Unless you are pop culture illiterate, you should be well aware of the band Aerosmith. And if you know of the band, you probably know the larger-than-life frontman, Steven Tyler. Well, for the first time in his career spanning five decades, Steven Tyler has now stepped out into the spotlight on his own. We have gotten a taste of Steven as a solo artist before (most notably the fantastic non-album 2011 pop rock single, “(It) Feels So Good,” but this is the first time we get a full LP by the Aerosmith frontman.

Full disclosure, I am a huge Aerosmith fan and it seemed that during my sophomore year in college that was all I listened to. My favorite album (though it is somewhere mid-pack among most of Aerosmith's followers) is 1997’s "Nine Lives." The album was a brilliant response to the grunge music era and some of the band’s finest work. When I heard that Steven Tyler was going to release a solo album in April of last year, my interest was peaked. When I found out that he signed to the newly relaunched Dot Records under the Big Machine Label Group umbrella, I was hesitant. Though not angered nearly as much as many Aerosmith fans (being an artist myself, I despise the idea that a writer or musical artist has to be constrained by the idea of genre) and contemporary country artists (such as Brad Paisley) about Tyler’s foray into country music, I was far from excited.

Fast-forward to May of 2015, we got the first single of the album, “Love is Your Name.” The ballad had more of a folk-rock feel than a mainstream country sound. With my expectations being low, I wasn’t disappointed by it… I wasn’t blown away by it, either. It was an OK song that I would probably rate a three and a half out of five stars on a day when I’m feeling generous (more like a flat three star rating on a day when I’m not). The second single, “Red, White, & You” was released the following year in February. That single, while being more of a mainstream country rock single, I would rate four stars out of five. It has a good melody and an infectious chorus, but it isn’t anything special. Then, the album dropped in July of 2016.

Listening to the album in its entirety, I was pleasantly surprised with the LP. The album has its ups and downs for sure, but as a whole, it is surprisingly solid. There is just one thing, though: it’s not really a country record. The album is more of a folk rock/pop album, as strange as that sounds. But it works!

The title track, “We’re All Somebody From Somewhere,” is one of the highlights of the record as Steven’s vocals preach unity. Other highlights include the pop song, “Gypsy Girl,” the rock power ballad tune in true Aerosmith style, “Only Heaven,” the classic southern rocker, “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and Me,” and the acoustic Aerosmith cover of “Janie’s Got A Gun.” But perhaps my favorite song on the record is the Janis Joplin cover, “Piece of My Heart.” I highly recommend this album to anyone who's looking for an… exotic musical journey in true Steven Tyler fashion.

Rating: 4/5