Aerosmith 20123 Out Of 5 Stars
The newest incarnation of Aerosmith (it's been a decade since "Just Push Play") finds them almost in a parallel universe with the Rolling Stones. "Music From Another Dimension" is a confident and competent album, but no great shakes in the pantheon of Aerosmith. Like the Stones, they seem incapable of cutting a truly bad album in their golden years, but anyone expecting "Rocks" is stuck in a dimension all their own.
You're also stuck with the outside songwriter syndrome, with Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, Diane Warren and M. Moir (is that Monte Moir of The Time?) all sharing credits with the Aerosmith members. As usual, the Warren ballad "We All Fall Down" is commercial knockout (I'm going to bet on this as the single), while the Jim Vallance number "Legendary Child" is actually one of the better cuts. However, it's the Tyler/Perry songs that are the meat of "Dimension." The opener "Love XXX" is better than anything on "Just Push Play," and Tom Hamilton's "Tell Me" is an acoustic standout.
The lone curveball is the duet with country superstar Carrie Underwood. "Can't Stop Loving You" sounds like a song from the "Pump" period, even with Underwood's considerable pipes chiming in. It doesn't necessarily 'rock,' but it's no Nashville weeper, either. Add a bonus song from Joe Perry singing "Freedom Fighter" and you round out a decent Aerosmith album. "Music From Another Dimension" isn't going to convert any old fans, but at least it's not "Done With Mirrors."
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