moved to Paris two years ago, returned to the U.S. for the first time in October to perform for his “Let Love Rule” 20th anniversary tour. He says he left his home country because of “the climate in America — and I don’t just mean the economy or politics. It was also what my record label was going through. There was no money, and people were operating out of fear as opposed to creativity…it just became a drag.”
Since then, he has been trying to mend fences with his label. He says “I think the relationship is better now. We’re talking, we’re going to work things out and I’m going to put my next album out next summer.”
In the meantime, those with a Kravitz craving can see the singer in the upcoming Lee Daniels produced flick, “Precious,” along with another platinum artist, Mariah Carey. Of his co-star Kravitz says “Mariah was amazing — what can I say? She was truly in the role, you know, talking with this heavy New York accent and looking like an everyday social worker. She transformed.”
Written by Shaira Brereton
