Rock ‘N Roll & Vodka: Open Up & Say Ahh!

Back in mid-1999, I reviewed Moby’s PLAY album and subsequently interviewed him at a discreet little hotel in London. I thought the album was stunning but sales and airplay eluded him. It wasn’t until early the following year, after use of his music on several TV adverts, that the media took notice. And you couldn’t turn on the radio or TV without hearing and seeing Moby. The album went on to become the biggest selling UK release of 2000. Such is the power of great music to sell programmes, products and, of course, albums. In a somewhat similar vein, how would a movie be without a music soundtrack? And how many artists’ careers have benefited from close association with a successful movie? Well, you know the answers to both those questions… Many of you will be too young to remember that music used to be the ONLY sound you could hear in the days of the silent movie…

But the news is not all good. In more recent years giveaway music (and now films) have been used to sell more of our shit UK newspapers, and has been in danger of becoming a valueless commodity. Do I agree, or like the fact that music is being used so extensively to sell product? I’m not sure, and as with everything, it’s the context that counts. For example, if a company is both selective and serious about the music it uses to build a brand, and gives the artists freedom to write, that’s a slightly different matter, or at least can be…

“ABSOLUT Vodka launches ABSOLUT KRAVITZ: a global music project featuring a new interpretation of the brand by Lenny Kravitz. ABSOLUT is proud to announce the launch of ABSOLUT KRAVITZ – a new music project which sees Lenny Kravitz creating an exclusive new track based on his interpretation of the ABSOLUT brand. “We are thrilled to have Lenny Kravitz with us on our creative journey and in this, our first high-profile music project,” says Michael Persson, Global Brand Director for ABSOLUT VODKA. “Not only is he supremely talented; his output, inspired by so many genres and eras of music, defies categorisation, making him truly individual – a quality which means he is perfectly at home with the creativity of ABSOLUT.”

Is what we are told. Hell, there’s more…

One of the pre-eminent rock musicians of our time, Lenny Kravitz is an icon whose bold, channelling sound has transcended genre, style, race and class. Over a remarkable 16-year career, Kravitz has managed to do it all with a contemporary urgency rivalled by none. All of his albums have been certified either platinum or multi-platinum. He has also been showered with accolades including MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards and four consecutive GRAMMY Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Kravitz’s appeal has also been recognized by his peers; his collaborative efforts are as varied as his own influences, having worked with Slash, Jay-Z, N.E.R.D., P. Diddy and Alicia Keys. Famous for its creative collaborations with leading world-famous artists and designers, this collaboration marks the first time Absolut has worked with such a well-known figure from the world of music. “Absolut has had a history of working with great artistic people – like Andy Warhol, Tom Ford, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianni Versace and Kenny Scharf. I thought it would be interesting to do an artistic collaboration like this and be part of that heritage.”

So, Kravitz recorded a new song entitled “Breathe”, which will be featured in the campaign. Although this collaboration marks Absolut’s first collaboration with a musician, the brief given to Kravitz was exactly the same as the one any world–class artist working with the brand would receive: present your personal interpretation of Absolut and its core values. The result is a track that is a transition from Kravitz’s traditional rock and roll to a distinctly dance music sound, with minimal lyrics, a memorable melody and pulsating beat. Kravitz said that he was inspired by Absolut’s core values of clarity, simplicity and perfection. “There’s nothing more simple, clear or perfect than the essence of true love,” he says. “Once I’d felt that, the track just came.” “ABSOLUT’s name is synonymous with a true and genuine passion for creativity. Using communication technology we are now able to share this creativity and distribute our collaborative artistic work with a global audience.” says Michael Persson.

Kravitz’s new track “Breathe,” part of the ABSOLUT MUSIC COLLECTION, will not be for sale. Instead it will be available to download for free, along with is accompanying video, from www.absolutkravitz.com

This is the third music project from ABSOLUT. Initiated in 2003, ABSOLUT TRACKS projects has so far presented 7 producers/artists from across Europe creating new tracks inspired by their unique interpretation of the ABSOLUT bottle. ABSOLUT KRAVITZ is the first project that has seen ABSOLUT teaming up with an internationally recognised recording artist.

So there you have it, ‘A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE’ or rather, ‘a message about a bottle.’ No doubt the company and the artist will make mega-bucks out of the venture, and perhaps we’ll all be a little more enlightened, and pissed! Now how about chucking a crate our way to savour what ‘pure love’ is really all about…

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About Lenny Kravitz

He is one of the pre-eminent rock musicians of our time, an icon whose bold, channelling sound has transcended genre, style, race and class. And over a remarkable 16-year career in which he has dipped into rich influences of ’60s and ’70s soul, rock and funk, Lenny Kravitz has managed to do it all with a contemporary urgency rivalled by none. As Kravitz’s music has resonated through seven studio albums into a timeless catalog, the expansive color of his career can now be heard on a special collector’s edition of the rocker’s GREATEST HITS album, an acclaimed release that underscores Kravitz’s status as a writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist.

Taken as a whole, the robustness of Kravitz’s music comes out in songs driven by an emotional core that materializes in soulful riffs and soaring vocals. Though he has been influenced by everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Led Zeppelin, Duke Ellington to Sly and the Family Stone, Kravitz has refused to be bound by those influences. From the beginning of his career, he has consistently redefined his sound, never painting the same picture twice, never using the same colors. “It’s not a conscious point, but I’m not into repeating myself,” Kravitz says. “Once I do something, I’ve done it and I just want to continue on.”

That attitude has rewarded Kravitz with an unparalleled musical appeal. All of his albums have been certified either platinum or multi-platinum. From 1999 to 2002, he won an astounding four consecutive Grammy Awards, setting a record for the most wins in the “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance” category for his single “Dig In” (previously winning for “Again,” “American Woman” and “Fly Away”). In 2004, he received his sixth Grammy nomination in the category for “If I Could Fall In Love” off his sixth studio album, LENNY.

The GREATEST HITS collection bookends a remarkable cycle of music that began in 1989, with the release of the critically acclaimed debut, LET LOVE RULE. It was a bold pronouncement for the young Kravitz, who emerged during a time when rock music had hit a commercial and creative lull. But his mix of classic rock, soul and psychedelic pop, and his iconic, bohemian and dreadlocked look, would enrapture fans. A couple of years later, he would release his second LP,MAMA SAID, which would bear the Top 10 single, “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over.” Released during the hey-day of grunge music, Kravitz’s soulful rock would run counter to the thrashing sounds emanating from the Pacific Northwest – and still find great success. From that moment forward, it was clear that Kravitz would not conform his sound or style to the conventions of the day. And he didn’t need to.

From his third album, ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY? on through his most recent studio effort, BAPTISM, his career has continuously grown. “Where Are We Runnin?“, the first single from BAPTISM became one of his most successful songs ever. The blissful slice of good ol’ rock ‘n roll stemmed from Kravitz’s desire to return to the basic principles that guided the recording of his debut album. “I picked up my acoustic guitar and just started playing,” Kravitz said just after the album’s release. “All these tunes started coming out – two, four, five, eight.” In that way, BAPTISM was Kravitz coming full circle.

Kravitz’s musical success has afforded him many opportunities in which to fulfill his creative vision. He has a design company that undertakes various high-concept projects with commercial, residential and product design.

SO NOW YOU KNOW!