FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Lenny Kravitz – Mama Said
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BECAUSE Lenny Kravitz’s Mama Said…
IN THIS PHOTO: Lenny Kravitz in 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Lynn Goldsmith
has its birthday today (2nd April), I wanted to put it into Vinyl Corner. If you can get the album on vinyl, then do so. It is a great album that did not get the acclaim and respect it deserved in 1991. I remember the sensational Let love Rule coming out in 1989, and I was excited when Kravitz released his second album. Of course, the huge single that is It Ain't Over 'til It's Over came out in June 1991, and I was addicted to that song! It still sounds amazing now, but there is so much more to enjoy on the album. From Always on the Run to Stop Draggin’ Around, there are some really great tracks! I think a lot of reviewers in 1991 concentrated too much on the singles, or they felt that Kravitz lacked his own identity – taking too much from the 1960s and other artists. When Mama Said was reissued in 2012, Kravitz spoke about the time around the album and what life was like for him:
“Just off touring to support his debut album, "Let Love Rule," Kravitz tells Billboard.com that, "It was a crazy time. My ex-wife (actress Lisa Bonet, who he divorced in 1993) and I were going through issues. I just had my child the year before ('Let Love Rule' came out). I was adjusting to success and...fame. It was a lot to deal with. I ended up kind of going into hibernation, 'cause at that point I went through a pretty serious depression. I just let all these feelings out onto the songs. It was very cathartic for me."
The venting struck a chord with Kravitz's burgeoning audience, of course. "Mama" made it to No. 39 on the Billboard 200 but more importantly gave Kravitz a No. 2 Hot 100 single in "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" and a Top 10 Alternative Rock hit in "Always on the Run," with guitar by high school pal Slash. "That changed things," he notes. "That was the first time I would walk outside and hear the songs coming out of people's cars and out of stores in New York City. I was happy about that; I grew up wanting to get a record deal and make records people listened to, and now it was happening. But it did change the perspective".
It is a shame that there was some dismissal of Mama Said; some critics overlooked it but, as an album, I think it is a fantastic work. Before Mama Said, I think Kravitz was known, but not the star he would become. The album pushed him into so many households, and so many more people turned onto him. Although there is s a touch of Jimi Hendrix here and some Prince elsewhere, Kravitz created his own sound and identity. There has been a lot of praise aimed the way of Lenny Kravitz’s second album. When Ultimate Classic Rock assessed the album they talked about Mama Said’s eclectic nature and how it resonated:
“On April 2, 1991, a charismatic multi-instrumentalist and singer named Lenny Kravitz took significant strides towards becoming a household name with the release of his sophomore album, Mama Said. Thanks to Kravitz, the future of music's past had never looked so bright.
With his 1989 debut, Let Love Rule (a striking blend of classic rock, soul, funk and psychedelia), Kravitz had already established both his retro-rock obsessions and credentials with discerning fans of all those genres. Then, with Mama Said, he honed these influences to an even sharper focus and made it fit for mass consumption by the mainstream music-buying public at large.
Not that this meant predictability. Rather, Lenny's new material covered a lot of ground, from the folk-to-hard rock build of "Fields of Joy," to the technology-accented church hymns of "Stand by My Woman," to the unapologetic Jimi Hendrix worship of "Stop Draggin' Around" to the stylish orchestrated Philly soul of "It Ain't Over 'Til it's Over."
And, despite their sometimes forced eclecticism, most all of these songs were careful to prioritize infectious hooks as they walked a fine line between grit and polish. The album only lost steam over the album's second half which, like many in the CD era, simply ran too long with 14 songs.
But all that was gravy, because Mama Said's true catalyst was already in the bag, way back in the track listing's second slot, in the shape of groovy first single "Always on the Run," which saw Guns N' Roses star Slash roped in to provide a searing solo for their co-write.
Mama Said built upon the commercial potential Kravitz displayed on Let Love Rule. "Always on the Run" reached Billboard's Alternative and Mainstream Rock charts, and "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100. The success of the singles pushed the album towards double-platinum status.
Looking back, it seems like Kravitz was almost working a timeline, precisely 20 years before its time, with Let Love Rule harking back to 1969, while Mama Said reined reality in for the more practical 1971. Any way one wishes to look at it, though, the plan sure worked, and Lenny would soon be enjoying an even bigger smash with his third LP, Are You Gonna Go My Way, in 1993”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Lenny Kravitz in 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Lynn Goldsmith
Maybe Kravitz produced something more complete and his own on 1993’s Are You Gonna Go My Way, but I have a lot of love for Mama Said. It was part of my childhood, and I still listen to it now. Because there are so many different styles and sounds on offer, you find certain songs hit you years down the line; one can never say Mama Said is predictable or boring! I will bring in a couple of reviews before finishing this feature off. In their review, AllMusic provide a considered and constructive take:
“Moving forward a couple years from the psychedelic fixations of his debut, Mama Said finds Lenny Kravitz in the early '70s, trying to graft Curtis Mayfield and Jimi Hendrix influences to his Prince and Lennon obsessions. This time around, he synthesizes his influences better; it's essentially a seamless record, with all of its classic rock homages so carefully produced that it sounds as if it could have been released in 1972. Kravitz's songcraft has gotten better as well, with the swirling Philly soul of "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" and the rampaging Sly Stone-meets-Hendrix "Always on the Run" standing out as instantly addictive singles. Still, some of the joy that informed Let Love Rule has worn off, largely because it's more polished and studied than its predecessor. That, however, doesn't prevent Mama Said from being another thoroughly enjoyable guilty pleasure -- its sweet soul and fuzzy hard rock are slyly seductive. Ironically for such an inviting record, Mama Said is Kravitz's divorce album, yet it never quite conveys any true pain or emotion, since he puts sound over substance. Essentially, the lyrics are afterthoughts, but with a record as immaculately produced and sonically pleasurable as Mama Said, it doesn't really matter that it's talking loud and saying nothing, because it sounds good while it's talking”.
Twenty-nine years after its release, Mama Said is a remarkable record that took Lenny Kravitz to new heights. I think it is one of his best albums, and one of the most underrated releases of the 1990s. When the good folk at Albumism celebrated twenty-five years of Mama Said in 2016, they looked back at how people judged the album in 1991:
“The problem with the majority of the reviews of Mama Said is how the opinions actually overlooked the raw emotion the then 26-year-old Kravitz displays on record about six minutes shy of an hour. Here is a man baring his soul without being too revealing about his personal life. The sounds reflect the artist born to late actress Roxie Roker, who portrayed Helen Willis on The Jeffersons, and Sy Kravitz, a Jewish NBC television producer, working through conflict and his feelings about love. Furthermore, he’s an incredible, multi-talented performer who takes no issue with showing respect for his sonic forefathers, while determining how to repurpose those engagements with his vinyl collection or radio dial.
“It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over” earned Kravitz his highest pop chart position, peaking at Number Two. The single marries his Curtis Mayfield-inspired falsetto with chunky Stax Records guitars and a lush MFSB-flavored (possibly Love Unlimited Orchestra) string arrangement. “More Than Anything In This World,” like many of Kravitz’s latter recordings, presents his knack for laying down echoing vocals, specifically with an ambient Sunday morning feel. “What Goes Around Comes Around” revisits Mayfield and could’ve easily been placed on the Superfly soundtrack.
Kravitz channels the blues on “The Difference Is Why” and “When the Morning Turns to Night.” “Stop Draggin’ Around” pours Jimi Hendrix’s guitar effects underneath a harmonious Sly Stone groove and vocal arrangement. The lullaby-resembling “Flowers for Zoe” is a tender ditty Kravitz sings to his daughter, now an incredible young actress and singer herself. A mesmerizing reprise of “Fields of Joy” comes off as a creeping, four-minute acid trip. The echoing “All I Ever Wanted,” co-written by Sean Lennon, is an auditory rendition of an empathetic Kravitz on bended knees, filtering Al Green’s spirit through Robert Plant’s screeching pipes.
In the Chicago Tribune’s review that year, writer Greg Kot disparagingly stated, “Until Kravitz begins transforming his influences instead of just copying them, he’ll remain a promising but minor artist.” Borrowing those said musical elements, however, clearly worked to Kravitz’s advantage. Mama Said became the entertainer’s first Top 40 album on the Billboard 200, peaking at #39. The album was certified platinum in the U.S., eventually selling over three million units worldwide.
Mama Said was rereleased as a Deluxe Edition on June 5, 2012. The repackaged collection is a double album including 21 bonus cuts of demos, remixes, instrumentals, and live versions recorded in Japan and The Netherlands, proving that Kravitz is the type of artist who likes to have a lot to work with before settling on a final product”.
If you are searching for an album to investigate whilst we have a lot of time free, you cannot go wrong with Mama Said. It is a personal, stunning and fascinating album from one hell of a musician! I am going to spin it again today. Grab a copy of Mama Said (or you can stream it), and immerse yourself in…
A wonderful record.