Customer Reviews

Mama Said

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There aren't many reviews on this page that do justice to "Mama Said," including the rather pompous view of the Amazon staffer at the top.

I would venture to say that this is not only Lenny Kravitz' best album, but his ONLY album that holds up from beginning to end; I find all of Lenny's music this side of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" to be mere shadows of the greatness he exhibited here. I guess I liked him a lot better sounding like Sly Stone and John Lennon and Curtis Mayfield, than I do now, sounding like Jeff Lynne. He perhaps should have gone blacker rather that whiter.

That brings me to one other point.../everyone/ in music cops their schtick from somewhere. Why don't we look back and bag on Sly for copping from James Brown, or rip into Miles Davis for copping from both of them? Or the Beatles and Stones, for ripping off Buddy Holly? Or blah blah blah. You could trace musical theft back to a caveman beating on a tree-trunk drum, if you had enough time to research your bitter little record review.

You're not going to be disappointed if you buy "Mama Said." In fact, I give you my personal guarantee as an Essentially Anonymous Poster that you'll probably like it a lot better than "LENNY."

I have been a Kravitz fan for about two years now, and I can safely say this is him at his best. I would say that all but 3-4 songs on this album are phenomenol tracks. The best yet most under rated track would have to be "What Goes Around, Comes Around" which (to the tune of a bossa-nova beat) is great to listen to, and its lyrics are also quite impressive. In light of Lenny Kravitz' most recent album (5) this show's Kravitz' undesputable talet when it was freshest.

A totally different CD than Are You Gonna Go My Way. I recommend listening to this one when you are relaxing and just hanging out. Don't expect to get up and dance to these songs.

Lenny Kravitz's 1989 debut LET LOVE RULE was the ultimate in playing spot-the-influence & that was how his early music sounded. With time, he'd internalize his inspirations, but with his first few albums he hadn't learned that yet. Following up the great-but-no-masterpiece affair that was LET LOVE RULE wasn't going to be easy for Lenny & but he managed to do it one better with 1991's MAMA SAID.

Probably realizing his fixation with the '60s on LET LOVE RULE was a little much, Lenny decided to update himself a bit with some early 1970s soul on MAMA SAID. It was that change that would finally give Lenny some long-overdue commercial success.

"It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" I'm sure shocked even Lenny with it peaking at #2 on the pop charts in 1991. The use of analog recording equipment no doubt contributed to this sounding like something you'd hear from your local oldies radio station than modern top 40. The novelty must have been quite inviting for listeners who weren't yet bombarded by the coming grunge storm from Seattle. The old-school sound is furthered on "More Than Anything In This World", "Stand By My Woman" & "All I Ever Wanted". Making these songs more interesting is the fact that Lenny's marriage to actress Lisa Bonet was crumbling at the time MAMA SAID was recorded.

The rock-tinged sound of the follow-up ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY (1993) is hinted on "Always On The Run" (which could have been on the soundtrack for any blaxploitation film), "Difference Is Why", "Stop Draggin' Around" & "What The [...] Are We Saying?". This also foreshadows the angry, darker soundscape of 1995's CIRCUS.

While the influences still continue to control Lenny a bit on MAMA SAID, the only real snags are those songs that sound like LET LOVE RULE outtakes. "Fields Of Joy", its mid-album reprise, "Butterfly" & "Flowers For Zoe" (written as a lullaby for Lenny's daughter) are somewhat enjoyable, but a bit out of place on an album that was supposed to be about slowly bring Lenny away from his hippie identity.

Some have called MAMA SAID Lenny Kravitz's divorce record, but it isn't all the way through. Of course, his marriage falling apart contributed to the darker tone of the record, but to say all of it is about Lenny trying to patch things up would be overestimating it. Granted, he is still trying to iron out the rough spots in his sound, but Lenny seems a bit more sure of himself than he did on LET LOVE RULE. Who knew that Lenny would finally blossom on his next album?

My first Lenny Kravitz album was "Are You Gonna Go My Way", and at the time I bought that, the store clerk recommended "Mama Said". I finally bought it, and was disappointed. I had come to expect musical sensitivity, discernible melodies, and music that is easy on the ears. I did not find that on "Mama Said". Instead, I got grinding guitars, not a small amount of wailing, and a general lack of harmoniousness. However, I love Lenny's voice, and his style, and I really enjoyed "It Ain't Over" and "Stand By My Woman", which are more what I expect. I greatly prefer "Are You Gonna Go My Way" to this CD, though those who want a harder, more driven edge may appreciate "Mama Said".

Lenny Kravitz:flower child throwback who,like Prince and Terence Trent D'Arby before him used the bi racial/multi instrumentalist/eclectic style to his best advantage.What does Lenny Krzvitz have that's different from those two artists?Simple-his sound is unapologetically retro.Unlike other retro artists though Lenny even copies the production style,right down to the analog tapes he swears by.That being said 'Mama Said',although recorded in 1991 at the peak of the new jack and grunge revolutions might as well have been recorded in 1973 because there are no synthesizers or heavy electronics on this album-it's ALL live instrumentation.And while very imatative of his influences-namely John Lennon,Curtis Mayfield,Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone those are the best influences to have and he makes their own sounds even better!Much of the CD has the feel of an epic album lengh excursion."Fields Of Joy","The Difference Is Why" and "When The Morning Turns To Night" all have superb arrangements and,uncharacteristically for Kravitz do blend his influences into a cohesive whole,althought still a highly retro neo psychedelic one."Always On The Run" is a slashing funk jam right out of the Sly/Funkadelic school of psychelic funk with punchy horns and Lenny's rowdy singing.Two of the best songs are very Lennon inspired-"Stand By Your Woman" and "All I Ever Wanted",the latter of which actually features Sean Lennon as a guest writer and lyricist.On Lenny's voice however the Lennon-style vocal reverb sounds a lot heavier.Of course one of the two most impressive songs here is the big hit "It Ain't Over Til It's Over",a classic Philly/Chicago soul type ballad with a nice midtempo beat.Lenny's falsetto is beautiful,the arrangement is in the pocket and you can even dance to it-I think it's my favorite Kravitz song.The other is another kind of soul-a very Curtis Mayfield sounding "What Goes Around Comes Around"-I have to give Lenny credit for his DEAD ON Mayfield vocal impression,that is until Karl Denson goes WILD on the sax and the whole songs turns into a totally free jazz extravaganza."Flowers For Zoe" is another song here that's great-a very folksy soul kind of feal with a nice gentle vocal.Overall 'Mama Said' is enough to give Kravitz detractors (and there are an awful lot) a sense that given the proper musical balance Kravitz would be able to synthesize all of his many musical ideas and shadings into something cohesive and distinctly his.But that hardly matters since it seems,especially if an artist is not caucasion (and even if they are) that they will immediately be accused of ripping off or too heavily borrowing from their influences and since this style seems to be such a big part of who Lenny Kravitz is he takes even more flack for it then many.But 'Mama Said' actually does a lot to bring out the many talents and amazing songwriting of Kravitz and gives probably the best impression of him available.

Lenny Kravitz's affection for the '60s and '70s runs much deeper than mere matters of his retro attire, or even his songwriting; deeply involved in the production of his own albums, he is, for instance, militantly in favor of analog recording methods that use tubes rather than transistors. Many newcomer's have failed at this unorthodox technique. The mistake is foolishly assumed that the method is perfected by just turning the reverb off - goes from the microphone to the amplifiers to compressors into EQ units that have tubes and back to the tape machine. Lenny has simply perfected a lost art.

Mama Said contains elements of Curtis Mayfield and Jimi Hendrix and Lenny's obsessions of Prince and John Lennon. Treading away from the psychedelic fixations of his debut, Lenny orchestrates his influences flawlessly - Mama Said sounds like it was recorded in 1972. The production is so carefully done that from start to finish the entire record captivates listeners - sweet soul and fuzzy hard rock. Mama Said demands repeat and is certainly a aural treat.

The addictive Philly-Soul sound of "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" is simply spellbinding. Though the rhythm is based around Earth Wind & Fire's "Thats The Way Of The World," it seduces listeners with sweeping strings, seductive horns, and lush arrangements to the deep rhythms. The number is smoother - even slicker - than anything Lenny has ever recorded. Most listeners will be pressed to believe Lenny wrote it himself. He successfully duplicates Curtis Mayfield on the extremely catchy "What Goes Around Comes Around" - which is possessed by a deep, dark groove, trademarked wah-wah guitar, stinging brass, and silky falsetto.

Sly & The Family Stone collide with Jimi Hendrix on the rampaging "Always On The Run" and retro Lenny displays his Lennon obsession with perfection on the brilliant "All I Ever Wanted" - which Sean Ono Lennon co-wrote and plays piano on. "Stand by My Woman" also borrows Lennon's signature echo-delayed vocals/piano signature for its verses, but shifts into lush harmony soul for the chorus. Often billed as the "divorce album," Mama Said is the srongest set of Lenny songs to date, with little filler and a close ear to getting that perfect sound. Though some of the lyrics have been painfully outdated, it doesn't really matter. Mama Said is just that great to listen to - it's a near flawless sound.

Very little reviews for such a popular artist.

And all I ask is why? As far as I'm concerned, this was Lenny at his apex. His debut release quenched my thirst for music which wasn't being released at the time. Mama Said, in turn, was more complete and a much crisper sound.

Sure there are influences throughout this release.......but what record doesn't have them? When I saw the "It ain't over.." video. I for one was thinking The Doors "Touch Me" video.

Other favorites;

Stand By My Woman
All I Ever Wanted
Fields of Joy

Not a bad track on here and nothing corporate at all.

For those who know what I'm talking about.......this WAS Lenny at his best......just like REM...just like U2....they all drifted from what got them there, to just putting out music having a catchy riff to apparently satisfy the record co's. I will assume this comes with age???

A pure rock and roll classic in my book!

As a late blooming Lenny Kravitz fan who now is turning into a
semi-ardent supporter ,I have to say that 1991's "Mama's Said" is one his best albums and one of my favorites these days.

Yes,a lot of the songs are tinny sounding depulicants of Lenny's
many '60s/'70s influences(Lennon,Sly,Hendrix...the usual suspects) and some of the lyrics could be stronger BUT Len's
drive and determation as well as pleasant songs make up for the couple weak spots.

"Mama Said"-the follow up to Kravitz' flower power-homage debut
1989's "Let Love Rule"-is an album that is dedicated to Lenny's
then-ex wife... Lisa Bonet(whom I had a major crush on,
during her days as the sweet,caring Denise Huxtable on "Cosby Show" and "A Different World"!).In fact,six of "Mama's" songs are dedicated to her.

The highlights on "Mama Said" are the funky,(Sly-rip) "Always On The Run",which features crisp drums,jaunty horns, and a riveting guitar solo by former Guns N Roses guitarist Slash;the lovelorn,Lisa-deciated
"Stand By My Woman",although it's a bit elementary,Lenny's yearning vocals make the song authentic;
the plesant(Curtis Mayfield/Smokey Robinson rip) "It Ain't Over Till It's Over" is a keeper.A #2 hit in '91(it would be his only top ten hit until 2001),it's drifty,analog feel sound truly late '60s yet '90s in it's approach.I've always loved this song,it reminds me of "The Cosby Show" everytime I hear it!

Concidentally,those aforementioned three songs were released as singles (and can also be found on the "Greatest Hits") BUT the singles aren't the only things going on on "Mama Said".

Altough most of the non-singles are spotty,the delicate,acoustic
"Butterfly" and "Flowers For Zoe"-a dedication for his now 13-year daughter with Bonet,Zoe-are the worthy album cuts that so the senstive side of Lenny in full effect(remember this guy is a Gemini!-he has many sides!)

Yes,I am a big Lenny Kravitz fan.His pure(yet unoriginal) musical style and adventrous(yet somewhat flamboyant) fashion sense are sincere and possibly "Mama Said" may be his best album...maybe not,but it'll always be one of my favorites.

get this if you want lenny's best. he has never done a finer song than the oepning track on this album, "fields of joy." and of course, this also features the infectious "it ain't over." mama said is a rocker. they all rock. this cd is one of the best front to back you'll ever find. the ecclectic lenny.