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| Lenny Kravitz |
Eclectic! That is a word we use often to describe the indescribable. A word used to explain personal taste without boundaries. I have used the word to describe my own musical listening preferences. Many times the word is used in speaking of musicians who cross industry genre lines. Why not use it in speaking of Lenny Kravitz? Eclectic indeed! I remember working for a music magazine here in Florida when he first broke on the scene and I kept thinking, he reminds me of Jimi Hendrix. Not necessarily his guitar playing or even his singing in particular. However, his presentation, and the fact that there is such a mixture of styles of music when he records and performs feels a lot like Hendrix. I also remember a conversation with a fellow worker who happened to disagree initially, but he later understood what I meant and agreed with my Hendrix and Kravitz comparison. As you read this post you also may disagree with my comparison, but I just ask you to look at the musical presentation only. Kravitz’ style of music has been described as rock, funk, soul, R & B, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads. On top of that he is a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter. Moreover, Kravitz is now appearing in the major buzz movie “The Hunger Games“. This is actually his second movie role after also appearing in the film “Precious”. Why does Kravitz have such a wide array of artistic outlets? It may have something to do with his background. Kravitz is the son of the late actress Roxie Roker and television producer Sy Kravitz. He grew up in a household listening to anything from Jazz to Motown and hard rock to classical music. Of course being Jewish/Bahamian sounds like diversity for sure. Interestingly Kravitz speaks often of his own spirituality identifying himself as Christian “through choice, but I’m also a Jew. It’s all the same to me“. He also notes that “spirituality has been an important issue in my growth, given my upbringing by parents of different faith“. Kravitz’ spirituality factor can be heard loud and clear in much of his song lyrics. However, the fact that both parents were influential in television and film may be the issue in his making the most of opportunities to act in movies while enjoying a very successful music career. Will there be more roles in the big screen for Lenny Kravitz in the future? We’ll see!