Covers [2021] — Lenny Kravitz Album
Retro cool. This cover channels early 70s funk LPs—think Sly Stone or early Parliament. It’s fun, confident, and unapologetically sexy. 10. Raise Vibration (2018) – The Matured Artist The Image: A side-profile shot. Lenny wears a simple black jacket, hair in locs. The lighting is dramatic, half his face in shadow. The colors are deep blues and blacks.
Romantic, spiritual, anti-glamour. This wasn’t a hair-metal pose. It was a statement: I’m a songwriter, not a poser. The cover mirrors the album’s lo-fi, organic fusion of 60s rock and 70s soul. 2. Mama Said (1991) – The Gritty Confessional The Image: Lenny leans against a brick wall, wearing a leather vest, jeans, and heavy boots. His hair is wilder, his expression tougher. The color palette is muted earth tones. lenny kravitz album covers
Self-assured. Legendary. By titling the album Lenny and using only his face, he declares himself a brand. It’s a timeless, almost cinematic image—think Warhol’s Basquiat meets classic Motown. 7. Baptism (2004) – The Spiritual Rebirth The Image: Lenny submerged in water, eyes closed, hair floating upward. The water is a deep, celestial blue. Light radiates from above. Retro cool
From the mystic boy of Let Love Rule to the neon sage of Blue Electric Light , Lenny’s covers prove one thing: rock ‘n’ roll is a visual language, and he’s been fluent from day one. Compare Mama Said to Raise Vibration —same direct gaze, 27 years apart. One is a broken heart. The other is a healed one. That’s the story. The lighting is dramatic, half his face in shadow
Over-the-top, theatrical, and polarizing. Fans either love or hate this cover. It mirrors the album’s experimental, Prince-meets-psychedelia sound. Lenny is playing the role of the ringmaster. 5. 5 (1998) – The Minimalist Reaction The Image: After the maximalism of Circus , 5 is stark: a simple black-and-white headshot. Lenny stares directly into the camera. No props. No colors. Just a serious face and short-cropped hair.
Pure swagger. This is the cover of a man who knows he’s arrived. The movement in the photo captures the funk-rock explosion inside. It’s less a portrait and more an action shot of stardom. 4. Circus (1995) – The Psychedelic Period The Image: Lenny in a glittering, high-collared velvet jacket and star-shaped sunglasses. The background is a dizzying, carnivalesque red-and-gold pattern. His expression is enigmatic—half smile, half sneer.
Back-to-the-land idealism. It’s warm, hippie-ish, and earnest. Not his most memorable cover visually, but it fits the album’s message of peace and patience. 9. Strut (2014) – The Vintage Funk The Image: A saturated, close-cropped shot of Lenny’s torso and face. He wears a leopard-print jacket and oversized round sunglasses. The background is a warm orange-brown.