Dan Dyer
…Of What Lies Beneath (Roxie/Reprise) For such a hard-partying, model-dating rock star, Lenny Kravitz has always seemed remarkably wholesome. He even named his new record label after his late mother. He is not, however, what some people might call a “hands-off” producer. Far from it: Kravitz is credited with “guitars and all other instruments” on all 13 songs of maiden Roxie artist Dan Dyer’s solo debut. He wrote the music for two songs and co-wrote the lyrics for two more. Surely Kravitz signed Dyer because they share certain sensibilities, but his fingerprints are so omnipresent Dyer is basically a bystander on his own album. The former Breedlove singer did write or co-write all the lyrics, mostly centered around falling in love, but even the songs that credit him for the music often come across as Kravitz clones. The funk-lite “Over Before It’s Begun,” particularly, smacks of Let Love Rule, down to the “live like you’re the only one” refrain and wash of fuzz-guitar in the chorus. Better are opener “Red Alert,” a swooshing would-be anthem sung from deep within the echo chamber, and “Stereosonic,” with its fluid modern-rock bassline and hooky chorus. Power-pop toe-tapper “She” sounds like it’s already on the radio, not least because Dyer’s voice is a dead ringer for Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. The cozy “You” is a chilled shot of cocktail R&B. Kravitz’s skills behind the boards are certainly formidable, but perhaps Dyer would be better served by asking his next producer, “Are you gonna go my way?” (Dan Dyer opens for Sister 7 at Momos Nov. 5 & 6.)
This article appears in November 5 • 2004.