Beautiful Things (Distribution Fusion III)
As transformations go, Lee Aaron's makeover from '80s Canuck-rock radio staple to lounge chanteuse might not be as bizarre as, say, billionaire Donald Trump's ascendancy to the king of prime-time television. But Aaron deserves credit, both for making the move and doing it without fuss or embarrassing incident. And, though she may have reignited her career with jazz standards, Beautiful Things shows she's more than just another pretty ex-metalhead trying to prove her versatility by cooing "I've Got You Under My Skin" at local martini bars.
Working with singer-songwriter Joel Kroeker, Aaron has come up with some first-rate material on this, her 11th album. The buoyant "Joan of Arc" and sensual "Boy Glory" are both terrific pop songs, while "Heart Shaped Whole" is a country/lounge hybrid that segues nicely into the disc's most unexpected cover, eccentric Americana artist Jim White's woeful "Handcuffed to a Fence in Mississippi". The just-right treatment of the latter, with its wonky guitar, had me checking the credits for the name of the disc's producer, who happens to be Aaron.
The woman who once called an album Bodyrock also does coy cocktail lounge (Donovan's "Museum") and bluesy gospel (James Taylor's "Lo and Behold"). Her take on Nina Simone's "Do I Move You" is respectful and sensual, and features some dynamite ivory-tickling by Michael Kaeshammer. Such canny choices in collaborators and material, as well as her understated and warm vocals and tasteful production, add up to a varied and very cool pop record. Beautiful Things proves that at this point in her career, we underestimate Aaron at our own risk.