American Rocker to play a gig at Palats Sportu
American rocker Lenny Kravitz is coming to Kyiv in June for the first time. The Ukrainian-Jewish-Bahamian-American singer and songwriter has created his own blend of retro rock, smooth soul and old-fashioned love songs since he first hit the scene with debut album, “Let Love Rule” in 1989. Since then Kravitz has become known for his stylish videos, his liaisons with some pretty glamorous ladies, and his poses on his album covers.
Kravitz was born in the showbiz spotlight – his father was a TV producer and jazz promoter, and his mother was a successful actress. Through his father’s work in the jazz world young Lenny met a bunch of outstanding musicians at an early age, amongst them Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan and Duke Ellington, so it’s hardly surprising that his interest in playing music developed early in life.
For his debut record, Kravitz turned to inspiration from 60s-70s classic acts such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and the Beatles. Soon his style became popular in the late 1980s. Kravitz also wrote a hit for Madonna’s “Justify My Love” in 1990, as well as produced, wrote and performed in Vanessa Paradis’s self titled album the following year.
His subsequent album “Mama Said,” was even stronger than his earlier work, highlighted by the Led Zeppelin-style funk rock piece “Always on the Run” (a collaboration with Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash), as well as the mega hit soul ballad “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over.”
But the best was yet to come for Kravitz. His third release, 1993’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” is often considered to be the finest album front to back of his entire career, and with good reason – every single song was a winner, including the title track, which turned out to be one of MTV’s most played videos for that year. The album was a massive hit and Kravitz became an arena headliner, as well as being featured on countless magazine covers.
After releasing “Greatest Hits” (2000), Kravitz also won his third consecutive Grammy for best male vocal for his single “Again.” His next album “Lenny” seemed to be a return to his earlier form. He was still clearly exploiting the old rock influences, but this was more of a balanced album than “Circus” or “5,” and seventh album “Baptism” enjoyed further success, off the back of stand out single “Lady,” which reached the US top ten. Now Kravitz is promoting his latest album “It Is Time for a Love Revolution” across Europe.
Palats SportU (Palats Sportu metro, 246-7406). June 16, 7 p.m.
Tickets are Hr 250 to Hr 3,000
