Baptism (Lenny Kravitz album)

Baptism
Studio album by Lenny Kravitz
Released May 18, 2004 (U.S.)
Recorded 2003–2004
Studio Hotel Edison Studios, Miami, Florida, US
Genre Hard rock, funk rock, alternative rock
Length 54:00
Label Virgin
Producer Lenny Kravitz, Just Blaze
Lenny Kravitz chronology
Lenny
(2001)Lenny2001		 Baptism
(2004)		 It Is Time for a Love Revolution
(2008)It Is Time for a Love Revolution2008
Singles from Baptism
  1. "Where Are We Runnin'?"
    Released: April 10, 2004
  2. "California"
    Released: June 9, 2004
  3. "Storm"
    Released: August 14, 2004
  4. "Calling All Angels"
    Released: October 6, 2004
  5. "Lady"
    Released: November 23, 2004

Baptism is the seventh studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 17, 2004, by Virgin Records. It reached #14 on the Billboard 200 and #74 on the UK Albums Chart. As of March 2008, Baptism has sold 551,000 units in the U.S.

Album information

Production history

Lenny Kravitz originally intended this album to be a 1970s style funk album, simply titled The Funk Album. However, at the point of near completion of the record, he changed his mind when he picked up an acoustic guitar to write the songs for the album. Having stated that songs started pouring out of him, Kravitz decided that his special project could wait. Instead, Kravitz recorded a more straightforward rock album similar to his 1989 album Let Love Rule. The album was recorded at Hotel Edison studios in Miami, Florida and also features a contribution from rapper Jay-Z on the song "Storm". "Storm" was originally titled "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" and was originally recorded with superstar Michael Jackson. Kravitz had previously played guitar on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse. Kravitz had mentioned in an interview that at the time of the album's production, he was in dispute with his record label, who did not agree with his decisions to alter his project, saying that the album featured some darker material representing his stage of depression and other problems he was going through at that time.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Blender[2]
Entertainment.ie[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC[4]
Mojo[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Initial critical response to Baptism ranged from average to negative. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 43, based on 10 reviews.[7]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Minister of Rock 'n Roll"
3:34
2."I Don't Want to Be a Star"Kravitz4:25
3."Lady"
  • Kravitz
  • Ross
4:15
4."Calling All Angels"Kravitz5:12
5."California"Kravitz2:36
6."Sistamamalover"Kravitz4:29
7."Where Are We Runnin'?"
  • Kravitz
  • Ross
2:41
8."Baptized"
4:48
9."Flash"Kravitz4:12
10."What Did I Do With My Life?"Kravitz4:04
11."Storm" (featuring Jay-Z)
3:58
12."The Other Side"Kravitz4:50
13."Destiny"
4:55
Total length:54:00

Promotion

For the promotion of the album, Lenny Kravitz kicked off the Baptism tour in April of that year across North America. In 2005, Kravitz embarked on yet another tour called The Electric Church Tour: One Night Only in select cities. Kravitz also had a prominent role in the GAP campaign of 2004–2005 as he modelled for the brand and his image was used in stores across North America as a major celebrity seal. Kravitz's smash hit single "Lady" was used very heavily in the company's "How Do You Wear It?" Campaign and also filmed two commercials with GAP spokesmodel Sarah Jessica Parker playing the song to and dancing with Parker. That same year, Kravitz also announced that he was launching his own clothing line along with his other aspiring project, Kravitz Design, his own furniture and interior design firm.

Personnel

Certifications

Country Certification
(sales thresholds)
Germany Gold[8]
USA Gold[9]

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic Review
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 30, 2005. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  3. ↑ Entertainment.ie Review
  4. ↑ Entertainment Weekly Review
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ "Rolling Stone Review". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  7. ↑ "Lenny Kravitz:Baptism (2004): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  8. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Baptism')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  9. ↑ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database
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