It’s amazing to think that the guy who started out being giggled at for being Denise Huxtable’s husband has gone on to have an enduring career that’s lasted for over two decades now. Lenny Kravitz went from laughingstock to near-legend by virtue of consistently solid albums and smoking live performances. He hasn’t done too much in terms of televised award show performances, but this run through “Are You Gonna Go My Way” from the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards is certainly worth watching. Joined by his longtime sideman Craig Ross on guitar and the powerhouse Cindy Blackman on drums (the current Mrs. Carlos Santana), Lenny is also accompanied by the legendary John Paul Jones, who took time out from collecting Led Zeppelin checks (and arranging strings for the likes of R.E.M.) to jam with Lenny and his crew.
This is a pretty sick performance. I’ve only seen Lenny live in person once (and it was definitely not his best night), but this alone should be proof that when he’s on, he’s on. It also serves as proof that he listened to a LOT of Zep as a kid…if the fact that “Rock & Roll is Dead” sounds exactly like Zep’s “Heartbreaker” isn’t enough.
3 comments
Dave Lifton says:
Dec 5, 2010
Few people’s potential have disappointed me as much as Kravitz has. Are You Gonna Go My Way was the second song (It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over was the first) that established the pattern that he would follow until today: find a riff from classic rock/soul, modify it, then run it into the ground throughout the entire song. That’s lazy songwriting, which is a worse than bad songwriting in my book.
The riff takes us on a journey, Lenny. It’s not the only stop along the way. Shame because he had so much potential.
blerd says:
Dec 5, 2010
I definitely think Kravitz is derivative-who isn’t? He certainly lets his influences show more than most. That said, his catalog has wavered between very solid albums (while not genius, the “Are You Gonna Go My Way” album is a great listen) and laziness that borders on plagiarism.
blerd says:
Dec 5, 2010
To clarify a little (I had just gotten up when I posted that first comment), I think that even as recycled as Kravitz is, he’s still capable of writing a heartfelt lyric and he’s got a great ear for how music is supposed to sound. He’s just not very original.