Aero Dynamic

Most bands don't even manage to last a few years, let alone a few decades. Aerosmith has accomplished this feat, as the band is just two years shy of entering its 30th year of existence, and much like its aging rock compatriots, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith still rocks just as convincingly as it ever did.\nJust Push Play is the latest addition to its immense and impressive catalog. Despite the mildly lame title and poor cover art, the album is an impressive piece of work, although it doesn't stack up to previous records like Toys in the Attic or Pump.\nUnlike many of Aerosmith's prior works, lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, assuming the pseudonym of The Boneyard Boys, produced Push themselves. The name was derived from Perry's own home recording studio, known as the Boneyard. The album adopts many of the aspects present in Aerosmith's numerous career resuscitations. Feeding off the balladlike qualities from its chart-topping 1998 single, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith has churned-out a whopping four ballads on Push. Also, the various unusual instruments (such as the sitar, a lutelike instrument from India) that appeared on the last album, Nine Lives, resurface frequently on Push. \nThere aren't any disappointing tracks on the album, but some are better than others. The real standout is the first single, "Jaded." The tune is a funky little ditty featuring the slick guitar licks of Perry and Brad Whitford along with an infectious pop hook. Other strong tracks include the ballads "Fly Away from Here" and "Luv Lies," the hip-hop laced "Trip Hoppin'" and the eclectic "Avant Garden."\nWhile nothing on the album equals the greatness of "Sweet Emotion" or "Walk This Way," it clearly eschews the bile fumes radiating from the ill-advised Superbowl halftime gig and places Aerosmith atop the world of rock.