Baptism

Click on for lyrics to the song
Click on for the video to the song

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Baptism tourdates & tourposters

Check out pictures of lenny's new look & album/single covers here.

scroll down for press releases/interviews 1.minister of rock ‘n roll
Words: Lenny Kravitz/Music: Lenny Kravitz & Craig Ross
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, bass, drums, piano, moog, mellotron

2.i don’t want to be a star
Words & Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric & acoustic guitar, bass, drums, piano

3.lady
Words: Lenny Kravitz/Music: Lenny Kravitz & Craig Ross
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric guitar, guitar solo
Craig Ross: electric guitar, drums, piano
Henry Hirsch: bass
David Baron:baritone sax

4.calling all angels
Words & Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, bass, drums, piano, tympani
String Arrangement: Lenny Kravitz, David Baron

5.california
Words & Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric and acoustig guitars, bass, drums, piano, hand claps

6.sistamamalover
Words & Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric guitar, guitar solo, bass, drums, piano
Craig Ross: guitar
The Uncle Clappers (Uncle Bruce, Uncle Hans, Uncle Craig): hand claps

7.where are we runnin’?
Words: Lenny Kravitz/Music: Lenny Kravitz & Craig Ross
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric guitar solo, bass
Craig Ross: electric guitar, drums, tambourine
Henry Hirsch: piano

8.baptized
Words: Gerry Deveaux & Lenny Kravitz/Music: Gerry Deveaux, Terry Britten & Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums
Background Singer: Tawatha Agee
Hand Claps: Lenny Kravitz, Tyra Alston, Denine LaBat, David Whyko, Norma Rodgers

9.flash
Words & Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric guitars, bass, drums
Craig Ross: guitar solo
David Sanborn: Saxophone

10.what did i do with my life?
Words & Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, drums, piano
Craig Ross: electric guitar
David Sanborn: Saxophone String Arrangement: Lenny Kravitz

11.storm
Words: Lenny Kravitz & Jay-Z/Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, hammond organ, woodblock
Jay-Z: Rap
String Arrangement: Lenny Kravitz

12.the other side
Words & Music: Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums, synthis, hand claps
Craig Ross: electric guitar
David Sanborn: Saxophone

13.destiny
Words: & Music: Lenny Kravitz & Lionel Richie
Lenny Kravitz: vocal, acoustic guitar

Produced, written, arranged and performed by Lenny Kravitz for Roxie Productions
Engineered by Henry Hirsch
Assistant Engineer: Cyrille Taillandier
Mixed by Henry Hirsch & Lenny Kravitz
Pro Tools Engineer: Cyrille Taillandier
Recorded at Roxie Studios, Circle House Studios and Edison Studios
Masterd by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC

from mtv.com
Lenny Kravitz Ditches Funk, Feels Reborn On Baptism
03.10.2004

Rocker Lenny Kravitz has been recording music for 15 years, but his upcoming album, Baptism, will be his first LP ever — at least, that's how it feels to him.

"When I was making this record, I had the feeling I did when making Let Love Rule," he said recently, referring to his 1989 debut album. "And I thought, it's a blessing to be in the game for 15 years and make my first record again, or what feels like my first record again."

Baptism, due May 18, will actually be Kravitz's seventh studio album, and his first since 2001's Lenny. Kravitz says he intended this disc to be a colorful, '70s-style funk record, but his plans changed when he came to New York last October and started writing new songs on a friend's acoustic guitar. The result was a simple, more straightforward rock album with little frills. "It's really come full circle for me," he said.

Kravitz will film a video for the first single, "Where We Runnin'?," shortly. Sources familiar with the production of the video said the rock star's first casting choice for the video was actress Natalie Portman. She declined because of a work conflict, so Kravitz has set his eyes on Scarlett Johansson.

Whomever Kravitz casts, he'll still carry clout within the hip-hop community. He recently recorded the song "Show Me Your Soul" with P. Diddy, Loon and Pharrell of the Neptunes (see "P. Diddy, Pharrell, Lenny Get Down And 'Dirty Like Aguilera' For Video"). He appears on the song "Maybe" on the new N.E.R.D album, Fly or Die. In 2002, Kravitz played guitar on the song "Guns & Roses," from Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse.

Jay-Z returned the favor by dropping a verse on the song "Storm," the first time Kravitz has ever included an MC on any of his songs. "It was a great experience," he said. "It was very nice of him to reciprocate and be on my record."

Both Kravitz and Jay hail from Brooklyn, New York, so it's no surprise Kravitz was supportive of Jay's involvement in bringing the New Jersey Nets basketball team to Flatbush Avenue (see "Nets Accept Bid From Jay-Z Group; Brooklyn Move Closer"). "Brooklyn Nets! I think it's going to be great," Kravitz exclaimed. "Brooklyn's finally going to have a team. It's going to be cool."

Kravitz said he plans to complete his funk album after touring behind Baptism.

Baptism track list, according to Kravitz's spokesperson:
"Minister of Rock 'N Roll"
"I Don't Want to Be a Star"
"Lady"
"Calling All Angels"
"California"
"Sistamamalover"
"Where We Runnin'?"
"Baptized"
"Flash"
"What Did I Do With My Life?"
"Storm"
"The Otherside"
"Destiny"

Virgin Records press release
March 4, 2004, New York, NY — Lenny Kravitz will release his highly anticipated 7th studio album Baptism (Virgin Records) on May 18, 2004. The release marks his first new collection of original material since 2001’s Lenny and is being hailed as his most accomplished album to date. Baptism features 13 original songs, including the album’s debut single, “Where Are We Runnin’?”. The track will impact radio on March 29th with a video to be shot in the coming weeks.

Recorded over the course of the last year, Kravitz wrote, produced, arranged and performed all the tracks on the album. He also played the majority of the instruments featured on the release, including bass and drums, in addition to the guitar. On Baptism, Kravitz has created an album that is soulful, yet still resonates with its powerful chords and anthemic hooks and melodies. The end result is a testament to his career as an artist, songwriter and producer.

Said Lenny Kravitz “Baptism marks a musical and spiritual rebirth. That’s what this album is all about.”

In addition to the single, Baptism features such key standout tracks as “Minster Of Rock ‘N Roll,” which Rolling Stone called “a psychedelic, Moog-driven stomper with big –rock swagger,” as well as “Lady” and “California.” The album also features the song “Storm,” which includes a special guest appearance by Jay-Z. The track listing for Baptism is as follows:

Minister Of Rock ‘N Roll
I Don’t Want To Be A Star
Lady
Calling All Angels
California
Sistamamalover
Where Are We Runnin’?
Baptized
Flash
What Did I Do With My Life?
Storm
The Other Side
Destiny

Lenny Kravitz has achieved tremendous critical acclaim and commercial success with a succession of groundbreaking album releases. He holds multiple gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA for his albums and singles, and has earned an array of accolades, including Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and American Music Awards. In 2001, Kravitz set a Grammy record for the most wins in the “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance” category when he took home his fourth consecutive award for his single “Dig In” (previously winning for “Again,” “American Woman” and “Fly Away”). In 2003, he received his fifth Grammy nomination in the category for “If I Could Fall In Love” off his last album, Lenny.

In support of his new album Baptism, Lenny has announced a world tour that will kick off in Holland on May 31st at Pink Pop. The tour will hit the US in August and is expected to hit multiple cities across the country through October.

From Rolling Stone (March 4 issue):
The latest gospel according to the self-proclaimed minister of rock & roll

Due out May 11th "I haven't been outside in days," says Lenny Kravitz while lounging in a basement studio at New York's Hotel Edison. "I've been here eighteen hours a day." Kravitz has just finished mixing Baptism, his seventh album, which proved a singularly personal effort: He wrote the songs while crashing at a buddy's New York apartment, then played all the instruments and produced the entire album while staying at the Edison. "Duke Ellington recorded here, and we took this place over becaust it was the last classic room in New York," he says. "I kept it really focused--just guitar, bass and drums, plus keyboard and strings on a couple of songs."
- LOOK FOR The guitar-heavy "I Don't Want to Be a Star," which mentions both struggles with loneliness and partying with Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger, and the first single, "Minister of Rock n'Roll," a psychedelic, Moog-driven stomper with big-rock swagger.