5

Recording digitally rather than in analog for the first time, Lenny Kravitz ensured that 5 would be his most modern sounding album up to that point. As perfect a pop moment as he’s ever produced, “Fly Away” is a punchy single with a fluid chorus that beams sunshine, a perfect backdrop for zooming down the Cali coast. And “Black Velveteen” declared the dawning age of cybersexual paramours years before Chaturbate webcam girls. His tunes may never have moved listeners as much as the artists they invoke (Curtis Mayfield, John Lennon, et al.), but he has written moving songs like “Thinking of You,” an ode to his recently deceased mother, actress Roxie Roker. 5 was his strongest album until the follow-up.