It Is Time for a Love Revolution

It Is Time for a Love Revolution
Studio album by
Lenny Kravitz
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2008
Recorded2006–2007
GenreRock[1][2]
Length62:09
LabelVirgin
ProducerLenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz chronology
Baptism
(2004) 		It Is Time for a Love Revolution
(2008) 		Black and White America
(2011)
Singles from It Is Time for a Love Revolution
  1. "Bring It On"
    Released: October 25, 2007
  2. "I'll Be Waiting"
    Released: December 6, 2007
  3. "Love Love Love"
    Released: February 17, 2008
  4. "Dancin' Til Dawn"
    Released: November 25, 2008
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubC−[4]
Daily Express[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
The Guardian[6]
IGN6.8/10[7]
Lost at Sea(7.6/10)[8]
Now[9]
Record Collector[10]
Rolling Stone[11]

It Is Time for a Love Revolution is the eighth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on February 5, 2008.[12][13] The album produced four singles released in 2007 and 2008.[14] This is Kravitz's final album for Virgin Records.

Background

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It includes 14 original tracks, written, composed, arranged, performed, and produced by Kravitz. The album received Kravitz's best reviews in years, with Rolling Stone giving it three stars out of a possible five and suggesting that "As a blast back to the past, this is the best album Lenny Kravitz has ever made."[11]

Kravitz toured with the album's material for two years after the release, starting with a performance of two new songs on Times Square New Year's Eve show, hosted by Carson Daly.

Release

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It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, selling about 73,000 copies in its first week[15] and becoming Kravitz's first US Top 5 album since 2000's Greatest Hits.

Reception

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At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 57, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[3]

Michaelangelo Matos of The A.V. Club stated "Well, there go the rumors that with each album, Lenny Kravitz was going to jump ahead three years stylistically, catching up with the present some time around 2008. From its title on down, It Is Time For A Love Revolution is spiritually interchangeable with his debut, 1989's Let Love Rule".[4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote "...by the measure of pure sound, It Is Time for a Love Revolution is a glorious feast of retro-rock pleasures – a feast of empty calories perhaps, but sometimes fast food is more irresistible than a five-course meal".[1] Betty Clarke of The Guardian wrote "having given up sex in a quest to find a wife, renowned lothario Lenny Kravitz has directed all his extra energy into getting back to his best. His eighth album is another collection of vintage riffs, funky rhythms and hippy-dippy sentiments but like an abstinence-propelled prize fighter, Kravitz sounds leaner and hungrier than for years... Ultimately bogged down by spirituality, guitar solos and soppy ballads, this comeback should nonetheless win Kravitz a few hearts, even if he doesn't discover a soulmate".[6]

Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly commented "His infamous mane may be shorn but the songs on It Is Time for a Love Revolution remain the same: guitar-heavy, psychedelic-swirly, and determinedly flower-powered".[2] Chad Grinshaw of IGN stated "It Is Time for a Love Revolution is a half-hearted return to Kravitz's bluesy-rock roots. There are glimpses of the rocker he used to be but too much of the album is nothing more than the same bland adult contemporary fodder he has been dishing out lately, dressed up with slightly cranked up guitar".[7] A reviewer of Daily Express said "Energetic, youthful and without the cynical by-numbers feel of his recent albums, this feels like a fiery return to form".[5] Terry Staunton of Record Collector wrote "Lenny's got a new album out, it's painfully similar to all his others and nowhere near as good as the records he listens to".[10] David Fricke of Rolling Stone stated "As a blast back to the past, this is the best album Lenny Kravitz has ever made – a visceral, expertly tailored blend of late-Sixties and early-Seventies classic-rock paraphrases with just enough modernizing to justify the record's copyright date".[11]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Lenny Kravitz, except for "Love Revolution", by Kravitz and Craig Ross

Original LP
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Love Revolution"Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross3:14
2."Bring It On"Lenny Kravitz3:35
3."Good Morning"Lenny Kravitz, Tony LeMans4:17
4."Love Love Love"Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross3:21
5."If You Want It"Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross5:08
6."I'll Be Waiting"Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross4:19
7."Will You Marry Me"Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross3:43
8."I Love the Rain"Lenny Kravitz4:43
9."A Long and Sad Goodbye"Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross5:58
10."Dancin' Til Dawn"Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross5:09
11."This Moment Is All There Is"Lenny Kravitz5:07
12."A New Door"Lenny Kravitz4:38
13."Back in Vietnam"Lenny Kravitz3:45
14."I Want to Go Home"Lenny Kravitz5:04
Total length:62:09
Japan deluxe edition
No.TitleMusicLength
15."Uncharted Terrain"Lenny Kravitz4:28
16."Confused"Lenny Kravitz6:48
17."I'll Be Waiting" (acoustic version)Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross4:22
Total length:77:48

Deluxe edition bonus DVD

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  1. "It Is Time for a Love Revolution Intro" (Interview)
  2. "Let Love Rule" (5.1 Surround Video) (originally on Let Love Rule)
  3. "Mr. Cab Driver" (originally on Let Love Rule)
  4. "I'll Be Waiting" (Interview)
  5. "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" (originally on Mama Said)
  6. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (originally on Are You Gonna Go My Way)
  7. "If You Want It" (Interview)
  8. "Rock and Roll Is Dead" (5.1 Surround Video) (originally on Circus)
  9. "A Long and Sad Goodbye" (Interview)
  10. "Fly Away" (originally on 5)
  11. "Lady" (originally on Baptism)
  12. "Love Revolution" (Interview)
  13. "Where Are We Runnin'?" (originally on Baptism)

Personnel

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Musicians[16]

  • Lenny Kravitz – lead vocals, background vocals (tracks 1–10, 12–14), electric guitar (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14), electric guitar solo (track 7), bass (tracks 1–11, 13, 14), drums (tracks 1–11, 13, 14), piano (tracks 6, 12), Mellotron (tracks 4, 8), Wurlitzer electric piano (track 3), Moog (track 4), synthesizer (track 7), harpsichord (track 11), Hammond B-3 organ (track 14), harmonica (track 2), tambourine and handclaps (track 1), congas and cowbell (track 7), finger snaps {{small|(track 11), orchestral arrangement (tracks 3, 5, 6, 9), string arrangement (track 12)
  • Craig Ross – electric guitar (tracks 1–4, 7, 9), acoustic guitar (tracks 5, 8, 12, 13), mandolin (track 13), handclaps (track 1), orchestral arrangement {{small|(track 6)
  • Darrett Adkins – cello (tracks 3, 5, 6, 9)
  • Tawatha Agee – background vocals (track 5)
  • Michael Block – cello (track 5)
  • David Bowlin – violin (tracks 5, 6)
  • Tony Breit – bass (track 12)
  • Kenji Bunch – viola (tracks 3, 5, 9)
  • Robert Carlisle – French horn (track 5)
  • Cornelius Dufallo – violin (tracks 3, 9)
  • Edison String Group – strings (track 12)
  • Chris Gross – cello (track 5)
  • Amy Kauffman – violin (track 5)
  • Alexandra Knoll – oboe (track 6)
  • Katie Kresek – violin (track 5)
  • Conway Kuo – violin (tracks 5, 6)
  • Elizabeth Lim-Dutton – violin (track 5)
  • Kurt Nikkanen – violin (track 5)
  • Lenny Pickett – saxophone (track 10)
  • Stewart Rose – French horn (track 5)
  • Dov Scheindlin – viola (track 6)
  • Anoushka Shankar – sitar (track 2)
  • Antoine Silverman – violin (track 5)
  • Liuh-Wen Ting – viola (track 5)

Production[16]

  • Lenny Kravitz – producer, mixing
  • Henry Hirsch – engineer, mixing
  • Cyrille Taillandier, Chris Theis, Tony Lowe, Cal Harris Jr. – assistant engineers
  • Alex Alvarez – guitar and bass engineer (track 3)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering

Charts

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Weekly charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for It Is Time for a Love Revolution
Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 47
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 9
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[21] 5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[22] 17
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[24] 9
French Albums (SNEP)[25] 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 3
Greek Albums Chart[27] 14
Hungarian Albums Chart[28] 16
Italian Albums (FIMI)[29] 3
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[30] 10
Mexican Albums Chart[31] 38
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] 30
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[33] 28
Polish Albums Chart[34] 2
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[35] 11
Scottish Albums (OCC)[36] 49
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[37] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 17
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[40] 42
US Billboard 200[41] 4

Year-end charts

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Year-end chart performance for It Is Time for a Love Revolution
Chart (2008) Position
Germany[42] 44

Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for It Is Time for a Love Revolution
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[43] Platinum 20,000*
France (SNEP)[44] Platinum 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[45] Gold 100,000^
Russia (NFPF)[46] Gold 10,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47] Gold 15,000^
United States — 240,000[48]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Thomas, Stephen (February 5, 2008). "It Is Time for a Love Revolution – Lenny Kravitz". AllMusic. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "It Is Time for a Love Revolution Review". Entertainment Weekly. February 1, 2008. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  3. ^ a b "It Is Time For A Love Revolution Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Leny Kravitz: It Is Time For A Love Revolution". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz: It Is Time For A Love Revolution (Virgin) ***". Daily Express. February 1, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Clarke, Betty (February 1, 2008). "CD: Lenny Kravitz, It Is For a Love Revolution". The Guardian. London.
  7. ^ a b Grinshaw, Chad (February 22, 2008). "LENNY KRAVITZ – IT IS TIME FOR A LOVE REVOLUTION". IGN. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "Reviews". Lost at Sea.
  9. ^ "Lenny Kravitz". Now.
  10. ^ a b Staunton, Terry. "LENNY KRAVITZ – IT'S TIME FOR A LOVE REVOLUTION". Record Collector. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Fricke, David (January 25, 2008). "It Is Time For A Love Revolution : Lenny Kravitz : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 28, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  12. ^ Graff, Gary. "It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  13. ^ Matthews, Allie. (October 9, 2007) "A Love Revolution is coming your way". Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Aced Magazine. Accessed October 27, 2007.
  14. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time For A Love Revolution". Discogs. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  15. ^ Katie Hasty, "Digital Sales Propel Johnson To Second No. 1", Billboard.com, February 13, 2008.
  16. ^ a b It Is Time for a Love Revolution (booklet). Virgin. 2008.
  17. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  24. ^ "Lenny Kravitz: It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  25. ^ "Lescharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  27. ^ "Greek Albums Chart". Ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on June 8, 2003. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  28. ^ "2008/30 heti Album Top 40 slágerlista" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  29. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  30. ^ "ラヴ・レヴォリューション" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  31. ^ "International performance". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  32. ^ "Charts.nz – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  33. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  34. ^ "OLiS: sales for the period 04.02.2008 – 10.02.2008". OLiS. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  35. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  37. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  38. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  39. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time for a Love Revolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  41. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  42. ^ ":: MTV | Album Jahrescharts 2008 | charts". MTV.de. January 1, 2010. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  43. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – It is time for a love revolution" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  44. ^ "French album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – It is time for a love revolution" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013.
  45. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lenny Kravitz; 'It is time for a love revolution')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  46. ^ "Russian album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – It is time for a love revolution" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF).
  47. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('It is time for a love revolution')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  48. ^ Peters, Mitchell (August 20, 2011). "PLanet Rock". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
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