Cassidy Paris - 'New Sensation' To be released 8th December 2023

This full-length album on Frontiers marks the official coronation of Cassidy Paris who, as many will know, is descended from Aussie rock royalty as the daughter of Steve Janevski, a Rockfiend favourite and the guitar hero from Wicked Smile. Before he transitioned back to harder rock, Steve had made many friends in the UK with the more melodic, The Radio Sun. Steve is a very affable chap and pretty much everyone who met him at one of their HRH AOR appearances will have ended up connected to him on Facebook and so subsequently will have become aware of Cassidy when she started her fledgling music career about five years ago under Steve’s watchful eye. Well, she’s recently turned 21 (so it finally feels OK to ‘like’ her Facebook photos without feeling too creepy!) and her performance on this record shows stunning confidence, quality and maturity and marks her ascension as the new rock-chick on the world block.

The album oozes class throughout but is book-ended by a couple of particularly stonking tunes, starting with the Paul Laine co-write ‘Danger’ which has featured as a single and has its own video. This song quickly ticks all the boxes, building through a truly great riff to a quality bridge, sublime chorus and a tasty guitar solo. The album finale of ‘Midnight Desire is equally classy and features some Del Vecchio keyboards under-pinning a mature and sultry vocal. Young Cassidy has been attracting positive comparisons to just about every rock heroine from Pat Benatar to Lzzy Hale but this one reminded me of prime-time Heart at chorus time for some reason. Ms Paris has got her own style and identity though and she also displays some ultra-modern pop sensibilities on lighter tracks like ‘On the Bright Side’ and the phone-light-in-the-air anthem ‘Stand’ which Swifty or P!nk would have been quite happy to have a crack at. Cass also showcases her mellower side on ‘Here I Am’, which never quite rocks you like a hurricane but still hits the sweet spot in other ways.

Cassidy is out on UK tour just now – Rockfiend will be covering the WinterStorm show – and I sincerely hope we’ll get to hear both ‘Walking on Fire’ and ‘Like I Never Loved You’. They’re both hard-driving rockers with pace and attitude which will surely work brilliantly with a sassy stage delivery – maybe even ‘Addicted’ too which is the most headbang-able number on offer. Steve and his Wicked Smile buddy Dave Graham will be handling the guitars along with the Rogowski twins from Mad Haven in the rhythm section but for sure it will be Cassidy’s turn in the spotlight. She’s learned her trade and paid her dues early so it’s her time to shine and she’s certainly ready. Catch her while you can. The rock chick princess-in-waiting is coming out.