The video of her Top 10 hit, “Can’t Be Tamed,“ depicts a winged Miley Cyrus busting out of her cage. It makes sense, since the world has been watching breathlessly as Miley plays out her real life artistic liberation. 17-year-old Miley now looks to a more adventurous musical future with her new Hollywood Records album, “Can’t Be Tamed.”
“This album says the most about me,“ Miley notes with pride. “I wanted this record to be completely and totally honest. It’s really about a little of everything going on in my life now.”
With Miley co-writing all but one song, her creative stamp is all over “Can’t Be Tamed,“ As before, she teamed up with producer/songwriters John Shanks and Rock Mafia (Tim James and Antonina Armato) to craft every note. The result is a mix of furious dance beats, intimate ballads and that distinctive vocal adrenaline summed up in a single word: Miley.
Songs like “Liberty Walk” and the title track frame the hunger for freedom in sleek synth sounds. Taking it further is “Robot” (“Stop trying to live my life for me/I need to breathe/I’m not your robot”). “It’s really important for my fans to hear,“ Miley says. “I’ve been told a million times what I should or shouldn’t do. I say to my fans, if you’re born to make art, then you have to go for it.”
Ballads like “Stay,“ “Scars” and “Take Me Along” come from a real place for Miley: trying to live a normal life ? including love relationships ? when the world tugs at your time. In “Stay,” Cyrus writes about being lonely on the road and in “Scars,” she recalls past relationships that must be left behind. “Forgiveness & Love” captures Miley’s credo of faith and “My Heart Beats for Love” is an anthem for anyone who has ever felt judged, while the upbeat “Two More Lonely People” and “Permanent December” show just how formidable a threat she has become as a singer and songwriter.
One of the album’s sweet surprises is Miley’s take on “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,“ which features Bret Michaels, the song’s co-writer, on guitar. She chose to record the Poison classic long before Michaels became a fixture in today’s entertainment press. “Bret has been a friend for a while,“ Miley says. “I told him I’d love to get in the studio and work together on this song. Now that he’s everywhere, it’s amazing to me that we got on this so early.”
As she sings on one of the new album’s most upbeat songs, “Who owns my heart? Is it love or is it art?” In truth, for Miley Cyrus, it’s always been both.
Born November 23, 1992, in Nashville, Miley grew up watching her father, actor and country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, perform. Soon she caught the bug. After gaining experience as an extra in her dad’s television projects, Miley acted opposite him in a recurring role on his television series, “Doc.”
When 11-year-old Miley first auditioned for “Hannah Montana,“ she was considered too young for the part, but that didn’t stop her. Two years later Miley won the part, and her ascent to superstardom was under way. “Hannah Montana’s” 2006 premiere season raked in some of the highest ratings ever for a Disney Channel original series.
In November 2006, the first “Hannah Montana” soundtrack came out, featuring eight songs performed by Miley as Hannah. Certified triple-platinum, the CD shot to the top of the charts and became the first TV soundtrack ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200.
Then came her 2007 2-disc set, “Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus.” Miley co-wrote eight of the 10
