How many of you out there in blog land ever had a musician or music group that you secretly liked, and didn't want anyone to know about it? You know what I am talking about. From the punk rocker who would listen to NSYNC when his buddies aren't around, to the star athelete who would crank up Bach to get pumped up for a big game instead of Metalica, everyone likes some sort of music that doesn't fit into the category that they claim to be their type. I am not immune from this. I secretly listen to an artist who not only has a hit TV show, but has toured the country as two "different" people. Who is this artist that I speak of? (OK, here goes!)
None other than Miley Cyrus, a.k.a. Hannah Montana.
I have a feeling you might be asking yourself right now, "Is he being SERIOUS!?!" The answer is yes, I am. Maybe I am a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fan because I have two girls who adore her and watch her show whenever it is on. Or maybe it is from hearing Alexandra play Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus songs on her Disney Mix it MP3 player. Or maybe (just maybe) I like her because she has actual talent. Not just for singing, but for entertaining.
At first all she did was get on my nerves. I dismissed Hannah Montana as just another tween performer who didn't really have any talent. The show would come on Disney Channel and I would go do something else. The last thing I wanted to do was watch yet another kid show where all the adults act retarded. But then I sat down and watched an episode of the TV show with Alexandra and Lorelai.
To my surprise, the show was actually watchable. The cast is good and blends well together. There are parts of the show that make me laugh. And I would have never thought that Billy Ray Cyrus would have ever been anything other than the achy breaky heart guy. In fact, I watched a whole Hannah Montana show DVD with the girls that they received for Christmas. Yeah, I could have left the room at any time, but I was enjoying the show as much as they were.
Then there are her CD's. Her first Hannah Montana CD (2006) is ok, but is a little too teeny bopper for me. I haven't heard anything off of Hannah Montana 2 (2007) But I do know that she co-wrote 8 of the 10 songs on that CD. Her most recent release, Breakout, is nothing short of amazing. Once again, she co-wrote 8 of the album's 13 songs. How many 15 (now 16) year old kids write their own songs nowadays? I am thinking not very many.
There are few albums out there where almost every song is good, and Breakout is one of them. Cyrus's deep sultry voice rips through songs the way a singer much older and experienced would. The song "These Four Walls" is an instant classic. It is one of those songs that you can put on repeat and listen to over and over again. The same can be said about track 3, "The Driveway." Her version of the Cyndi Lauper classic "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is a great remake, and the songs "See You Again" and "Breakout" are two that sound great cranked up in the car. About the only song that I didn't care for on the Breakout albume was the eco-wacko "Wake Up America." I may enjoy her music, but the last thing I want is for ANY artist to preach to me about global warming bullcrap.
There you have it. My secret is out. But then again, that is OK with me. It isn't like I really care about what people think anyway.
So if a day arrives where my girls come up and ask if their daddy can take them to a Miley Cyrus concert, even though I will have to pretend that it is the last thing I would want to do, inside I will be stoked that I get to hear a good singer, and not some teeny bopper hack job.
