Steven Tyler We're All Somebody from Somewhere

"Country music is the new rock & roll," proclaims Steven Tyler in a press release for his new, and first, solo album, the inclusively titled We're All Somebody From Somewhere.

That may come as a surprise to those of us who thought country music preceded and informed rock. But let's not quibble: Tyler is hardly the first arena rock star to embrace roots music to convey a certain rugged authenticity. A country makeover saved Darius Rocker from becoming the Huey Lewis of his generation, and who could forget Jon "I'm a cowboy" Bon Jovi and his band's Lost Highway?

We're All Somebody, out July 15, doesn't present a radical departure any more than those project did, though there are some stretch marks. Co-produced by Tyler with an impeccably credentialed team of country and rock vets — T-Bone Burnett, Dann Huff, Marti Frederiksen, Jaren Johnston of the Cadillac Three — the album can nonetheless prove surprisingly flavorless, as Aerosmith's famously flamboyant frontman seems to strive for an earthier earnestness that isn't a natural fit

1. My Own Worst Enemy
2. We’re All Somebody From Somewhere
3. Hold On (Won’t Let Go)
4. It Ain’t Easy
5. Love Is Your Name
6. I Make My Own Sunshine
7. Gypsy Girl
8. Somebody New
9. Only Heaven
10. The Good, The Bad, The Ugly & Me
11. RED, WHITE & YOU
12. Sweet Louisiana
13. What Am I Doin’ Right?
14. Janie’s Got A Gun
15. Piece Of My Heart (with The Loving Mary Band)