Lenny Kravitz is set to release a new Deluxe Edition of his 1991 sophomore album 'Mama Said' on June 5th.
Soul-rocker Kravitz spoke with Billboard.com about the forthcoming release and the inner turmoil he was going through in a period of his life he says 'was just spinning'.
Just off touring to support his debut album, "Let Love Rule," Kravitz tells Billboard.com that, "It was a crazy time. My ex-wife (actress Lisa Bonet, who he divorced in 1993) and I were going through issues. I just had my child the year before ('Let Love Rule' came out). I was adjusting to success and...fame. It was a lot to deal with. I ended up kind of going into hibernation, 'cause at that point I went through a pretty serious depression. I just let all these feelings out onto the songs. It was very cathartic for me."
For the Deluxe Edition of "Mama Said," Kravitz raided his vaults to create a two-disc package that features 21 bonus tracks, 15 of which have been previously unreleased. The treasure trove features home demos of "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over," "The Difference is Why" and "What the...Are We Saying?," remixes, instrumental takes of several tracks and eight songs recorded live in Japan and in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The set also includes two previously unreleased (and unfinished) songs, "Riding on the Wings of My Lord" and the instrumental segue "Framed, Lying, Crying."
"You forget about all these things," Kravitz notes. "Then you listen and you're like, 'Oh, man, wow!' These were things I didn't have time to finish, or I didn't feel they were (right) for that moment. I was tempted to finish them off and put vocals on them and whatnot, but I said, 'Y'know what, man -- no. Let it be what it was, from that time. Don't bring this into this time period.' But, yeah, it's interesting to find that stuff."
The full track list for "Mama Said: Deluxe Edition" includes:
DISC 1
DISC 2
photo: David Hindley