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List Price: $11.98 | | Label: Virgin Records Us
Salesrank: 25334
Released: September 12, 1995 |
| Our Price: $1.88 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Circus Track Listing:
1. Rock And Roll Is Dead
2. Circus
3. Beyond The 7th Sky
4. Tunnel Vision
5. Can't Get You Off My Mind
6. Magdalene
7. God Is Love
8. Thin Ice
9. Don't Go And Put A Bullet In Your Head
10. In My Life Today
11. The Resurrection
Editorial Review:
Lenny Kravitz Photos
More from Lenny Kravitz
Baptism | 
Greatest Hits | 
Mama Said |
Description of Circus:
On the opening cut of Lenny Kravitz's latest album, Circus, the rock star falls just short of completely writing off his own existence. The song: "Rock and Roll Is Dead," a standard indictment of the fabled rock and roll lifestyle ("You're living for an image...you got five hundred women in your bed"). It's ironic, though, that Kravitz himself has always played rock star to the hilt--not in any gross display of decadence, but rather through his pronounced narcissism and pretentiousness. If rock and roll really is dead, surely the Lenny Kravitzes of the world would have slunk their way into extinction by now.
Kravitz's continued adherence to his ridiculous, often-parodied rock star stance is what makes him--even more than his decidedly retrograde music-- an anachronism. And while bands like Urge Overkill get away with Kravitz-like stud rock because they riff with their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, Kravitz is all the more difficult to stomach because he's so lacking in irony.
If it's possible to separate the music from the silly rock star that created it (or if you actually dig Kravitz's pose), Circus turns out to be a better-than-average classic rock record. "Magdalene" bursts with as much melody and enthusiasm as Matthew Sweet power-pop; the mid-tempo "Can't Get You Off My Mind" sways like the country-flavored rock of the '70s; and "Don't Go and Put a Bullet in Your Head" is driven by a surprisingly nonretro drum machine beat.
Circus is interesting as well for its heavy religious content. Though Kravitz's hippified vision of world harmony goes back to his first single, 1989's "Let Love Rule," never has he sounded more overtly Christian than here on songs like "God Is Love" and "The Resurrection." Traditional Christians might find his mix of sexuality with religion offensive, and secular rock fans might find his beatitudes creepy. Still, if gangster rap or left-wing folk music are valid themes for pop music, there's certainly room as well for Kravitz's religious convictions and positive vibe. --Roni Sarig
Circus Reviews:
deep circus 
2008-03-22 - this is one of lenny's best, it's different funky rock'n'roll,but you wont be disappointed if you buy it...
Lenny rules
2007-03-10 - I never understood why Lenny never got the respect he deserved sooner. I really appreciate his earlier work maybe even more than his more famous things. This one and particularly the song circus make this a must have for any lenny fan.
4 stars for the album. 5 stars for "The Resurrection" 
2006-07-31 - I personally love this album. It, like so many others have said, is very different than Kravitz' other music. It is very dark and gloomy, with the exception of a few songs. Lenny really dug down deep into his religious side on this one. All that not to say that the sad, gloomy songs are bad. They are actually really good for the most part. Also, I believe that this album has the best song Lenny ever wrote; the extremely Zeppelin-esque "The Resurrection." This song alone is almost worth the price of the cd.
In short, if you are looking for the poppy, radio-friendly sound that you hear on Kravitz' other albums, you won't find much of that on this inconsistent album. And remember, that inconsistency isn't necessarily a bad thing.
not his best but not bad
2004-10-17 - the mood is darker here than most of his work. he has given interviews that this was a down time for him and his creativity suffered. it has its moments such as the title track. "rock and roll is dead" sounds like a retread of "are you gonna go my way" with a more pessimistic tone. lenny is taking himself too seriously. fans should buy this but casual listeners can skip it.
Not As Good As His Prior Work 
2004-06-26 - Because it's Lenny, it is very good. But I feel that it falls behind his previous works.
