Lenny Kravitz has lamented the lack of "musicianship" on modern records.
The 54-year-old singer plays guitar, bass, drums, piano, bongos, glockenspiel, Moogsynthesiser, sitar, and kalimba on is new LP ‘Raise Vibration’, which he thinks is a huge contrast to many digitally-created tracks that focus on "style and fashion" over "substance".
He said: "Most people are making records by sampling stuff and taking sounds out of boxes and computers.
"There are so many records that don’t have any instruments on them at all. It’s all about style and fashion, and not so much substance.
"There’s not so much musicianship, which is the way I like to work. I like to hold an instrument in my hands, and play it, and put my personality in it."
The ‘American Woman’ hitmaker was just seven years old when he decided he wanted to be a musician after being wowed by a Jackson 5 concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
He recalled to the I newspaper: "I was seven years old, but I remember the show completely.
"It made me want to do what it is that I do."
And years later, Lenny got the chance to work with Michael Jackson – who died in June 2009 – as well as other musical greats such as Sir Mick Jagger and the late David Bowie and Prince, and he will always feel lucky to have been able to collaborate with some many of his "heroes".
He said: "There I was working with the person who started the whole thing for me.
"I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many of my heroes. It’s wonderful. My path was laid out with so many amazing artists who gave me my education."
Lenny Kravitz laments lack of musicianship
