Steven Tyler May Work With Rick Rubin on Debut Solo Album
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has been talking about his solo album for a couple of years now. It looks like the project is getting closer to being recorded, with Tyler meeting up with possible producers.
Just recently, he had dinner with super-producer Rick Rubin, and there's a chance the two may team up for the LP. "I'm working on [the album]," Tyler told Rolling Stone. "I just got back from Russia. Tour was over last week, so I set up my studio, and I had dinner with Rick Rubin last night."
Back in 1986, Rubin -- who co-founded the influential hip-hop label Def Jam Records -- was instrumental in getting Tyler and Joe Perry back in the spotlight, after several years of drug-induced obscurity, by helping them land cameos in Run-D.M.C.'s Top 5 remake of Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way.' Tyler and Perry both performed on the hit record.
As Tyler told Rolling Stone, "We did do 'Walk This Way' with Run-D.M.C. That was [Rubin's] idea."
Then again, just a few months ago Tyler had dined with electronic artist Deadmau5 and was totally excited about working with him. Still, Rubin seems like a good choice. In addition to producing classic records by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash, he's helped salvage the careers of everyone from Tom Petty and Metallica to Black Sabbath and ZZ Top.
Either way, it seems that Tyler's solo debut is that much closer to reaching the studio. Time will tell if it's an all-night-party EDM record or one of those stripped-down introspective pieces Rubin excels at. "We're going all them places, on the piano," Tyler said. "I love the album by C2C. If you listen to that and the song 'Down the Road,' that's where I'm going -- down that road."