5 (Lenny Kravitz album)

5 is the fifth full-length studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 12, 1998, by Virgin Records. The album produced six singles released over the course of 1998 and 1999.

5
Studio album by
Lenny Kravitz
ReleasedMay 12, 1998
RecordedOctober 1997–February 1998
StudioGhetto Lounge Studios and Compass Point Studios
Genre
Length
  • 66:26 (original)
  • 75:39 (re-release)
LabelVirgin
ProducerLenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz chronology
Circus
(1995)		 5
(1998)		 Greatest Hits
(2000)
Singles from 5
  1. "If You Can't Say No"
    Released: April 21, 1998
  2. "Thinking of You"
    Released: July 6, 1998
  3. "I Belong to You"
    Released: September 22, 1998
  4. "Fly Away"
    Released: November 9, 1998
  5. "American Woman"
    Released: June 14, 1999
  6. "Black Velveteen"
    Released: November 16, 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Entertainment WeeklyC[3]
NME4/10[4]
Robert ChristgauC[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Spin3/10[7]

Background

The album featured such hits as "Fly Away" and "I Belong to You", which helped Kravitz to expand his success in Europe. The album won two Grammy Awards.[8]

5 was re-issued in 1999, including Lenny Kravitz's latest single from the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, "American Woman", plus a bonus track called "Without You"—initially a B-side to the lead single, "If You Can't Say No".

Initially, the album received mediocre reviews by some critics, and its rise to commercial success was quite slow, until it gained traction towards the end of 1998 and throughout 1999. The album received multi-platinum certifications in many countries,[9] producing a string of worldwide hits and becoming one of the most successful albums of 1999. Despite paling in comparison in US chart position with Kravitz's other albums, it managed to have a remarkably long chart-life, charting for nearly three years straight on the Billboard 200, two of which were spent in the top 100.

The album gained Kravitz multiple awards nominations and gave him his first two Grammy Awards in the Best Male Rock Vocal Performance category for the hits "Fly Away" and "American Woman".[8]

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated "Without hooks, melodies, and style, Kravitz's Sly, Mayfield, Hendrix, Lennon, and Prince pastiches are a bore. 5 has a few passable cuts, yet it falls short of the quirky hero worship and melodic smarts that made his first three records so enjoyable".[1] Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly commented "It's useless to keep railing about Kravitz’ endless grave robbing. On 5, he shows no signs of halting his lifts from Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and the Beatles. At least this time he targets some new catalogs (Gary Numan, Depeche Mode)".[3] Robert Christgau wrote "His racially convoluted formalism having long since come clean as a total absence of original ideas, he grabs the brass ring from the back of a tacked-on Guess Who cover best heard on the far more imaginative Austin Powers soundtrack. Lenny, your work here on earth is done".[5] A reviewer of Classic Rock Review added "This winner of two Grammy Awards, successfully found Kravitz both establishing himself as a genuine funk and R&B artist while also advancing his incredibly diverse fusion of rock and soul which he had established early on in his recording career. The result is an accessible and accomplished work that offers an array of sonic candy... While 5 is pretty solid throughout, the second half of the album is where real gems lie with rock, funk and soul musical diversity".[10] Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club wrote "Kravitz's fifth album—appropriately enough, it's titled 5—has a few exhilarating fragments scattered throughout its 66 minutes. But those moments are too infrequent to be easily extracted... Kravitz's most forgiving fans will appreciate the diversity and sheer volume of 5; everyone else should give it a pass."[11]

Production

In the production of the album, Kravitz worked with digital technology such as synthesizers and tape loops providing the album with a more modern sound. The album contained more of his '70s-inspired songs, funk and soul, mixed with his rock style.

Track listing
TrackTitleSongwriter(s)Production creditsTime
1."Live"
Lenny Kravitz5:12
2."Supersoulfighter"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz4:58
3."I Belong to You"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz4:17
4."Black Velveteen"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz4:48
5."If You Can't Say No"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz5:17
6."Thinking of You"
Lenny Kravitz6:24
7."Take Time"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz4:31
8."Fly Away"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz3:41
9."It's Your Life"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz5:02
10."Straight Cold Player"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz4:19
11."Little Girl's Eyes"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz7:44
12."You're My Flavor"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz3:48
13."Can We Find a Reason?"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz6:24
1999 re-release bonus tracks
TrackTitleSongwriter(s)Production creditsTime
14."American Woman"
Lenny Kravitz4:21
15."Without You"Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz4:47

Personnel
  • Lenny Kravitz – vocals, all other instruments
  • Craig Ross – electric guitar, slide guitar, keyboards
  • Terry Manning– toy piano on "I Belong to You" and Screams on "Straight Cold Player"
  • Cindy Blackman – drums on "Straight Cold Player"[12]
  • Jack Daley – bass guitar
  • Michael Hunter – trumpet
  • Harold Todd – saxophone
  • George Laks – keyboards
  • Alex Alvarez – keyboards
  • Stephen Dorff – 'uh' sounds on "American Woman"

Production

  • Engineered by Terry Manning except "American Woman" Engineered by Matt Knobel
  • Recorded by Tom "T-Bone" Edmonds
  • Mixed by Terry Manning and Lenny Kravitz
  • Pro Tools operation by Matt Knobel
  • Programming by Lenny Kravitz, Mark Browne, Matt Knobel and Eric Rehl
  • Horn arrangements by Lenny Kravitz, Michael Hunter and Harold Todd
  • Art direction and design by Len Peltier
  • Photography by Mark Seliger

Singles
  • "If You Can't Say No" – No. 48 UK[13]
  • "Thinking of You"
  • "I Belong to You" – No. 71 US,[14] No. 75 UK[13]
  • "Fly Away" – No. 12 US,[14] No. 1 UK[13]
  • "American Woman" – No. 49 US[14]
  • "Black Velveteen" – No. 83 UK[13]

Charts
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 17
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 24
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 23
French Albums (SNEP)[21] 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 6
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] 17
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24] 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 18
US Billboard 200[28] 10

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[9] Platinum 60,000^
Australia (ARIA)[29] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[30] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Platinum 100,000^
Croatia[9] Silver 3,750 
Czech Republic[9] Gold 5,000 
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[9] Platinum 50,000^
France (SNEP)[32] 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[33] Gold 250,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[9] Gold 7,500^
Israel[9] Gold 15,000 
Italy (FIMI)[34] 2× Platinum 200,000[35]
Japan (RIAJ)[36] Platinum 200,000^
Latvia (LaMPA)[37] Platinum 8,000* 
Netherlands (NVPI)[38] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[40] Gold 25,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[41] Gold 50,000*
Portugal (AFP)[9] Platinum 40,000^
Singapore (RIAS)[9] Gold 7,500*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[42] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[43] Gold 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[46] 2× Platinum 2,920,000[47]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[48] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*
Worldwide N/A 6,000,000 [49]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lenny Kravitz: 5". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. Farber, Jim (May 15, 1998). "5". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  4. Cigarettes, Johnny (15 October 2000). "LENNY KRAVITZ - 5 - 16/5/1998". NME. Archived from the original on 2000-10-15. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  5. Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Reviews". Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  6. Kot, Greg (May 18, 1998). "Rolling Stone : Lenny Kravitz: 5 : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 18, 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  7. Lukas, Paul (June 1998). "Quick Cuts". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC: 136. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  8. "Grammy awards and nominations". Grammy. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  9. "On The Way to 5 million worldwide". Billboard. 11 September 1999. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  10. "Lenny Kravitz 5". Classic Rock Review. May 12, 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  11. Thompson, Stephen (29 March 2002). "Lenny Kravitz: 5". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  12. Nala and the team (December 2005). "Reportage: Cindy Blackman". La Toile des Batteurs. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  13. "Lenny Kravitz | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  14. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  15. "Australiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  20. "Lenny Kravitz: 5" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  21. "Lescharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  23. "Charts.nz – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  28. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  29. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  30. "Austrian album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  31. "Canadian album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Music Canada.
  32. "French album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  33. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lenny Kravitz; '5')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  34. "Italian album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2000" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "5" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  35. Berne, Terry (24 June 2000). "Virgin". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  36. "Japanese album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Five" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 7, 2020. Select 1998年5月 on the drop-down menu
  37. "International Latvian Certification Awards from 1998 to 2001". Latvian Music Producers Association. 1999. Retrieved 14 September 2019 – via Directupload.
  38. "Dutch album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter 5 in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  39. "New Zealand album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  40. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  41. "Polish album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  42. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 950. ISBN 8480486392.
  43. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  44. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Lenny Kravitz; '5')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  45. "British album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type 5 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  46. "American album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – 5". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  47. Basham, David (27 August 2001). "Calling All Chart Freaks: Michael, Lenny, Bush Under The Microscope". Mtv. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  48. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2005". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  49. Flick, Larry (14 October 2000). "Kravitz Looks Forward oN 'Hits' Set". Billboard. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
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