NEW YORK (AP) – He’s led the bad-boy rock band Aerosmith for decades, written a book, learned to parasail, and is the father of four children. But Steven Tyler had at least one more goal before hitting 70: his first solo album.
“I just thought, ‘Instead of (an) Aerosmith album, why don’t I just write something here and see what I get?'” Tyler said by phone from his new home in Nashville, Tennessee. “It was something I’ve always wanted to do.”
What he got is “We’re All Somebody From Somewhere,” a 15-song, twangy CD that features Tyler’s playful voice backed by such un-Aerosmith instruments as mandolin, Cajun accordion, fiddle and trombone.
“If I could achieve one thing,” he said, “it would be that I opened the door to country being allowed to rock a little bit more. As you know, no great story ever started off with ‘I had a salad last night.’ It is sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.”
Tyler co-wrote the majority of the radio-friendly tunes, from the boot-stomping “Sweet Louisiana” to the unabashed flag-waving “Red, White & You” to the power ballad “What Am I Doin’ Right?” (The album also has two song covers – “Piece of My Heart” and his own “Janie’s Got a Gun.”)