*********************************** AM/FM ***********************************  "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz Total Time: 46:38 Publisher: Virgin Records America UK CD Code: CDVUS60 Review by David Cassidy, of Cynostic AM/FM rating (0-10): 8 Having been a long-term fan of Lenny Kravitz I was pleasantly surprised to learn of his new CD. The single sprang up somewhat unexpectedly (at least my me! 8-) and what a stonker it was! Anyway, Lenny has always seemed to be the 1990s version of Jimi Hendrix to many people, including myself. Like Hendrix he protests and plays a mean guitar. Unlike Hendrix, he also has a deep religious bent and likes inform the listener of such on most occassions. However, this side of his persona is balanced by his raucous "screw anything that moves" public life which he doesn't seem to exactly play down. Now a few interesting facts: He graduated from a well known music school (don't ask which one!) in America. He wrote and produced the Madonna hit, "Justify My Love". He used to go out with Kylie Minogue and Vanessa Paradis (allegedly). He was recently chucked off Prince's stage by Prince's bodyguards. Facts or gossips? Who cares. Just thought I'd let you know! His first album, "Let Love Rule", was a superb introduction to the musician that is Lenny Kravitz. With tracks like "I Build This Garden For Us" and "Mr Cab Driver" he expounds his varied philosophies in a wild, energetic manner. Certainly religion plays heavily but this hardly intrudes on what is a magnificently crafted album. His follow-up to that CD was "Mama Said". The tone here was much more calm than his debut long-player and featured tracks such as "Fields Of Joy" amongst others which again expounded his "peace for all" attitude. Having said this, other tracks like "Always On The Run" and "What The F**k Are We Saying?" do illustrate his more flamboyant styles. A progression in style was the introduction to his music of more technical sounds; there are a lot more phases on this CD and more keyboard-based sounds. This is in no way detrimental to the overall effect, however and does add a great deal to his style. This seemed a strange thing for him to do as far as I was concerned because Kravitz admits himself that he prefers the "old style" of recording rather than new digital methods. He insists on recording on analogue equipment, for example, only transferring to digital when absolutely necessary. He seems to use the George Martin ethic of utilising established equipment in experimental ways. (By the way, excuse me if I have mis-titled some of the songs on the older albums. At the moment, some of my friends are borrowing them. They'll all be Kravitz-converts by the end of the month!) The new CD is again a step forward for our Len'. Certainly the wilder tracks remain, in the guises of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and "Is There Any Love In Your Heart" but it is clear that he is tending to fashion his music more towards the ballads and more thoughtful material than he has previously used, although his themes of love and God remain. This is particularly evident in tracks such as "Believe" ("Just put your faith in God / And one day you'll see...") and "Sugar" ("I'm yours / And you are here / Don't you / Really want to feel / ..."). The instrumentation is again different to his previous albums. More technical wizadry and advanced sound techniques are extremely evident. I think this has something to do with his gaining of experience in the studio. After all, this is only his third long-player, all of which are self-produced! To sum up, this self-produced CD is a definite progression in style for Kravitz. My only fear is that he will take it too far and stop making music that I, for one, want to hear; the energetically throbbing tracks full of dirty guitars and grinding leads. But maybe I'm being a bit pessemistic. A great CD - recommended to all rockers, 60s revivalists and anyone else who thinks that flower power was generally a good thing. And for everyone else (of whom I am one) it's either a superb introduction to Kravitz or another spellbinding session of musicianship! Talking crap, am I? Well tell me then, for Lord's sake!! Write to: David "Talking Crap" Cassidy, 85 Wyken Croft, Coventry, CV2 3AD, UNITED KINGDOM Or telephone: +44 (0)203 613817 Or fax: +44 (0)203 682084 *********************************** AM/FM ***********************************