The Collegian Wednesday, February 14,1990
Lenny Kravitz unleashes his
emotions on a powerful debut
by Robb Frederick
Entertainment Editor
Musical newcomer Lenny
Kravitz is on a mission.
"This is the 90 s, not the
60's. Love shall not be
subjected to one period of
time," he preaches.
And although the directness
of this quote clearly defines his
intentions, Kravitz diligently
reinforces the message
throughout his powerful
debut, Let Love Rule.
Growing up during the
60’s, Kravitz enjoyed what
was perhaps the music
industry's most experimental
period. Through the
widespread use of psychedelic
drugs, artists found a vehicle
with which they destroyed all
previous boundaries ol
acceptable music, while
constantly returning to the
subjects of love and
brotherhood.
Kravitz celebrates this
musical freedom throughout
Let Love Rule. Each diverse
track pays homage to specific
influences, ranging from Jimi
Hendrix and John Lennon to
Lou Rood and Stevie Wonder.
Yet Kravitz establishes an
individualized sound which
distances him from
commonplace bands which
attempt to compensate for a
lack of talent by relying solely
on an influence's style. He
fuses the characteristics of
these artistic giants to form an
innovative new sound.
The tour through Kravitz'
"melting pot" release begins
with the track "Sillin' on Top
of the World," which fondly
recalls the cafefrce days of
youth.
The song begins in a slow,
acoustic manner, but Kravitz'
powerful lyrics quickly
transform the. track into an
fsMMiiam refusal Id fotget the
AORHits
taken from Radio and Records
1. Alannah Myles -
"Black Velvet"
2. Aerosmith -
"What it Takes"
3. Eric Clapton -
"Bad Love"
4. Whitesnake -
"The Deeper the
Love"
5. Rolling Stones -
"Almost Hear
you sigh"
This is followed by "Let
Love Rule," the disc's title
track and first single. Written
as a tribute to the style of John
Lennon, this track demands a
continuation of the loving
spirit which society seems to
have lost.
Like the song before it, "Let
Love Rule" moves with a
relaxed, subdued style until
Kravitz unleashes his
determination and batters his
listeners with raw, emotional
vocals.
The rebellious "Mr. Cab
Driver" vividly details the
frustration which accompanies
Kravitz' versatility
shines throughout
”Let Love Rule,”
resulting in a
kaleidoscope of
musical creativity
racial prejudice. Kravitz uses
his lyrical ability to verbally
assault a cabbie who refused to
grant him service because of
his color.
The track celebrates the
bitterness which ex-Vclvet
Underground leader Lou Reed
has recently allowed to
dominate his career. The
vocals arc delivered in the
classic Reed style, with only
slight variation from the
spoken monologue method,
and the emphasized driving
bass mimics the characteristic
sound of Reed’s arrangements.
For Sister Someone" recalls
the unyielding electric methods
used by guitar giant Jimi
Hendrix. Kravitz practically
screams to be heard above the
noise as he shows pity for a
young woman destroying her
life with drugs.
Kravitz also proves his
ability to write on a more
uplifting level with the songs
"My Precious Love" and "I
Build This Garden For Us."
These tracks illustrate a softer
side of Kravitz, although the
pieces stray from the
stereotypical ballad form.
Another theme that
repeatedly appears on Let Love
Rule is Kravitz' absolute belief
in the significance of religion.
On "Empty Hands," he
depicts a Christ-like crusader
who uses peaceful methods to
end the strife overpowering a
western town.
This religious influence
prominently appears in
"Rosemary," which may be Let
Love Rule's most powerful
track. The song is a testimony
of hope directed toward a five
year-old girl abandoned by her
parents. After vividly
describing th 6 girl’s physical
and emotional deterioration,
Kravitz explains to her the
hope that can be found through
religion.
Kravitz' versatility shines
throughout Let Love Rule,
resulting in a kaleidoscope of
musical creativity. Each of the
disc’s tracks experiments with
various sections of the musical
spectrum, keeping listeners
unsure of what to expect for
the remainder of the release.
Creativity of this caliber is
rare, particularly in a debut
release. Kravitz deserves credit
not only for creating a musical
piece this original, but for
doing so without disgracing
the artists whose wont
inspired him.
Roadhouse Theater
offers triple bill
Buck Fever & Other Plays
By Bill Bozzone
Directed by Kim Me.
Showing Thursday-Sunday
At the Roadhouse Theater
Feb 8 - Mar 4
8 pm (7 pm on Sundays)
Ticket information: 459-8215
by Rob Prindle
Middle age crisis turned comic
theater. What will they think of
next?
The first two one-act plays of
the three-play package, "Buck
Fever" and "Breakdown," dealt
with the concerns of middle-aged
men blown up to poster size so
that they might be presented in
one 40-minute act and punctuated
with humor.
"Buck Fever," staring Scott
McClelland and Joe Giacobcllo,
is a true American farce. The
setup is right out of a tabloid's
biggest headline. "Hunting
buddies lose their wives to a
lesbian affair." The play opens
with Ernie (Giacobcllo) drinking
whiskey and looking dazed. Ray
(McClelland) walks in explaining
how he lost an 8-poinl to buck
fever and is informed that their
wives who accompanied them on
the hunting trip, left with their
car after Ernie found them in bed
together.
The plot gets weird when the
two men decide that the woman
will be back soon and they decide
to show them how it looks. The
men climb in bed and what
ensues is a strange mix of
slapstick and homosexual humor.
This play had some strong
acting, but cither the direction or
the script occasionally left the
actors hanging. At limes I
couldn't tell what Ernie was in
the play for. And 1 don't think
that Giacobcllo knew cither.
Obviously hurt by what his wife
did to him, he turned that into a
Stan Laurel imitation opposite
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McClelland’s very loud Ralphic
a la "The Honcymooncrs."
Perhaps the playwright was
approaching greatness,
juxtaposing one of a middle-aged
man's biggest fears with raw
humor, but 1 would guess that it
was more of a failed attempt to
throw a little plot into
homoscxual-fcar-bascd physical
intimidation humor.
The stage and lighting needed
to be basic and sparse because of
the three plays that needed to be
put on in the space, but I found
myself depressed by its drabness.
Dark walls, two or three props, a
bed in the middle. Not a happy
place.
The highlight of the play was
a very short appearance by
Patrick Driscoll. Driscoll was a
very refreshing force after the
near-stiffness of Ernie and the
loud grunting of Ray.
Unfortunately, the direction and
the play left the 19-year-old
"Tjamp Girl" (Cameo Harris) as
just a prop. Actually she
reminded me of the blow-up doll
from "Night Like a Cat" (a
previous Roadhouse Theater
production). As far as I could tell
her direction was to lode as drunk
as possible for five minutes. Was
this character necessary?
"Breakdown" was by far the
best pf (be three .plays,, ipostly
due to a standout comedy
performance by Bill Kemp as
Sid, a frustrated writer,
sometimes idealistic, sometimes
all commercial, who is one of the
main writers of the third highest
rated soap, "Quest for Eternity."
McClelland comes back as
Ken, a man wailing for someone
elsc's ideas to take him away.
The only problem with
McClelland's performance is the
aftertaste of his previous character
that I was unable to gel rid of. In
"Buck Fever" he was the
intimidator and his switch to the
passive was not entirely
(continued on page 10)