ALBUM REVIEW: Radio On! – Lee Aaron

As the summer persists and the temperature gets hotter and hotter, so does the music to accompany such a season. BBQs are lighting up, road trips to the beach are being (safely) planned, and the sound of playlists and albums from the back garden are drifting through cities and towns. One such album set to be a summer staple is the latest from the metal Queen herself, LEE AARON’s Radio On!. Already cemented as a hard rock icon, this new album is her 14th record, and sits more on the rock n roll, blues rock vibe, which has been the direction she’s taken on her last couple of records. Does this stand up to the fire of her previous work, or is it one to flicker and fade away?

Despite the difference in sound over the years since her first record, Radio On! shows the strength in the writing and performance, as well as the amount of talent in the band itself. From beginning to end, there’s a smooth southern blues rock vibe that is hyped up by its distortion and vocals into a fierce rock album that fits comfortably within the New Wave of Classic Rock.

The lyrics, like in Soul Breaker, Mama Don’t Remember, Devils Gold, and Wasted are poetic, clever, and in the case of Wasted, emotional and vulnerable. Wasted as a whole is a beautiful track, coming from a place of hurt and longing, which comes across with the soft guitar at the beginning into the grand second half where the music acts like a help for Lee to get through that pain and emotion. 

Music wise, the drums, bass, and guitars all groove nicely, with brilliant breaks for guitar solos across all tracks, some nice bass riffs, like in Had Me At Hello, and the drums helping keep everyone in time whilst being able to jive to the music in their own way. At some points though, like in Soul Breaker, the drumming feels a little too simplistic, but that is built upon and expanded as the album goes through.

C’mon is a great pop-rock song, similar to songs by LETTERS TO CLEO, but has very fun and cute music alongside the vocals. Devils Gold’s music is mysterious and ethereal, adding to that grand sound that’s delivered by the music, especially with the added keys/synth parts. Twenty One as a closing track is just a perfect finale for a great album, as it’s thoughtful and bittersweet, but with a beautiful sound that is soulful and still full of life. 

Overall, Radio On! is a fantastic album not just for the summer period, but for any season. Considering LEE AARON previously dipped into jazz on some of their records, the whole album is a great blend of that sound with the hard rock/blues rock sound. Adding these brilliantly written lyrics on top of that creates a stunning sound to be listened to again and again. The Metal Queen reigns supreme! 

Rating: 8/10

Radio On! is set for release on July 23rd via Metalville Records.

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