Rating – 3 3/4 stars out of 5
As I have mentioned before, my music renaissance started about a decade ago where I turned away from being strictly glam rock with some eighties thrown in to artists and bands that funk and soul were more on the plate than a hard hitting headbanging tune were. There are two artists in particular that have become a gateway for that transformation. One was of course, the icon and legend known as Prince. The other is an artist who has often been compared to him, Lenny Kravitz. Ever since I read his biography back in May of last year, I have been craving some new music. Looks like I finally got my wish in Blue Electric Light. Let’s take a listen.
Blue Electric Light is the twelfth album from Lenny Kravitz. It comes six years after his last, Raise Vibration which was honestly something of a disappointment to me. However, since there are so many excellent tunes and albums that Lenny has hit out of the park, I was certainly going to fork over my cash for this new album.
Interestingly enough, much like Raise Vibration, this album cd wise came out in the paper Digi-sleeve as well as a miniature hardback book. If you haven’t seen that version of the album, it’s like the deluxe versions of recent Depeche Mode’s CDs. One can probably guess which version this collector went with.
Track 1: It’s Just Another Fine Day (In This Universe of Love) (6:20) – And the award for the longest song title in 2024 goes to… The song starts out wonderfully and the funkiness is evident from the get-go. The beat is inspired, it’s very much a Lenny song, and the only issue I have with it is placement. The #1 track should never outstay it’s welcome (or in other words be too long). The song is an introduction and an useful pathway to the 2nd track (which is usually your big “hit” of the album). I might have used Paralyzed or Let it Ride here but that’s my opinion. Still a great song.
Track 2: TK421 (5:27) – Speaking of the big hit of the album, that is certainly TK421. This was actually released as a single back in October of last year, this is an absolutely filthy rocker. If you haven’t seen the video, I would recommend not doing that in public. If you are a female and still able to have children, you might want to avoid this video all together unless you are ready to have one by Lenny Kravitz.
The song is funk, pop, hard rock and pure ecstasy wrapped up into one. TK421 actually refers to a little bit of Star Wars lore. It’s the id# of the Stormtrooper who had the task of guarding the Millennium Falcon when it was held at the Death Star. Enough nerding for one song.
Track 3: Honey (3:50) – This one starts a little slower but since nothing can match the beat of the previous song, this is for the best. The tune still moves incredibly well. Extremely funky, this one almost feels like it’s locked into a time that’s been gone for a few decades. A throwback song, but the chorus is so wonderfully catchy that I think few will mind it.
Track 4: Paralyzed (4:28) – This song was released as the single that debuted concurrently with the album. It’s also a very hard rocker along the lines of TK421 but with a less thunderous chorus beats. This particular song also had help in the writing department from Craig Ross, Kravitz’s longtime lead guitarist who has helped to pen many of my favorite Kravitz tunes including Are You Gonna Go My Way, Stillness of Heart and Lady. This album keeps putting out bangers.
Track 5: Human (4:27) – The second single which came out a couple of months ago. It speaks to the overall tone of the album extremely well and is the perfect length to keep in your IPOD shuffle for quite a few rotations. The message is also solid and speaks to the fact that we should stop trying to please everyone and just live our lives. I almost feel like this song should have been done as a duet with another rocker, aka Dancing in the Street because that’s exactly the vibe they are going for here.
Track 6: Let it Ride (3:36) – The closest you will get to a “talkie” Lenny Kravitz song for this particular album, this is one that you probably don’t want to listen to for the first time in a car, even though that’s exactly where you should listen to this song. Yes, it’s full of car sounds and is very what I would call “electric” as the beat is again one you want to move with or perhaps get that accelerator up to 95 and higher. Sexually charged and revving to go.
Track 7: Stuck in the Middle (5:11) – The first song on this album using the piano, this is more of a traditional slow love tune. The near falsetto chorus will stay stuck in your head as the title implies and moves nicely. It gets a little repetitive with the last minute of the song (How many times can you say “Stuck in the Middle” before it becomes an annoyance? Well you are about to find out), but still this one is very good.
Track 8: Bundle of Joy (5:06) – Well we had to get to a song that I didn’t enjoy at all. Though I guess, if there had to be ramifications from TK421, then this one would the result. Bad jokes aside, this tune is way too much like I should be doing the Carlton shuffle and smiling way too much. It doesn’t fit the vibe of the album and runs about two minutes too long. Very odd, around the last minute of the song, almost as if Lenny decides to spice it up a bit he starts doing a rock scream and some distortion as if its going to redeem this one (it doesn’t).
Track 9: Love is My Religion (3:48) – Has Lenny been listening to Huey Lewis’ albums? I’m serious. This song sounds like it belongs on Sports (think “I Want A New Drug”). And no, that’s not meant to be a compliment either. I want to like it in the good throwback way of Honey but it never gets there.
Track 10: Heaven (4:49) – What’s up with all of the “H’s”? After several frustrating songs, we continue along the lines of spirituality with this particular tune. Similar to Human, it’s basically saying we are all in this together and that we should strive to work things out. Appreciate the message, been enjoying the guitar solos, but I wish this one would be a little less “sing-song” and not a repeating of the chorus every chance we get.
Track 11: Spirit in My Heart (4:34) – This one starts with an instrument known as the tambura and takes on more of a folksy presence than anything else up to this point. Unfortunately as curious and fascinating the actual music is, the actual verses and chorus falls flat. It does get a stronger about two and a half minutes in, but unfortunately that intensity wilts away which is a shame. I like it, but it walks in the shadow of the rest of the album.
Track 12: Blue Electric Light (3:54) – Welcome to the church of Lenny Kravitz for this final song. Slow and moving at the same time, this laid back song is an excellent outro to this mostly fabulous album. The excellent guitar solo that starts about 2:15 feels like the lights are about to come back on and it’s time to head on home. Which is exactly what the final song should be on every album (but so few actually follow this line of thinking). Simply amazing.
Blue Electric Light is a collection of one utterly fantastic hit and a bunch of really good songs that is muddied up by a few tunes that don’t really pack a punch. It is nearly redeemed by an amazing last song that might make you forget tunes like Bundles of Joy and Love is My Religion but not quite. This album in my opinion is better than Raise Vibration or Black and White America. I would need to listen in full to Strut, Lenny’s 2014 release, but at this point I can say it’s on par with that or perhaps It Is Time for A Love Revolution (which is a million times better album than what the critics led us to believe). Overall, the listener should focus on the message of Blue Electric Light and then that should put them in a good mood for the rest of the day. Enjoy.
