It's difficult to separate Aerosmith from their glorious/inglorious history--one that's seen more revivals than West Side Story. For better or worse, the quintet carry preconceptions that are impossible to shake. Thus Just Push Play begs the question: If this 12-song set was the product of a bunch of upstarts, would it cause much of a commotion? The answer: Absolutely! Working with co-producers / song collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Knudson, Aerosmith have forged an album that gracefully fuses 1970s hard-rock grit with contemporary gloss. The pop-infused likes of the sweeping single "Jaded" and the insistent "Sunshine" best demonstrate the formula that Tyler, Perry, and company have settled on for now, as gliding strings surge over Tyler's patented screech and the no-nonsense grind of the four instrumentalists. Mailed-in lyrics and a few self-conscious nods to the times mar Just Push Play, but the pleasures to be had overwhelm its deficiencies. --Steven Stolder