Lionheart have been around since 1980 and are one of AOR best kept secrets. They released a single for the Heavy Metal Heroes Vol 2 in 1982, then did a abrupt style change for their 1984 release Hot Tonight. After that the band didn't release another cd til 2017's Second Nature. With each release the band has polished thier sound and refined their harmonies and chops. The Reality of Miracles, released in 2020 had some stellar cuts like Thine is the Kingdom and Still It Rains on Planet Earth which should have been a break out radio hits for them. Fast Forward to 2024 and Lionheart return with a new release and continue to pick up where they left off with The Reality of Miracles.
I dare say that The Grace of A Dragonfly may be the album that finally puts Lionheart on the map with other hard rock greats like Eclipse, H.E.A.T and Brother Firetribe. The CD opens with Declaration which showcases the bands harmonies and hooks, a great song to be sure but it's the next 3 songs that really sinks its teeth into the listener and draws them in. Flight 19 which is about a bomber that was lost in the Bermuda Triangle, was the first single of this release. It's such a great track but honestly my favorite was the second single V Is For Victory.. It's an uptempo catchy tune that speaks to the grief and loss that war takes. The harmony is so catchy and a fantastic choice for a single and worthy of radio airplay. The Grace Of A Dragonfly is far from a 1 or 2 hit wonder. This Is A Womans ware tells the tale of how the woman supported the cause working to keep the house and family together while the men were fighting the battles. It's such a fantastic tune...such a toe tapper of a chorus. The Longest Night continues with a tale about the air raids over London during the War. The Eagles Nest seems to be the obligatory "slow song" and honestly I felt was the "weakest" track on the release. Every song that was more uptempo just rocked and were all made for Radio hits and I felt that Eagles Nest just lacked that memorable chorus and staying power to my ears. Luckily it was the only song I felt that way about. Little Ships and Just a Man continued with two more stellar tracks. UXB and The Grace of A Dragonfly round out the rockin portion of the CD followed with an outro called Remembrance, Praying For Peace.
My honest opinion, I think The Grace of A Dragonfly is going to be a serious serious contender for Album of the Year in the Hard Rock world. The band is just on fire write hit song after hit song. They could legitimately have 8 or 9 singles on this release. Lee Small just sounds fantastic and the band really know how to harmonize the bring out the best of the catchy choruses. Highly recommend for fans of AOR/Hard Rock music. This is one of the favorite albums of 2024 and will be the standard to which all are compared to. Rating 99/100
