Mama Said (21st Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Lenny Kravitz established his reputation as a rocker with deep ties to the styles of the '60s and early '70s, finding new ways to interject his love for the music of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix into songs that still managed to sound contemporary and in sync with the '90s. Mama Said took Kravitz's interests into Curtis Mayfield territory with the falsetto and Philly Soul groove of "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over," and he brought Slash aboard for "Fields of Joy" and the cowritten "All I Ever Wanted." This 21st-anniversary edition features 21 bonus tracks (15 previously unreleased), bringing listeners up close and personal with the man. The home demos are acoustic performances made on a cheap cassette recorder; it's like sitting in the living room hearing a man working out his ideas. "Riding on the Wings of My Lord" and "Stand by My Woman" are offered in instrumental versions that further illustrate the creative process. Live performances from Rotterdam and Japan prove what an exciting band can do with a song.