![\"Issue37-lenny-kravitz\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Issue37-lenny-kravitz.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nIn the 25 years since Lenny Kravitz released his debut album Let Love Rule<\/i>, he has released 10 studio albums, won four Grammys, and scored hits like \u201cIt Ain\u2019t Over \u2019Til It\u2019s Over,\u201d \u201cAmerican Woman\u201d and \u201cFly Away.\u201d After recent star turns in such films as Precious<\/i>, The Butler<\/i> and the Hunger Games <\/i>franchise, the 50-year-old singer-songwriter returns to recording with a new album, Strut<\/i>. Extremely hands-on in the studio, Kravitz tapped veteran Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Toto) to mix the record. \u201cIt\u2019s good to have a fresh take on something you\u2019ve spent so much time on and you\u2019re so close to,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Did The Hunger Games<\/i> fuel Strut<\/i>?<\/b><\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t say it fueled the music, but the music happened during filming. I was making [The<\/i> Hunger Games<\/i> sequel] Catching Fire<\/i>, working long days that started early in the morning, which was difficult for me\u2014because if music came into my head, I had to spend my nights working with it. It was hard, but that\u2019s how it happened. The music came when it wanted to come, and when that happens I\u2019ve got two choices\u2014ignore it and lose it, or take it. I chose to take it.<\/p>\n
Do you like writing in a specific place?<\/b><\/p>\n
I write when inspiration comes. My studio happens to be in the Bahamas, so that\u2019s where I\u2019ve worked on the last couple of records. And I write anywhere\u2014I could be on the moon, it doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s not like, \u201cOh, I have to go to this location for work.\u201d That would be horrible.<\/p>\n
You titled the songs before<\/i> writing lyrics.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
It made it more of a game. I named them whatever I felt they were called. It was very instinctual. Like \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d I didn\u2019t understand at all. Why would I be writing a song called \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d? But when I heard the rhythm track after I cut it, that\u2019s what it said to me.<\/p>\n
Why decide to work with Bob?<\/b><\/p>\n
Normally I mix all my records, but this time I felt his sound was what I was looking for. I was actually trying to emulate his technique and was getting pretty close, but then asked myself, \u201cWhy am I trying to emulate it when I can just call the guy?\u201d I\u2019d never done it before, but I thought it would be great to let go and put this in someone else\u2019s hands. I called Bob and said, \u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of your work, would you like to mix my record?\u201d And he replied, \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for you to call.\u201d We hit it off from day one. For someone who has issues handing things off to other people, it was a great lesson for me.<\/p>\n
Do you embrace new studio tech?<\/b><\/p>\n
I embrace things that apply to what I\u2019m doing. I don\u2019t just use new things because they\u2019re new. They have to have a purpose\u2014tools that will help me bring out my vision and sound. This record was mostly done in an old-school way with my vintage analog and tube gear. Strut<\/i> isn\u2019t a great example of new tools. It\u2019s a pretty straightforward record\u2014even the synthesizer I used on a couple of tracks is vintage.<\/p>\n
Let Love Rule <\/i>came out 25 years ago.<\/b><\/p>\n
I can\u2019t believe that. Looking back, there\u2019s something special about that time. There are things that I would do then that I wouldn\u2019t do now. But I believe that I\u2019ve grown as a musician, so sometimes I\u2019ll rework a song\u2014and other times I get it as close to the record as possible. Depends on the situation and the mood.<\/p>\n
\u2013Katy Kroll<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LENNY KRAVITZ The rocker-turned-actor turns rocker again with a new studio album In the 25 years since Lenny Kravitz released his debut album Let Love Rule, he has released 10 studio albums, won four Grammys, and scored hits like \u201cIt Ain\u2019t Over \u2019Til It\u2019s Over,\u201d \u201cAmerican Woman\u201d and \u201cFly Away.\u201d After recent star turns in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[2706,7660],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14680"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14682,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14680\/revisions\/14682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}