Published on Apr 5, 2001
As any fan of Aerosmith knows, there are two major periods in
their now 30 year-plus career: the first 15 years, which are
distinguished by a much harder, grittier rock sound, and the last
15 years, which has leaned more towards slick commercial pop
rock.
Fans of Aerosmith’s 70’s output (myself included) have been
waiting patiently for the band to go back to its roots and
re-discover the raw energy that fueled those early recordings. This
is wishful thinking however, as the band has absolutely no reason
to do this as long as the record buying public continues to reward
them handily for the bland pop that they have thrown at us since
the mid 80’s, the best example of which was “Don’t Wanna Miss A
Thing”, a shockingly sappy power ballad penned by cookie cutter
songwriter Diane Warren, which went to number 1 on the charts in
1998.
So now in 2001 we come to
Just Push Play, Aerosmith’s first studio album since 1997’s
Nine Lives…what can I say? This is a predictable band in
every way.
Before I even heard the album, I already pretty much knew what
it would sound like. A few upbeat rock songs, a few distastefully
commercial power ballads, predictable melodies, and lots of lyrics
about love and sleaze…doesn’t get much more cliched, does it?
Upon my first listen, most of my predictions were confirmed, but
surprisingly, a lot of this material turned out a little stronger
than I was expecting; it’s a decent album, if not exactly a great
one.
Things certainly start off very strong with “Beyond Beautiful”.
It begins with an Eastern flavoured riff reminiscent of “Taste Of
India” from the previous album before breaking into a heavy, funky
guitar riff that harkens back to the bands’ 70’s heyday. Tons of
the attitude, swagger, and rawness that made them great in the
first place.
The second track, “Just Push Play”, continues with the
infectuous funky riffs and rhythms, sounding like a distant cousin
to “Walk This Way”. However, this song features bizarre Jamaican
patois singing and lyrics by Steven Tyler that have to be heard to
be believed…it’s amazingly cheesy, yet you won’t be able keep
yourself from bobbing to the beat. I also guarantee that you will
not get the ultra catchy chorus out of your head! Definitely the
most fun song on the record.
“Jaded” is the first single, and while I absolutely hated it
when I first heard it, it has grown on me somewhat. It’s a weird
upbeat rocky ballad with an over the top chorus that really tries
hard to grab your attention, but it just seems too desperate and
silly to me, suffering the exact same problem that the lead-off
single from
Nine Lives, “Falling In Love Is Hard On The Knees”, suffered
from. The melodies aren’t too bad, but I would have chosen almost
any other song on the record as a single over this one.
“Fly Away From Here” is the first huge mis-step. Why do they
insist on continually throwing these utterly disposable power
ballads at us? I can barely tell any of their ballads apart from
the entire last decade. Completely predictable schlock that goes
nowhere, and it wasn’t even written by anyone in the band. That’s
another thing that frustrates me; is it really necessary to still
hire outside songwriters who only water down the band’s sound,
despite over 30 years of experience?
The other power ballads on
Just Push Play, “Luv Lies”, and “Avant Garden” are not quite
as bad, but they also have nothing to offer either. The only ballad
that escapes relatively unscathed is “Sunshine”, which at least has
a pleasant guitar riff and some Beatle-esque melodies.
Thankfully there are still enough decent songs to save the album
from mediocrity. Check out “Outta My Head”, with its Prodigy style
programmed techno beats and rapped lyrics! “Drop Dead Gorgeous” is
another solid track that features modern production as well in a
similar vein…sort of electronic funk, with Joe Perry (the group’s
lead guitarist) doing a fine job with the lead vocals this time,
even if he doesn’t have the raw screeching ability of Tyler.
“Under My Skin” and “Light Inside” are two more up-tempo heavier
rock songs with some tasteful riffs, even if they aren’t anything
spectacular.
Well, that wraps up the album. My conclusion is that it’s just
ok. It’s not great, but not terrible either. It doesn’t come close
to classic Aerosmith, but at this point we really shouldn’t expect
that anymore. It’s all quite listenable, but that’s just it; it’s
not very memorable, and there’s nothing to get passionate about. I
certainly like the use of the modern production values as they
bring a freshness to an old band’s sound, as well as show that they
haven’t completely abandoned experimentation just yet (surprising
considering they stooped to performing with N’Sync at the Super
Bowl). A friend of mine said they should have titled the album
Just Push Skip; that’s a bit harsh, and I’m sure a lot of
people will find a lot to love about this album. And it’s indeed
better than most of their output of the last decade and a half, but
that’s still not saying much, at least in my opinion. I don’t
regret owning it, but I feel it’s going to be one of those CD’s
that will spend a lot more time gathering dust on my shelf than
being played.