Dead End Drive-In: Now Showing – Lenny Kravitz – ‘Just Let Go’ 

Lenny Kravitz – ‘Just Let Go’ (Eagle Vision 2015)

The penis of Lenny Kravitz may well have been on the tip of everyone’s tongue this Summer after a wardrobe malfunction (a real one too, not like the shitstorm-avoiding bullshit Janet Jackson came up with after Justin Timberlake got her right tit out at the culmination of her Superbowl XXXVIII halftime show) let his junk out of the trunk when he attempted a venturesome lunge in too tight pants during a Monday night show in Stockholm, Sweden, but he should be remembered for an entirely different full-length release come year end.

‘Just Let Go’, released later this month on DVD, Blu-ray and across digital formats, is a beautifully shot concert film that collects the best moments from the European leg of Lenny’s 2014 tour in support of then-new album, ‘Strut’.

‘Strut’ was a pared-down return of sorts to a more basic rock ‘n’ roll sound and the concert film is wonderfully equal to it, warming all eyes with its retrofied look and stripped-back honesty.

Shot over three months last Autumn, Paul Dugdale’s film is as pleasing on the eye as something like this gets; looking exactly like a vintage rock ‘n’ roll document at times, save for the smart phones and loveheart hand gestures held aloft by crowd members at regular intervals. Those aside, ‘Just Let Go’ is almost as much of a throwback to Lenny’s preferred decade of choice, the seventies, as ‘Strut’ was.

The twelve song set offers nothing in the way of dull moments: massive hits like ‘Fly Away’ and ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ alongside vintage golden material like ‘Let Love Rule’ and ‘It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over’; ‘Dirty White Boots’, ‘The Chamber’, ‘New York City’ and the title track of ‘Strut’ proving that this cat ain’t lost his mojo just yet.

It’s the candid footage that dissects the concert material that has this film sitting on top of the world, however; raw interviews with Lenny and band members offer us a rare glimpse behind his stone cold persona – a tale of Robert Plant telling Kravitz to “enjoy the ride” rather than be an oft-difficult perfectionist particularly revealing – while soundcheck footage invites the viewer to see what really goes on during a world tour of this magnitude, being both intense and ebullient.

With an eight-page booklet featuring some simply stunning concert photography and the six unedited live bonus tracks that push this release’s running time up to a bulky 150 minutes, ‘Just Let Go’ might just be the best concert film of the year.

To pick up your copy of ‘Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live’ – CLICK HERE