Lenny Kravitz - Baptism

On Baptism, his seventh album, Lenny Kravitz writes, arranges, performs, and produces every track. The trouble with working alone is that there's little quality control; some of the songs here really could have benefited from a bit of that. Not to say that Baptism is a complete dud of an album, indeed, the worst thing about it is its awful cover. "California" has a catchy, power-pop bounce that's actually reminiscent of Fountains of Wayne, with its fuzzy guitars and handclaps, as well as its un-Kravitz-like short running time (just over two-and-a-half minutes). But then "Sistamamalover" veers deep into Prince territory, with a groove that's too contrived, too dull, and too long. And there's some of the self-indulgence of a satisfied, middle-aged rocker apparent on "Minister of Rock & Roll" and "I Don't Want to Be a Star" (it's easy to sing about wanting only "a Chevy and an old guitar" when you're living in a massive mansion). The best tracks are the most straightforward, fun ones: the aforementioned "California," the ZZ Top-inspired "Where Are We Runnin'?" and the Stones-sounding "Flash." Kravitz should loosen up more and leave the angst to the teenagers. --Robert Burrow