UK-based independent musician Rob Lea rose to prominence as a member of Majesty, a Queen tribute band. His talent and dedication have earned him a devoted and loving audience that has helped him put his debut self-titled album on official UK charts due to significant physical sales. And now, the record has found its way to our radars — and hopefully yours too! Let’s tune in together and see what the buzz is all about.

The album starts with "Time Of My Life". Instant Queen vibes – even in the title that brings to mind both "Love of My Life" and "These Are the Days of Our Lives". But the music is no pastiche! There are obvious Queen influences in the melodiс freedom and harmonic grandeur of the track, but the essence of the song is pure Rob Lea, a standout musician with a voice of his own.

Rob takes command – it seems like he prepared a rollercoaster ride for us. After the warm and intimate acoustic-guitar-based first track comes a real rocker. "Big Bad Bear" is equipped with harsh riffs and almost operatic falsetto touches. But our favourite thing about the track is the highly imaginative guitar solo.

"Not The One" presents a different side of the artist again. It's a pop ballad with huge radio potential. Think Robbie Williams or mature George Michael, both well-known Queen fans as well. The song boasts huge, stadium-sized choruses made for joyful singalong moments.

"All Your Crazy" follows a similar path, slowing things down just a bit, preparing us for the mesmerizing effects of "High" with its pulsing mutes, roaring synth-like guitars and masterful vocal harmonies.

"Happy Accident" made us think of George Michael again – this time of his timeless ballads. The song finds a similar subtle balance between achingly intimate and sadly theatrical.

"Call On Me" is another highly melodic ballad with a beautifully stripped down arrangement where lush strings hover above a lonely drum machine and mellow piano chords.

"Freak" present a stylistic rhyme with High – it's also steady and groove-based, but somewhat minimalistic in its approach, resulting in a tune perfect for erotically charged spiritual snake-charming (however you might interpret this metaphor).

"My Girl" follows a similar groove-based approach, but adds touches of power pop (think Big Star), disarmingly straightforward pop punk (like Green Day) and even autotune-equipped pop.

"Flipside" is a perfect concert closer – the moment when the lighters (and tears of joy) come out. The song's melody and groove reminded us of Irish folk tunes in a fun and refreshing way.

"Everybody Needs Somebody" is another testament to Rob's talent of writing ballads that sound like lost classics. The lighters are still in the air, and the tear keep flowing down the listeners' happy faces...

Overall, Rob's album is highly melodic, stylistically versatile and, what's even rarer, pretty damn catchy without losing any of its sophistication! I mean, every song is memorable, there are no fillers on the record. The album follows a long tradition that starts with Queen and Elton John and continues with George Michael and Robbie Williams. It's where carnival sets the stage for personal drama and deep introspection. Rob Lea takes the torch from these great voices, and we can't wait to see where the road takes him!