To say Lee Aaron has been busy the past couple years would be an understatement. The “Metal Queen” made the most of the COVID lockdown, releasing a Christmas album entitled Almost Christmas towards the end of 2020 and a retro hard rock album entitled Radio On! last summer. Fast forward roughly a year and a half later and the cavalcade of new music continues, this time with her latest studio effort, Elevate. For those who have been following Aaron since her 80s heyday, it truly is an exciting time to be a fan. There aren’t many classic artists out there still averaging an album a year, but I digress.
Upon first glance, Elevate comes off as a continuation of Radio On!, but with a slightly modern twist. Whereas Radio On! was a musical homage to Heart, Zeppelin, Purple, and the various other 70s arena rock staples who shaped Aaron’s formative years, Elevate expands or *ahem* elevates this approach by incorporating facets of alt rock, pop punk, and balladry as well. Fear not headbangers. There’s no shortage of fist-pumping, volume-cranking, open-your-car-window-and-scream rockers on here, anthems that demand your utmost attention and energy.
The album opens in true 70s throwback spirit with “Rock Bottom Revolution”. Can you imagine the attitude of early Heart colliding with the bluesy twang of ZZ Top? If so, “Have mercy!” There’s no need to imagine anymore, because it’s right here on this rousing rocker. The sultry swaggering “Trouble Maker” recalls the sweaty nostalgia of Led Zeppelin IV‘s rowdiest moments, while the subtle “Freak Show” and “Still Alive” showcase Aaron and her band’s “less is more” ethos, with witty lyricism and efficient musicianship taking the forefront. If “Rock Bottom Revolution” and “Trouble Maker” are “hard rock”, than these latter two cuts are simply “rock”.
On the “modern” (and by modern, I mean turn of the century) side of the spectrum are tracks like “Heaven’s Where We Are” and “Highway Romeo”, both of which boast that pop punk gone power pop sound which dominated alt rock radio in the 2000s. I’m usually not the biggest fan of this niche, however, I’m convinced at this point that Aaron could make bro country sound cool. Unsurprisingly, the heaviest song on here happens to be my favorite. The dark and doomy “Spitfire Woman” sees Aaron channeling her inner “Metal Queen”, espousing scathing lyrics to a bleak, Sabbathian backdrop of brooding riffs and grim atmosphere. I would’ve been fine with this as a closer, but I can’t complain about the high octane gut-punch that is the title track either.
Although Elevate is a much more hard rock affair than metal for the “Metal Queen”, it is as enjoyable as any other album she’s released in the past 40 years. Whether you’re a fan of Aaron’s early pounding metal daze, AOR commercial renaissance, latter hard rock roots years, or even her unexpected early 00s vocal jazz detour, chances are you’ll find at least one song on Elevate that will touch your “Powerline”! *sigh* I’m here all night folks!
7 out of 10
Label: Metalville
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Heart, Led Zeppelin, Cheap Trick