Here is a trio of reviews of Lee Aaron’s new album, Elevate, available November 25!

Review by Andy Hawes for MPM

Lee Aaron has been around a long while! Her debut album (The Lee Aaron Project) dropped in 1982, but it was 1984’s Metal Queen and 1985’s Call Of The Wild that cemented her position as one of the top female artists in what was, at the time, a very male-dominated Rock and Metal scene.

The late 80s saw Lee Aaron adopting a very much more AOR/Melodic Rock sound with 1987’s Lee Aaron, 1989’s classic Bodyrock and 1991’s Some Girls Do. She moved with the times, releasing Emotional Rain in 1994, an album that embraced more than a little of the trappings of the Grunge scene.

She continued releasing albums throughout the 2000s, even trying her hand at jazz-influenced pop. Despite a 12 year gap between 2004’s Beautiful Things and 2016’s Fire and Gasoline she has continued to release product and now here she is in 2022 with her new album, Elevate.

Truthfully, I wasn’t 100% sure of exactly what to expect, as Lee’s style has moved such a lot over the years. I’d heard a couple of tracks from 2021’s Radio On, which suggested a slightly pop-inflected Classic Rock sound and that’s pretty much the ball-park for Elevate. And that’s alright by me!

Gone is the slightly plodding (but nonetheless ridiculously entertaining) Metal of the early 80s albums and there is none of the wonderfully over-the-top AOR/Melodic Rock sparkle of her late 80s efforts and to be honest, that’s a good thing.

Instead, Elevate serves up a highly enjoyable guitar-led slightly pop-inflected Classic Rock dish, spiced up by Lee’s unmistakeable vocal. Often singing in a slightly softer style than in her 80s heyday, she gives each of the ten tracks on Elevate exactly what they need.

The production is also very sympathetic to the needs of the songs. There is no unnecessary gloss on these songs; just honest to goodness Classic Rock. The band (Sean Kelly on guitar, Dave Reimer on bass and backing vocals and John Cody on drums) are no slouches either and they provide this album with a delightful energy and pretty much the perfect feel.

Despite its slightly Pop-inflected Rock style, Elevate isn’t the most instant album I’ve heard recently. However, in truth, that’s probably a good thing, as repeated listens do reward the listener’s perseverance and the hooks do worm their way firmly into your consciousness after two or three listens.

Having said that, there are some tracks that do stand out on first listen. ‘Freak Show’ reminds me a little of some of the vibe from the Bodyrock days with a crazily catchy chorus and simple-but-memorable guitar riffs. ‘Heaven’s Where We Are’ is a brilliantly classy pop-rock anthem that rocks along in the way that Avril Lavigne probably wishes she still could.

Highway Romeo’ rattles along at a fair old pace and is perhaps most similar to some of the late 80s output, with massed backing vocals accenting the stupidly catchy chorus. ‘Red Dress’ is an absolutely gorgeous storytelling ballad with beautiful keyboard orchestration and delicate acoustic guitars before everything kicks in for the final choruses.

The fact that these tracks all come in midway through the album made me momentarily wonder slightly about the track sequencing, but if I’m honest, I’m probably being overly picky, as the opening three tracks are all decent enough numbers, with opening numbers ‘Rock Bottom Revolution’ and ‘Trouble Maker’ in particular kicking in with some aplomb and in fact, one could argue that the sequencing works perfectly by drawing the listener in with a great opener and then leading them up to the big choruses and power ballad in the middle before rocking out to the end.

These days there are any number of extremely high-quality female-fronted acts across all sub-genres of Rock and Metal and it’s very easy to forget that there was a time when this was most definitely not the case, when the industry was very male-dominated.

The fact that Lee Aaron was there to help bring a change to that status quo and is still here making quality music forty years later is a testament to both her talent and her resilience. Lee Aaron fans will doubtless be snapping this album up at first opportunity and quite rightly so, as it sits loud and proud amongst her illustrious back-catalogue.

Fans of powerful, catchy classic sounding Pop-influenced Hard Rock should certainly give this album a whirl.

Overall, the simple and inescapable fact here is quite simply this: Lee Aaron, at 60 years of age, is certainly more than capable of giving some of the young whippersnappers a run for their money and all power to her for doing it. Recommended!

LINEUP:
Lee Aaron – lead vocals
Sean Kelly – guitars
Dave Reimer – bass
John Cody – drums

all photos: Theresa Mitchell

Review:
Following more than a decade away from the spotlight raising her family, Canadian rock royalty Lee Aaron burst back in 2016 with the deservedly well-received Fire And Gasoline album and the 2018 follow up Diamond Baby Blues. With the advent of the pandemic rendering her unable to tour the excellent 2021 release Radio On!, a positive response was to book studio time, write and record a new album , and here we now are.

“Rock Bottom Revolution” kicks things off with a driving beat and sardonic lyrics about the current state of the world with suitably sneering vocals and will probably be a single if it isn’t already! “Trouble Maker” has an essence of 60’s girl groups within its universal tale of bad boy romance; and there’s a slight funky edge to “The Devil U Know” complete with fine Eastern sounding guitar work from Sean Kelly. The classy, ultra pop of “Freak Show” flows neatly into the pounding “Heaven’s Where We Are” with its succinct live life in the present message.

The insistent and defiant “Still Alive” gives way to the glorious and joyously poppy “Highway Romeo” that is simply aching to be a massive hit. “Red Dress” is a nostalgia filled, breathily pretty ballad that could comfortably have come from almost any era and is just gorgeous. We’re then back to the bluesy swagger that permeates throughout the album for “Spitfire Woman” which features a fine electric violin cameo from Karen Barg that duels nicely with Kelly’s guitar, before the uplifting, slightly Missing Persons style electro pop tinged album title track and closer “Elevate”.

It’s a polished production in every sense. Sean Kelly’s guitar work has a subtlety that is more than pleasing on every track, and the rhythm section of Dave Reimer on bass and John Cody on drums also merit a mention for their solid and finely understated performances. The songs are hook laden, radio friendly and memorable, and Lee Aaron herself sounds sassier and more seductive than ever!

If you accept that this is no “Metal Queen” rehash, and that Lee Aaron has matured into a songwriter with deliciously gifted pop-rock sensibilities as well as having a trio of superb musicians to support those songs, then you will probably love this album as much as I already do! This is an unadulterated joy of a record.

Track List:
01. Rock Bottom Revolution
02. Trouble Maker
03. The Devil U Know
04. Freak Show
05. Heaven’s Where We Are
06. Still Alive
07. Highway Rome
08. Red Dress
09. Spitfire Woman
10. Elevate

Band Members:
Lee Aaron – lead vocals
Sean Kelly – guitars
Dave Reimer – bass
John Cody – drums

Reviewed by Rockney Colin

Lee Aaron / Elevate shows that class is permanent

Recorded at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, Elevate is the latest release from Canadian vocalist Lee Aaron and it’s another rich seam of radio-friendly rockers which continues the form that she’s been demonstrating since her return to music in 2016. The follow up to last year’s excellent Radio On!, Aaron has continued to craft songs that contain hooks and melody and allow her and her band to show their true colours once more.

Lee Aaron – Elevate (Metalville)
Release Date: 25 November 2022 (Digital) / 9 December 2022 (Physical)
Words: Paul Hutchings

Traditionally Aaron has recorded live off the floor, and this album is no different. She reunites with her crack band Sean Kelly (guitar), Dave Reimer (bass) and John Cody (drums) to provide an album which was written in lockdown. With Mike Fraser back as recording and mix engineer, the sound is big, polished, and full of the bluesy soulful style that Aaron began to forge nearly 40 years ago.

There’s a variety of tempos to digest. The opening track Rock Bottom Revolution is well-placed to kickstart the record. An upbeat rocker, it’s the ideal fist-pumper to start the album with a bang. There’s a lovely hook located in The Devil U Know that really sticks in the mind long after you’ve heard it, something that Aaron is great at crafting. You’ll be humming it for days.

As usual, the record contains deeper and more thoughtful observations in the singer’s writing. Freak Show is the obvious track where she focuses on the divisiveness of life. It’s a foot-tapping goodie and another example of her ability to write catchy tunes.

“I think it’s a shame how social media can divide good people,” Aaron says about Elevate. “Analytics guarantee everyone has their own special ‘feed’ and you’re never hearing a different perspective – it polarizes people. Elevate is about not buying into that trap. It’s about choosing to lift each other up.”

From the smouldering, seductive defiance of Still Alive, the thumping Highway Romeo with its quality pop sensibilities to the gentle, emotional Red Dress, each song brings something different. It’s perfectly delivered, with the music strong but never overpowering Aaron’s vocals. There’s also Spitfire Woman, which is brooding and seductive with some dark overtones. It also features a lovely string segment and, at over six minutes, is by far the longest song on the album.

Once more, Aaron has proved, as if she ever needed to, that class is permanent. Her last three albums have been superb, and Elevate maintains that standard. A highly recommended release.