| Lenny Kravitz fans know what to expect from their hero, which is why hisnew album, simply titled Lenny, doesn't disappoint. Guitars and bigriffs dominate the tracks, and the songs veer from hard rockers to anthemicballads to funked-out jams with a bit of psychedelia in the mix. Kravitz, who, as usual, produced the disc and played all the instruments, says it represents some of his most innovative production work yet. He alsoconfides that the philosophical and emotionally candid lyrics illustrate anewfound comfort with himself. At 37, Lenny Kravitz the rock star is finally seeing eye-to-eye with LennyKravitz the man. Scott Reuther and Steffie Nelson spoke with Kravitz as hemused knowingly on the age-old questions of life, love and keeping it positive. *** MTV: "Again" was the biggest hit of your career, but you said at thetime that it wouldn't have fit on the new record, which is why you releasedit on Greatest Hits. Do you still feel that way? Lenny Kravitz: That's what I said, but I was wrong. When I saidthat, I had just started the new album and I thought I was gonna gosomewhere [else] with it. I ended up going toward a different place than Ithought. Now, looking back at the album, "Again" would have fit quite wellon it. MTV: Which direction did you think you were going to go? And what doyou think you ended up making instead? Kravitz: It ended up being more of a guitar, bass and drums record. Rock and roll. I thought I was gonna be doing something a bit more funk-oriented. I ended up not going that way. I started writing all thesestraight-ahead songs. I was thinking, "This isn't what I wanted to do. Whatis this?" But that's what's great about the creative process. You have todrop your thoughts and your ego and just do what you do. Whatever comesout, comes out. You might think you're gonna do something and it takes acomplete U-turn, 'cause that's what it wants to do.
Breaking through the clouds to "Dig In," how the September 11 attacks changed his plans for a video and why Lenny is so damn positive ... NEXT >>
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