After an incredible start to what looked to be an incredible career, Lenny Kravitz’s star seemed to losing its ability to shine after a series of unfocussed and somewhat inconsistent releases, most notably 1999’s 5 and 2001’s Lenny.

But just when many thought it was all over, Kravitz managed to salvage himself from the slippery slope that threatened to lead him into obscurity with his “back to basics” release Baptism in 2004. Although the album lacked the magic that was evident on the first couple of albums (1989’s Let Love Rule and 1991’s Mama Said), or the longevity of the hit singles in his latter years, it did show Kravitz finally returning to the rock sound of his earlier years.

Rather than rush things, Kravitz took his time, with his eighth full-length release It Is Time For A Love Revolution finally seeing the light of day after a lengthy four years away.

From the moment “Love Revolution” greets the listener, it’s immediately clear that Kravitz has discarded most of the modern influences that were present on his last couple of releases. Instead, he’s decided to revisit the anthem like retro-rock sound that initially catapulted him up to rock god status, with big thumping drums, huge riffs and his trademark laid back cool vibe all found in abundance.

Following on in similar fashion, “Bring It On” (which incorporates some great sitar work from Anoushka Shankar), the strings-enhanced latest single “Love Love Love” and the gospel-tinged “If You Want It” all rock out in classic Kravitz fashion, while “Good Morning” sees Kravitz indulging in some heavy handed up-tempo blues, with a dash of Beatles-like harmonies to make things that little more interesting.

In recent years, Kravitz’s ballads have been a real sticking point, with nearly all of them sounding tired and uninspired. But this time around, the songs have quite the opposite effect, with “I’ll Be Waiting,” “A Long And Sad Goodbye” and “A New Door” all standing out as some of the albums strongest tracks.

On the funkier side, Kravitz channels James Brown uncannily on the groovy “Will You Marry Me,” while on “Back In Vietnam” and “I Want To Go Home,” Kravitz closes the album with two anti-war/peace statements coming from two very different perspectives (one foot in the past, and the other in the present).

At 14 tracks, It Is Time For A Love Revolution is perhaps a couple of songs too long. But aside from that minor criticism, there’s little to fault on Kravitz’s latest effort. After the hype and eventual disappointment of Baptism, I wasn’t about to expect Kravitz could ever return to the simplicity and brilliance of his earlier releases. But with It Is Time For A Love Revolution, I’m more than happy to admit that he’s proved me wrong. This album has it all. There are funk, rock, anthems, ballads, blues and some psychedelic pop, but most important of all, its classic Kravitz.

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