KOBRA PAIGE

KOBRA AND THE LOTUS came out of Canada in the late-2000s, offering a female-led brand of dramatic, modern hard rock. The band has released six studio albums since their formation, all championing their special brand of thick, theatrical heavy metal.

Throughout it all, lead vocalist Kobra Paige has been praised for being one of the strongest women in modern radio rock. She has a deep, operatic voice that perfectly fits the music's dense backings.

Now, Paige is releasing her debut solo album, "Like No Other". It's a fascinating release, because while some of the songs follow in KOBRA AND THE LOTUS's direction, others go an entirely different direction, showing sides of Paige that listeners haven't heard before.

The album's debut single, "Love What I Hate", is familiar sounding to KOBRA AND THE LOTUS listeners. Here, Paige's darkly toned voice comes out powerful and clear over retro-sounding guitars and rhythms. The chorus explodes, and Paige's vocals recall some of the great classic harmonies and deliveries of HEART and JANIS JOPLIN. It's a bit poppier than KOBRA AND THE LOTUS's music but still has that metal center. "Under One Sun" is another song that should appeal to KOBRA AND THE LOTUS's audience, with Paige's strong alto singing on top of a Celtic beat and progression.

As the album continues it becomes apparent that Paige is really flexing her musical muscles and delving into genres that she's hasn't before. "HOTT." is a huge divergence from her usual music, with Paige singing about self-love and how she's "so hot" using edgy vocals, pop effects and even some upbeat "woah, woah, woahs." Elsewhere, the album's title track has a county vibe, with a slight twang in Paige's vocals and groove-heavy rhythms.

"Thank You" takes the album in another different direction. The soft ballad has Paige singing about being thankful amid dreamy atmospheres. Paige's vocals are usually dark and powerful, but here, she shows off a rare vulnerability, which is really beautiful. "Unbreakable" is a fun track with dance-worthy beats and rocked out singing. Meanwhile, "Freedom" is a fiery rock anthem, with Paige claiming this this is her "freedom song" and showing off some of her fiercest vocals. The album both opens and closes with mini tracks, the opening song being 32 seconds and closing one coming in at just under a minute and a half. The final track, "Genesis", has a unique industrial metal sound that shifts and goes from powerful and in-your-face to almost non-existent.

Above all, "Like No Other" is a daring album. It's difficult to call it any genre, but if I had to, perhaps just rock 'n' roll would suffice. It's refreshing to see an artist truly step out of her comfort zone, as Paige is doing, and do it so well.