Lenny Kravitz: Baptism : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Lenny Kravitz is turning forty, and Baptism, his seventh album, reflects the approach and passing of that milestone. The exuberant "California" looks back to the joys and pure motivations of youth, and "What Did I Do With My Life?" and "The Other Side" are chilled by the creeping awareness of mortality. "Destiny," the ballad that concludes the album, brings acceptance: "If I threw it all away, would it change?/No, I would live my life again, rearranged."

And then there's always rock & roll, the faith into which Kravitz is born again on Baptism. His belief in the music has never really wavered -- he even opens this album with a song called "Minister of Rock 'N Roll." But somewhere along the line in his career, he fully absorbed his pantheon of Sixties and Seventies influences and began to sound like no one but himself. The confidence that results from that growth -- along with the knowledge that comes from having made records for fifteen years -- is apparent throughout this album.

Sitting at the center of Baptism's thirteen tracks is "Where Are We Runnin'?" A perfect single, it's an invigorating blast of raucous energy -- all staccato rhythms, distorted guitars and infectious "ooh-we-ooh-we-ooh" background vocals. "Flash," meanwhile, is a swipe at here-and-gone pop poseurs set to a stylish riff and topped off by a blistering guitar solo.

It's jarring, admittedly, to hear Kravitz, of all people, sing a song called "I Don't Want to Be a Star"; the velvet pants, muscle shirts, photo spreads, endless clubbing and model-actress girlfriends sure had me fooled. But Baptism makes the case that it's the music, not the stardom, that ultimately matters. Conviction like that will get you through forty and beyond, and will help you make albums as uplifting as this one.