by Alexandra Mrozowska
– Senior Columnist —
Ronny Lee is a name that might not have been a trademark in the world of rock and perhaps is not so widely known. This status quo, however, may be just about to change as his debut album Original Retro comes out this year – the seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry, recognized in the music club circuit all across the U.S., is now given the voice to speak and it seems he’s making the most of the opportunity. And while the majority of artists associated with the previous decades go for sound experimentation’s or try their best to keep their music possibly updated these days – as Original Retro proves, Ronny Lee has chosen otherwise.
Any doubt you could have regarding the genre Ronny Lee explores on his album is dispelled as the first track “Straight To The Top” progresses. It starts off with some tinkly, clearly AOR-ish keyboards to develop into a melodic mid-tempo neither Journey nor Survivor would hesitate to claim to be their own. The next song “Long After Midnight” gravitates towards slightly heavier spheres of melodic rock, revisiting the finest ‘80s rock traditions with its groovy riff and killer chorus.
The handful of music Ronny serves next is a clear proof that the singer is one foot in the ‘80s and one in the decade that preceded. There are very distinct echoes of the mid- and late ‘70s arena rock in tracks such as a Boston-esque “It’s Been Too Long,” its slightly feistier follow-up “Just One Night” or “Side By Side” with some neat live vibe to it. All three could – and would – have ruled the charts if only released about 35 years ago, with the potential to become a strong and serious competition for bands such as the aforementioned Boston, early Styx or REO Speedwagon.
“Easy Street” is a fine track on its own, but the poor thing pales by comparison with the late ‘70s/early‘80s synth wizardry and anthemic choruses of “Hey Mary” that follows. The pace slows down a bit with “Backstreets”, its mellow, ballad-esque verses developing into sugary choruses. With its delicate keyboard background and melodic solo, the track could have been again mistaken for the best Survivor song Jim Peterik never wrote. Starting off with the riff best described as grinding, “Black Limos & White Lines” turns out to be yet another fine piece of synth-laden melodic rock that’s hooky enough to put a smile on every Loverboy fan’s face. It precedes the final song “Sign Of The Times” again a nod and a wink towards the late ‘70s Boston or the classic, Kimball-fronted Toto of their early years. Either comparison being equally accurate, it’s definitely a high note to finish an album on.
Speaking about accuracy of terms and phrases, perhaps it’s this album title that has the most descriptive potential here – Ronny Lee couldn’t have named it better than Original Retro. Instead of going for modern AOR/melodic hard rock sound and “wall of sound” production that is reproduced over and over again within the genre these days, the result being the awful similarities between the majority of bands, the album has Ronny reaching back to the roots of stadium rock and exploring its best traditions. If released in 1979 or 1982, Original Retro might have become the potential chart favorite and dominate the radio airplay. And who knows, maybe it would have earned Mr. Lee as many Grammy nominations as IV album earned Toto back in the day…? Speculations aside, it’s a great vintage-sounding album that would have sounded best on a dusty, scratched vinyl out of a well-thumbed sleeve – perhaps a food for thought so as to make the trip 40 years back even more enjoyable … but if you’re a classic rock/AOR fan, it’s more than sure you’re going to enjoy this kind of time traveling anyway, even if equipped “only” with a CD. Highly recommended.
Genre: AOR, Retro Rock
Band:
Ronny Lee – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Stewart Marsh – lead and rhythm guitars, background vocals
Bill Rotella – rhythm guitar, background vocals
Marty Fera – drums and percussion
Donnie Gougeon – keyboards
Steve Thoma – keyboards (tracks 5, 8, 10)
Doug Smith – bass guitar (track 6)
Joey Leon – drums (track 6)
Track List:
1. Straight To The Top
2. Long After Midnight
3. It’s Been Too Long
4. Just One Night
5. Side By Side
6. Easy Street
7. Hey Mary
8. Backstreets
9. Black Limos & White Lines
10. Sign Of The Times
Label: Rlf Records
Website:
http://theronnylee.com
https://www.facebook.com/ronnyleeoriginalretro/
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10
