Circus

Lenny Kravitz

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 1995)
• Original Release Date: September 12, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000000W9V
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,622 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

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On the opening cut of Lenny Kravitz's latest album, Circus, the rock star falls just short of completely writing off his own existence. The song: "Rock and Roll Is Dead," a standard indictment of the fabled rock and roll lifestyle ("You're living for an image...you got five hundred women in your bed"). It's ironic, though, that Kravitz himself has always played rock star to the hilt--not in any gross display of decadence, but rather through his pronounced narcissism and pretentiousness. If rock and roll really is dead, surely the Lenny Kravitzes of the world would have slunk their way into extinction by now.

Kravitz's continued adherence to his ridiculous, often-parodied rock star stance is what makes him--even more than his decidedly retrograde music-- an anachronism. And while bands like Urge Overkill get away with Kravitz-like stud rock because they riff with their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, Kravitz is all the more difficult to stomach because he's so lacking in irony.

If it's possible to separate the music from the silly rock star that created it (or if you actually dig Kravitz's pose), Circus turns out to be a better-than-average classic rock record. "Magdalene" bursts with as much melody and enthusiasm as Matthew Sweet power-pop; the mid-tempo "Can't Get You Off My Mind" sways like the country-flavored rock of the '70s; and "Don't Go and Put a Bullet in Your Head" is driven by a surprisingly nonretro drum machine beat.

Circus is interesting as well for its heavy religious content. Though Kravitz's hippified vision of world harmony goes back to his first single, 1989's "Let Love Rule," never has he sounded more overtly Christian than here on songs like "God Is Love" and "The Resurrection." Traditional Christians might find his mix of sexuality with religion offensive, and secular rock fans might find his beatitudes creepy. Still, if gangster rap or left-wing folk music are valid themes for pop music, there's certainly room as well for Kravitz's religious convictions and positive vibe. --Roni Sarig

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars INTRESTING..., April 22, 2002

By	J. Johnson "capricornrising1" (CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Of all of Lenny Kravitz' six studio album,this one-1995's "Circus" was the most shunned-critically and commerically
(it's his only album-excluding last year's "Lenny"-to not hit the million mark).It's not wonder why.This is the same guy who made joyous,"retro" gems such as "Let Love Rule","Stand By My Woman","It Ain't Over Till It's Over",and "Are You Gonna Go My Way".Then he turns around(in the public's eye) and makes dark
songs such as the uneven opener "Rock N Roll Is Dead" and "Don't Go And Put A Bullet In Your Head".They both had some dark,un-Lenny videos too.And "Circus" has a lot of curious religious references("Magdelene","God Is Love") which makes you go hmmm...

But it's not hard to tell why fans would be baffled with "Circus".By 1995,the then dreadlocked dyamno's life was falling apart.The grueling tour schudeles,his failed marriage to the beautiful actress Lisa Bonet,and most tragically,his mother
(Roxie Roker of "The Jeffersons")'s unfournate passing and his pain,confusion,anger,and remorse explains the uneveness of this album.In his 1999 "Behind The Music" segment,Lenny even called this album "weird".

But there's still some decent stuff on here.The country-influenced "Can't Take You Off Of My Mind" and the funky "Tunnel
Vision" are enjoyable and less distrubing.

But yes,I found "Circus" very more intresting than good.
Every credible artist has a questionable album in their carrer and without a doubt "Circus" was Lenny Kravitz's.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant*****, December 28, 2001

By	shaun (leeds uk!) - See all my reviews

if theres one lenny album you need this is no doubt it. This one has it all melodys dark dirty riffs. The lyrics are both deep and compelling this shows a growth in his musical asperations as he shows in thin ice. he is compared to the likes of zepplin (not that i think they can be compared to anyone) and hendrix( RIP you taught us the art behind the guitar) but on all there albums it did not have the divesity of this a must buy! well done lenny classic up there with eletric lady land and led zepplin 2 rock hall of fame awaits you!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Personal pain resulted in darker, more personal record, December 8, 2001

By	29-year old wallflower "Eric N Andrews" (West Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

After finally discovering himself with 1993's ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY (not to mention a fair amount of critical respect), Lenny Kravitz didn't have much time to enjoy his newfound acclaim. His mother, actress Roxie Roker, was slowly dying of cancer. Furthermore, Lenny's outlook on the world had taken a turn towards the militant, bringing out an anger in his music we hadn't expected. That surprise no doubt had an effect on 1995's CIRCUS, which turned some people off with its more downbeat approach.

Probably the most damning was the Zeppelin-derived opener "Rock & Roll Is Dead", which really is a good rocker in the end, but people thought Lenny was contradicting himself when he put down the excess of rock stars, everything from drugs to groupies. After all, didn't Lenny's music come from a time when those things were used in abundance? Even so, the song still rocks to high heaven. The same goes for the funk-driven (if a little too James Brown-inspired) "Tunnelvision", "Magdalene" (Lenny's "Dancing Days", if you will) & "Thin Ice".

But with all the emotional turmoil in Lenny's life around the time of CIRCUS, a more introspective person emerged. The eerie title track (with its eyebrow-raising video), "Don't Go & Put A Bullet In Your Head", "In My Life Today" & the country-tinged "Can't Get You Off My Mind" demonstrate a Lenny starting to mellow out ever so slightly, even if it took a personal tragedy (his mother's death) to make that happen.

Religion also becomes a focal point on songs like "God Is Love", "Beyond The 7th Sky" & "Resurrection". While the death of his mother may have gotten Lenny to thinking about his own mortality, most of these songs come off as too preachy in the end. Such indulgence can be forgiven & even understood nevertheless.

CIRCUS was indeed a shocking record coming from Lenny Kravitz, not just for its ever-present influences, but for its overall depressing mood. After all, wasn't Lenny supposed to be about the love, peace & happiness vibes of the late 1960s? Instead, CIRCUS had Lenny facing reality & discovering that such things don't come so easy. Most fans weren't willing to go on that dark ride with Lenny & critics were often even more harsh in their reviews. But while it's true that CIRCUS may be not as enjoyable as its upbeat title states, after a few listens, the album will start to reveal itself as an intriguing, well-worth-listening record in the end.