Baptism (Lenny Kravitz album)
Encyclopedia
Baptism is the seventh studio album
by American rock musician
Lenny Kravitz
, released on May 17, 2004, by Virgin Records America. 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, 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 straight-forward 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.
, 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.
. 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.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American rock musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
, released on May 17, 2004, by Virgin Records America. It reached #14 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #74 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. As of March 2008, Baptism has sold 551,000 units in the U.S.
Production history
Lenny Kravitz originally intended this album to be a 1970s style funkFunk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
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 straight-forward rock album similar to his 1989 album Let Love Rule
Let Love Rule
Let Love Rule is the debut album of American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on September 19, 1989 by Virgin Records America. Then-wife Lisa Bonet wrote the lyrics to "Fear" and co-wrote the lyrics on the song, "Rosemary"....
. The album was recorded at Hotel Edison studios in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and also features a contribution from rapper Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
on the song "Storm". "Storm" was originally titled "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" and was originally recorded with superstar Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. 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
Initial critical response to Baptism ranged from average to negative. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 43, based on 10 reviews.
Track listing
- "Minister of Rock 'n Roll" (Lenny KravitzLenny KravitzLeonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
, Craig RossCraig RossCraig David Ross is an American guitarist best known for performing and recording with Lenny Kravitz.-Biography:Ross was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Craig Ross picked up the guitar at age 8, following a path that he hasn't deviated from since...
) - 3:34 - "I Don't Want to Be a Star" (Lenny Kravitz) - 4:25
- "LadyLady (Lenny Kravitz song)"Lady" is the final single from the 2004 album Baptism by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on November 23, 2004. The song is believed to be written about Kravitz's then-girlfriend, Nicole Kidman. The track was used heavily in the GAP ads...
" (Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross) - 4:15 - "Calling All Angels" (Lenny Kravitz) - 5:12
- "California" (Lenny Kravitz) - 2:36
- "Sistamamalover" (Lenny Kravitz) - 4:29
- "Where Are We Runnin'?Where Are We Runnin'?"Where Are We Runnin'?" is the lead single by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz from his 2004 album Baptism, released on May 10, 2004. The lyrics were written by Kravitz, and the music also by Kravitz in collaboration with Craig Ross....
" (Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross) - 2:41 - "Baptized" (Terry BrittenTerry BrittenTerry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
, Gerry DeVeauxGerry DeVeauxGerry DeVeaux is an award winning songwriter/producer and style guru. DeVeaux is a contributing editor for UK style magazine Tatler. He was style consultant for MTV Networks co hosting shows like MTV Style and contributing to shows like ‘Who Wore What’...
, Lenny Kravitz) - 4:48 - "Flash" (Lenny Kravitz) - 4:12
- "What Did I Do with My Life?" (Lenny Kravitz) - 4:04
- "Storm" (featuring Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
) (Lenny Kravitz, Shawn Carter) - 3:58 - "The Other Side" (Lenny Kravitz) - 4:50
- "Destiny" (Lenny Kravitz, Lionel RichieLionel RichieLionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
) - 4:55 - "Uncharted Terrain" (Lenny Kravitz) (Japanese bonus track)
Promotion
For the promotion of the album, Lenny Kravitz kicked off the Baptism tour in April of that year across North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. 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
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
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
Lady (Lenny Kravitz song)
"Lady" is the final single from the 2004 album Baptism by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on November 23, 2004. The song is believed to be written about Kravitz's then-girlfriend, Nicole Kidman. The track was used heavily in the GAP ads...
" 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
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards...
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.
Certifications
| Country | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Gold |