is Lenny Kravitz's bid for rock stardom. Designed in the
style of an early-'70s record, it features Kravitz in hippie
clothing, apparently exposing himself to a photographer —
1993, he simply sounds like a weird sideshow exhibit, the man who never lived past 1973. Of course,
it's easy to make such potshots, but Kravitz opens himself up to such attacks. No other artist,
especially a successful one, has been quite so devoted to the past and ignorant of the present. Since
he has considerable talent for songcraft and production, Kravitz isn't nearly as bad as he could be,
and Are You Gonna Go My Way is just as enjoyable and more accomplished than its predecessors.
This time around, Hendrix is his chief influence, as evidenced by the roaring title track, and he does
expand that with his traditional Lennon, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince obsessions. Song for song, it's
his most consistent album, although by the end of the record, his painstaking reproduction of classic
rock sounds begins to appear a bit too studied, suggesting that Kravitz may have hit a creative wall.
Nevertheless, that does nothing to diminish the enjoyment of this record.
(Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music Guide)
Award as Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo.
* "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (Lenny Kravitz/Craig Ross) was nominated for a 1994 Grammy
Award as Best Rock Song.
* Lenny Kravitz comes roaring out of the gate on his third full-length release, Are You Gonna Go
My Way, with the lead-off title track--a blazing, riff-propelled rocker that proudly bears the influence of
Jimi Hendrix. As evidenced by that song's homage, Kravitz's late-1960s and early-'70s fixations are
still firmly in place here (especially on the Led Zeppelin-esque "Is There Any Love in Your Heart"
and "My Love," which recalls SGT. PEPPER'S-era Beatles). However, the singer/multi-
instrumentalist also expands his palette on this album with the contemporary R&B of "Heaven Help"
and the reggae-drenched "Eleutheria."
* Fortunately for fans of Kravitz's tried-and-true aesthetic, he never strays far from his stomping
grounds. "Believe" draws on dreamy '60s soul (complete with phased vocals and sing-along chorus),
and "Come On and Love Me" works a hard funk-rock groove. Kravitz's retro-minded songwriting and
rough-hewn voice (which revs on upbeat tunes and croons soulfully on ballads) conjure the spirits of
rock's greatest icons, updating pop's history books in one stylish, hard-to-resist package.
(Muze/MTS Inc. - Tower Records)
1. Are You Gonna Go My Way 3:30 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz/Craig Ross
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)/Wigged Music (BMI)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
Peaked at the following positions on Billboard's charts in 1993; # 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks,
and # 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks.
2. Believe 4:50 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz/Henry Hirsch
Published by Miss Bessie Music/Henry Hirsch Music (ASCAP)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
Peaked at the following positions on Billboard's charts in 1993; # 15 on the Mainstream Rock
Tracks, # 10 on the Modern Rock Tracks, and # 60 on The Billboard Hot 100.
3. Come On And Love Me 3:52 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
4. Heaven Help 3:10 (Recommended)
Written by Gerry DeVeaux/Terry Britten
Published by WB Music Corp./Bahama Rhythm Music Ltd.
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
Peaked at the following positions on Billboard's charts in 1994; # 92 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Singles & Tracks, and # 80 on The Billboard Hot 100.
5. Just Be A Woman 3:50 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
6. Is There Any Love In Your Heart 3:39
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)/Wigged Music (BMI)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
Peaked at # 19 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1993.
7. Black Girl 3:43 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
8. My Love 3:50
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)/Wigged Music (BMI)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
9. Sugar 4:00 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
10. Sister 7:02 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published by Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
11. Eleutheria 4:48 (Recommended)
Written by Lenny Kravitz
Published Miss Bessie Music (ASCAP)
1993 Virgin Records America, Inc.
Billboard Chart Album Information
Billboard Chart Singles Information