Just Push Play - Aerosmith (Cassette 2001)

There is a classic story in the pantheon of rock & roll in which a music critic accused the hard-rock band ACDC of making the same album twelve times. "That's a bloody lie and you know it," shouted the band, "we've made the same album 15 times!" Repetitiveness has always been accepted in popular music. There are only twelve notes in the western music scale, so it is nearly impossible not to repeat oneself in the world of music. As a result, few bands are able to grow from album to album while still remaining close to their roots. Aerosmith has never shied away from this challenge, and for the most part, has succeeded in this quest.

One look at the New Releases section of the record store and it is painfully obvious that rock & roll is not what it once was. For better or for worse, few bands simply rock out on their albums anymore. "Just Push Play," Aerosmith's newest effort, is a prime example of what happens when a band plugs in their guitars and blasts away.

"Just Push Play" is not a breakthrough album in any way. The songs take few risks, and nothing sounds too original. But it is also inconceivable to think of any other band producing such a record. Few bands are able to mix intelligence with rock & roll. The lyrics on the album, while far from Dylanesque, are intelligent and fit the moods of the songs perfectly. Songs such as "Sunshine" integrate intelligent lyrics with rocking music.

"Just Push Play" could probably best be compared to the band's album "Get a Grip," in that it features a good mix of rockers and ballads. Songs like the hit single "Jaded" and the amazing "Trip Hoppin'" are upbeat joyrides that are both relentless and creative simultaneously. The band also performs songs like "Luv Lies," a track reminiscent of songs like "Amazing" or "Crying," both from "Get a Grip."

Although it is a great power ballad, the inclusion of "Fly Away From Here" seems rather forced. The song has unbelievably strong similarities to the band's recent hit "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" from the Armageddon soundtrack, the band's first #1 hit. The fact that the song is on the album seems a bit suspicious, as if the band feels that have found the magic formula for a hit and are trying to duplicate the success of the smash. But unlike bands like Styx or Journey, both of who created some inferior tracks in desperation for a hit, Aerosmith has created a great song with clever chord changes, a killer melody, and a rocking crescendo. As a result, the song ends up being one of the standout tracks on the album.

"Just Push Play" isn't anything brilliant, but it is a solid rock & roll album nonetheless that is both immensely enjoyable and extremely creative. If rock & roll is truly going to be resurrected, it will not be by bands like Creed or Staind, as critics claim, but instead by these five lads from Boston collectively known as Aerosmith.