Lenny Kravitz
"Let Love Rule: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition"
Virgin Records
Release: Out now
4.5 out of 5 Stars
It hardly seems possible that Kravitz released his debut record 20 years ago this September, and a listen or two later, it seems even more unbelievable — it's a still fresh blend of rock, funk and soul influences that has a striking immediacy.
The album never achieved huge success in the U.S., taking close to six years to achieve gold record status here, but it sold 2 million copies in Europe.
Those Europeans were on to something.
The newly remastered two-disc set includes the fantastic, pulsating original record, with hits like the title track, "I Built this Garden for Us" and "Mr. Cab Driver," as well as six B-sides and demos that aren't that terribly exciting.
The second disc is the real winner though, presenting the album in a live context. The majority of the disc is culled from a 1990 show at The Paradise in Boston, with two tracks from an '89 show at The Paradiso in Amsterdam.
Most of these were previously unreleased, and serve as an excellent complement to the already strong album.
The Beach Boys
"Summer Love Songs"
Capitol Records
Release: Out now
3.5 out of 5 Stars
A good deal of the Beach Boys' output was love ballads, so perhaps it seems a bit unnecessary to release a compilation of ooey-gooey romantic songs from the boys.
As an album, "Summer Love Songs" gets repetitive real quickly — there are only so many different ways to sing about surfing and girls — but taken by themselves, the songs are still mostly irresistible nuggets of pop goodness with impeccable production values.
The set isn't just a repackaging either, as six of the 20 songs have been given a facelift via new stereo mixes. Also included is an unreleased Dennis Wilson B-side called "Good to my Baby," that like most Dennis Wilson songs, stands in stark contrast to regular Beach Boys tunes.
"Summer Love Songs" probably only exists for completists and those who don't have any of the group's music, but it's a decent enough compilation.
-Dusty Somers
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