Eye roll all you want but it’s time to talk about Aerosmith’s pop-rock faze of the 2000s. 

In 2001, Aerosmith released their first record of the 2000s titled “Just Push Play.” In my opinion, it’s a pretty solid record.

There will always be a debate on which version of Aerosmith was better. Was it the Golden Age of the ‘70s when they released juggernaut records like “Toys In The Attic” and “Get Your Wings?” Or was it the rebirth in the ’80s with records like “Permanent Vacation” and “Pump?” Too often, their later work gets thrown on the back burner and forgotten which is such a shame.

“Just Push Play” is one of Aerosmiths’ most underrated records, arguably the most underrated they ever put out.

Out of the total 12 songs that are featured on the record, I downloaded eight different songs to my playlist and they all are great.

Some of the quick highlights are “Luv Lies,” “Outta Your Head,” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” which are all great rock-pop songs that really show how Aerosmith is able to play all different styles of music and adapt as a band to the times.

The first real “highlight” song off the record is the very first song, “Beyond Beautiful.” 

It’s one of the hardest songs on the entire record and is in contention for my favorite song on the entire record. 

The chorus is extremely catchy, it has its rock roots with a groovy beat and sweet guitar riffs from Joe Perry and Brad Whitford and also shows examples of Aerosmith tapping into the pop genre.

The next song and the lone single from the record, “Jaded,” has pop written all over it. It’s solely written by Steven Tyler which shows how he wants to expand his lyrics to a more mainstream audience.

I think this song is one of the best post ‘90’s Aerosmith songs that they have released. The entire song is catchy, you could blast it during the summer with the windows down and just simply sing along to the song.

Song four, “Fly Away From Here,” is a ballad that nowadays is essential for records to make it big. “Fly Away From Here,” is a little over five minutes long and it is one of the songs off the record that has a music video attached to it.

While the music video is a little weird and odd, to say the least, the music itself is pretty good, with a piano and an orchestra to back up the band, it helps reinforce the sound on the record and add that ballad-like feeling to the song.

The next three songs, “Sunshine,” “Luv Lies,” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” are more or less the same. They’re catchy when it comes to the chorus, has a hard rock riff, and are all worthy of potentially being added to Aerosmiths regular touring set. 

I like that these songs are hard rock in their roots/riffs but have a softer, pop-rock side to them that shows that even though Aerosmith has been around since the ’70s, they’re not afraid to try things that are different and try to evolve.

The last two stand-out songs on the record are “Outta Your Head,” and “Trip Hoppin’.” The latter of which is arguably my favorite song off the record.

What I love about both these songs is that in “Outta Your Head” they have a string section that can be heard in the background of the chorus section. In “Trip Hoppin’” there is a horn section that is heard throughout the entirety of the song.

While overall I’m not a huge fan of horns in rock music (sorry Bruce Springsteen), if it is executed right then it turns a good song into a great song, like in the case of Trip Hoppin’” it’s a good song without the hint of horns but with the horns, it’s a great song.

As much as some die-hard fans will absolutely shun anything Aerosmith released after 1993’s “Get a Grip,” I think some fans need to give “Just Push Play” a chance because, if you put aside your ego on pop-rock, then “Just Push Play” is honestly, a great Aerosmith record.