Lee Aaron is on a roll. The award winning songwriter, producer and Canadian vocalist blazed back onto the rock scene in 2016 (after a ten year hiatus to raise her family) with a wealth of original material and more firecracker energy than artists half her age. She’s since produced six new releases, including a live CD/DVD, with Elevate being the latest and possibly coolest addition to this renewed chapter in her illustrious career.

Elevate was written during the Covid lockdown, but rather than allowing that isolation to push the band into a negative place, Lee booked a studio lockout for the fall of 2021. “I’d witnessed so many friends and colleagues become depressed and lose their focus. We couldn’t properly tour our last album (2021's Radio On!) and the downtime seemed like it would never end, so we decided to book studio time before the songs were even written. Having that kind of pressure was exciting and terrifying at the same time. It gave us a goal and kept the positive energy going. In fact, the song "Elevate" was a last-minute idea brought in by Dave. We arranged and recorded it on the spot, and in that spontaneous spirit, it became the album title.”

The album contains ten original tracks steeped in what has become Aaron’s signature sound: big guitar hooks, powerful, bluesy vocals, rich melodies and harmonies and just enough sassy attitude to tip the scales. Aaron has always been known for digging a little deeper with her lyric content and Elevate is no exception. "Heaven’s Where we Are" - a pounding, modern rock number - reminds us to live in the present. "The Devil U Know," oozing with a grungy '90s vibe, delves into letting our personal demons go, while "Rock Bottom Revolution" is a politically subversive anthem on the state of world. "Troublemaker" and "Highway Romeo" groove with Stonesy swagger and a storyteller prose that pokes shameless fun at romantic mistakes of the past. "Freak Show" is a rock ‘n’ roll dance party rejoicing in how we’re all different, yet all the same. "Spitfire Woman" – a slow burning bluesy number inspired by a real Nashville murder story – features a guest appearance by Canadian electric violinist Karen Barg, rivaling Sean Kelly’s solo licks with dueling fury.

Recorded in Aaron’s traditional fashion: live off the floor with her crack band, Sean Kelly (guitar), Dave Reimer (bass) and John Cody (drums) at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver with the finishing touches recorded at the band’s home studios. After forging a strong friendship and working relationship with Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams) on the last album, he once again teams up with Lee and the band for Elevate as recording and mix engineer.

Speaking about the album, Aaron explains “I think it’s a shame how social media can divide good people. Analytics guarantee everyone has their own special ‘feed’ and you’re never hearing a different perspective – it polarizes people. Elevate is about not buying into that trap, it’s about choosing to lift each other up.”