Forty years ago, Lee Aaron was making her bid as the Metal Queen. While the throne might ultimately have gone to another, the Canadian singer contented herself by reinventing herself through the prism of jazz and even opera.
Having returned to rock with 2016’s Fire And Gasoline, Tattoo Me, album number 18, sees Aaron pick songs from across the rock canon to lend her dusky tones to. Covering everyone from Led Zeppelin and Nina Simone to Fleetwood Mac, Jet, Elastica and Alice Cooper, Tattoo Me plays out like a covers band trialling material in a dive bar.
The album’s best moments are undoubtedly when Aaron flexes her hip-swinging rock chops, with relatively obscure cuts like The 77’s Tattoo and Heart’s Even It Up benefitting from her swagger.
There are swings and misses, however; Are You Gonna Be My Girl is overly ploddy, and Is It My Body feels threadbare, making the album a patchy listen with shining moments.
