With his well-loved '53 Les Paul Goldtop slung over his shoulder and a pair of designer shades resting in place, Lenny Kravitz is the epitome of cool. Of course, having a cache of iconic songs at his disposal doesn't hurt his reputation, either. You've heard them before-cuts like Are You Gonna Go My Way, Fly Away, It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over and Again are just a few hits that have seen Kravitz become an icon of guitar and a key member of the cultural zeitgeist. But what truly sets him apart, as he prepares to unleash his 12th studio record, Blue Electric Light, is his open-mindedness. "I hope I'm remembered as someone who served the music. And also, for not having boundaries," he tells Guitarist.
"Whatever style, or whatever works for the song, you know, for the landscape of the song, I'm just open. A guitar is a boundless instrument; to shackle yourself would be a disservice," he continues.
Kravitz's latest record - which he states came to him via a combination of dreams, jam sessions and mental downloads-is refreshing. It's far too easy to get caught up in reinventing the wheel. But not Kravitz, who relishes guitar-into-amp vibes and keeps it pure.
"If I'm going to make a point" he says, "if I'm telling you something, an emotion, I can talk at you for two hours and give you a lecture, in which case you'll lose. That's because if I'm talking and talking and talking, I'll lose you. Or I can say a sentence that could change your life [and it] took just five words. It's the same thing with music..."
Did the title track, Blue Electric Light, set the tone for this project?
"That song actually happened at the end of the record. I had no idea it was coming; I had no idea I was going to name the album that. I woke up one night - I dreamt the song, as I do- and I went in and recorded it in the morning. And I thought it would be a great ending for the album and sequence.
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