Greatest Hits

Personnel includes: Lenny Kravitz (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, sitar, bass, drums); Abraham Appleman, Elena Barere, Barry Finclair, Regis Iandiorio, Jean Ingraham, Paul Peabody, Joel Pitchon, Richard Sortomme, Dale Stuckenbruck (violin); Lamar Alsop, Julien Barber, Susan Pray (viola); Richard Locker, Eugene Moye, Mark Shuman, Fred Zlotkin (cello); Richard Sarpola (bass). Engineers include: Henry Hirsch, Kevin Halpin. "Again" won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. For the five albums prior to the release of GREATEST HITS, Kravitz doggedly mined the influence of late-1960s/early-'70s icons Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Sly Stone, and Curtis Mayfield, churning out groovy, guitar-heavy music that updated those classic sounds without necessarily reinventing them. But all of this, ironically, is to his credit, because it is the overwhelming familiarity of Kravitz's sound that holds such powerful appeal. GREATEST HITS collects Kravitz's best-known singles under one cover, from the blazing Hendrix-inspired opener "Are You Gonna Go My Way" to the Philly Soul ballad "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" (complete with backing strings) to his stadium-tailored cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman." The set reaches back to Kravitz's 1989 debut, LET LOVE RULE, and up to 2000's previously unreleased single "Again," showcasing, all the while, the performer's knack for pleasure-triggering songcraft, singing, and production. Though some critics may thumb their noses at Kravitz's blatantly retro music, his tunes are undeniably raucous, catchy, and fun.