Lee Aaron
Some Girls Do

Karen Lynn Greening (yes, Lee Aaron's real name) was a real hottie: perfect body, curves in the right places, crazy sex appeal, humor that you instantly fall in love with, and a brightness that on its own could uplift the mood of Italians (and not just that!).

And today? Things have changed for Lee: perfect body, curves in the right places, crazy sex appeal, humor that you instantly fall in love with, and... WAIT A MINUTE! Wow! Has this woman found the fountain of youth, or is it like wine, meaning she’s become better with age?

Jokes aside, her physique remains enviable, but there has been a shift in her stylistic and musical choices since 1997-98. Let's just say that Lee, known as the "Metal Queen" (although it's fairer to call her the Rock Queen in my opinion), found herself looking in the mirror, realized that at 35 she could no longer tackle a certain type of hard rock (35 is not that old) and made a bold and difficult decision, which I totally (strange coming from me!) respect: to dedicate herself to family and Jazz!

Well, although our star has nevertheless re-proposed some of her old rock hits at recent European festivals (see the Sweden Rock Festival), by now Lee Aaron has found her place as a woman: no more parties and super sexy dresses (although she always had a look that was neither tacky nor shabby!), no more fourth-rate husbands roaming around on beat-up Harleys (her ex-husband will make an appearance in this review shortly...), no more stressful tours (like the long Bodyrock tour, the longest of her career, where, at the beginning of 1990, she even took part as a special guest at Sanremo!), and no more sex in the city! No, I'm not talking about those four floozies gallivanting around New York, but the hectic sexual life on stage and off stage of rock bands in general, and I doubt Aaron didn't have her 1000-2000 flings, even though she hides it behind that sweet teddy bear face!

The main thing we need to talk about now is the music, from what I consider her most misunderstood chapter, as well as her last hard rock swan song, which is the sixth and stunning album of 1991, "Some Girls Do". Assisted and aided lyrically and musically by the faithful John Albani, this time Lee Aaron and co. are no longer aiming to "construct" an album, as sometimes was the case with the overly programmed "Bodyrock". Everything happens live, and Albani, as a guitarist, showcases the best riffs he has ever created, with Lee Aaron finally coming back to bite and sting as she did in the past!

Just think of the sonic assault created in "Crazy In Love" and "Dangerous" (with quite impressive backing vocals) or in the Extreme-oriented "Some Girls Do", a song whose very amusing video talks about female empowerment, "Hands Off The Merchandise" (one of the absolute peaks of the album) and "Can't Stand The Heat", with an incredibly powerful vocal range from Lee!

In this album, we find successful examples of pure state party metal like Danger Danger's ("Tuff Love") and simple yet impactful and emotional hard rock songs, like in the case of "Sex With Love", for which I suggest watching the video, released at the time to promote the fight against AIDS; there are even some "jabs" thrown at her first husband, from whom she would soon separate, in "Motor City Boy" for his laid-back motorcycle lifestyle. Furthermore, it includes more serious songs like "Love Crimes", which deals with rape as its main theme, with lyrics very relevant even in the period we are living in, and the beautiful ballad "Peace On Earth", which condemns any kind of war and violence in this filthy world. 

Thus ends an hour of music full of positive emotions, a masterpiece of intensity to which must also be added "Wild At Heart" "(You Make Me) Wanna Be Bad" (with a Winger flavor) and the Stevie Wonder cover "Tell Me Something Good", always a great musical love for Lee Aaron.

What you'll find in this album is the true and last rock essence (alas!) of Lee Aaron, as well as her last beautiful album. I almost forgot: of course, the album didn't sell a thing, and Lee Aaron will lose her way with the follow-up grunge-infused "Emotional Rain," and the rest... well, you know from the intro: Lee found her family and her happiness since she is the mother of two children. So now she has two masterpieces and not just this "Some Girls Do"!