Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 12, 2015

Lenny Kravitz recently experienced a “wardrobe malfunction” of sorts that led to a viral video, lots of ribbing on various late night comedy and/or talk shows, and, now, the perhaps unfortunately named Just Let Go, a title which, if you’ve seen the video, takes on a completely unexpected meaning. That perhaps ill fitting (so to speak) combination shouldn’t really dissuade Kravitz fans from checking out this release, which combines footage from Kravitz’s 2014 European tour with interstitial interview segments with Kravitz and his band that find the musicians in rather ruminative frames of mind quite a bit of the time.

There’s a bit of a self serving quality to some of the candid and confessional footage on tap here, though some of the comments (from both Kravitz and other band members) about studio life versus being on the road are interesting and real feeling. The concert footage is incredibly high energy most of the time, with Kravitz in great voice and the backup band and singers sounding vibrant and cohesive.

The songs included are:

Fly Away
Dirty White Boots
American Woman
Dancin’ Til Dawn
Strut
It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over
New York City
The Chamber
Sister
Dig In
Let Love Rule
Are You Gonna Go My Way

Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Music Group and Eagle Vision, an imprint of Eagle Rock Entertainment, with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 2.39:1. Technical data on this release are sparse, but this has the look of having been shot in Super 16 (with the use of something like Hawk anamorphic lenses allowing for a wider aspect ratio), and as such clarity is variable, and many shots have a pretty fuzzy, very grainy ambience. While contrast is generally solid, the smaller format never really supports outstanding shadow detail, and large swaths of the stages can often just disappear in encroaching darkness, a tendency which can swallow the human participants on occasion. Commendably the transfer has no real compression issues, and even the lighting array behind the band maintains cohesion, never devolving into moiré. While not signficantly sharper than the concert footage, most of the confessional and/or interstitial interview footage is shot in much better lighting conditions, and as such detail levels improve markedly.

Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LCPM 2.0 tracks included on Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live offer sterling clarity and precision, though the 5.1 mix is slightly diffuse sounding at times, leading to a bit of wash of supporting instrumentation over the vocals of Kravitz and the female singers. Fidelity is excellent throughout all frequency ranges, and dynamic range is very wide when considering the contrast between some of the high energy concert footage and the quieter interview segments.

Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bonus Tracks:

  Sister (1080i; 12:36)

  Always on the Run (1080i; 18:08)

  Sex (1080i; 4:09)

  I Belong to You (1080i; 4:21)

  New York City (1080i; 8:57)

  Let Love Rule (1080i; 16:42)

Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kravitz is a very appealing performer, and the interview segments show that he's an uncommonly thoughtful performer as well. Luckily his band members are similarly articulate and accessible, and those interstitial sequences combined with some very exciting concert footage should make this a must have for Kravitz fans. Also—virtually no pants were harmed in the making of this video, evidently. Highly recommended.