Black and White America (Deluxe Version)

No apologies for dissolving Lenny Kravitz into his constituent influences; the man has no qualms showing the imprint of his progenitors. Where Kravitz's early albums paid homage to flower-powered soul men like Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, his ninth tips further into the disco-electro of '70s visionaries, especially Curtis Mayfield; for proof see the strings-laden psychedelic soul of the autobiographical title track. Still, Kravitz injects zooming, hypermodern synths into "In the Black" and enlists JAŸ-Z for the percolating "Boongie Drop" and Drake for the syrupy "Sunflower".