Lee Aaron – Tattoo Me
Reviewed by: Blake Mossey
Review Score: 8
Firstly, I am aware that this release may not align with some of the metal genres we typically cover. However, Lee Aaron, the former Canadian Metal Queen whose poster once adorned my high school locker, is releasing her first covers album, and I wish to share her current endeavors. With eighteen albums into her career, Aaron has written, recorded, and produced music that has achieved gold and multi-platinum sales. Recognized as one of Canada’s premier rock vocalists, she has also ventured into jazz, blues, and even opera. She has received numerous awards and accolades, including a recent 2023 induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Lee Aaron made her mark on the metal scene in 1982 with her debut album, The Lee Aaron Project. However, it was her 1984 release, Metal Queen, that truly earned her that title. Her subsequent albums like, Bodyrock, Some Girls Do, also enjoyed significant sales, marking the height of her metal/hard rock era. While I wouldn’t categorize her as hair metal, she emerged during that period in the ’80s, and I found Lee Aaron far more appealing than any of the hair metal bands at the time.
So now to 2024 and Lee Aaron thought it would be fun to take on something she has never done and that is a covers album. So she decided to make Tattoo Me. Lee Aaron states, “It started out as a heartfelt nod to artists we’d been influenced by in our youth, but the truth is, we didn’t stop being influenced or being fans at 18, so the list kept evolving. It covers a few decades and a few unconventional choices, but it was incredibly rewarding to make!”
LINEUP:
Lee Aaron – lead vocals
Sean Kelly – guitars
Dave Reimer – bass
John Cody – drums
This covers album is mostly a mixture of some classic rock classics that inspired Lee in her younger years and a few obscure tracks.
From the scorching blues-rock of Nina Simone‘s 1960 hit ‘The Pusher’ to the defiant energy of Alice Cooper‘s 1972 anthem ‘Is it My Body’ and Fleetwood Mac‘s ‘Go Your Own Way’, AARON delivers a performance that is sultry, growls, purrs, whispers, and wails. She seems to revel in infusing these classic songs with her own vibrant spirit. Her voice remains as adaptable and potent as it has always been.
Standout tracks include Jet‘s ‘Are You Going to Be My Girl’, Canadian rockers Heart‘s ‘Even It Up’, and my personal favorite, Led Zeppelin‘s classic ‘What Is and What Should Never Be’. As one of my all-time favorite bands, it’s very enjoyable to hear Lee Aaron‘s rendition of it, and she does an admirable job covering such an iconic band and song.”
Lee Aaron and band sound great covering these songs. Definitely more in the hard rock/blues style. She still sounds great and if only I could find that poster that used to be on my locker!!!