STUCK RECORDS

Miley Cyrus – ‘The Time Of Our Lives’
UK Release 9/11/09

Since releasing the first Hannah Montana soundtrack just over three years ago, Miley Cyrus has posted eight, yes EIGHT top ten albums in America culminating with this. Yet ‘The Time Of Our Lives’ marks only the second attempt to market Cyrus away from her Disney alter-ego. Whilst ‘Breakout’ established Cyrus firmly in the Ashlee Simpson/Avril Lavigne mould, ‘The Time Of Our Lives’ attempts to throw in some electro and altogether more digital production. This makes the decision to launch the album with a cover of a bonus track from Simpson’s 2005 ‘I Am Me’ album rather backwards in going forwards. Yet Cyrus’s vocals suit ‘Kicking & Screaming’, giving the bratty pop-rock a little more character and energy than Simpson’s raspier delivery. Perhaps this was simply intended to grant some continuation from the previous album since Cyrus then veers into less familiar territory.

‘Party In The USA’, as the first single from the project, shows that Cyrus and her label have been keeping an eye on the charts. Whilst a distorted electric guitar maintains the easygoing melody, the focus is firmly placed upon the thumping beat and the warmth of electro fuzz that surrounds the chorus. The only facet that makes the whole thing unravel is Cyrus’s lack of connection to the lyrical content. One of the flaws of ‘Breakout’ was that at times it sounded like the musings of a songwriter imagining rather than recalling what life is like as a typical teenager. At 16, Cyrus simply doesn’t possess the cheeky, experiential glint of Lady Gaga when singing about partying in Hollywood. The title track is a predictably upbeat affair, if slightly juvenile and clichéd. Yet it’s not hard to see how Cyrus has obtained so many loyal fans with a chorus that proclaims “just throw your hands up high, even when they try to take us down, we’ll have the time of our lives”. Even though it’s hard to decipher exactly what she is rebelling against, the track is simple and fun with Cyrus sounding rousingly enthused and sincere. ‘Talk Is Cheap’ on the other hand delivers the album’s obligatory stinker. Despite a nagging “Ay ay ay ay ay ay a-a-ay, woohoo woohoo” hook, Cyrus sounds embarrassed as she delivers line after line of a track clearly intended to give her a more adult edge. If the inclusion of a mild “pissed off” expletive sounds out of place, references to brawling in nightclubs and “lighting up your smoke” feel ever more unlikely considering Cyrus’s day job.

The album also leans heavily on balladry. ‘When I Look At You’ is the next single and is stylistically very similar to ‘The Climb’ (which incidentally is included on the album as a UK bonus track) although it’s now a man rather than self-discovery that is leading Cyrus towards reaching her goals. ‘Obsessed’ is perhaps the collection’s most mature effort, making the most of Cyrus’s lower range and crossing over mournful lyrics of unrequited love into a theatrical ensemble. With dramatic orchestration, the song gradually swells from sombre beginnings to reach a sweeping climax. It’s by no means a classic ballad, but it shows that Cyrus can progress musically without disconnecting from her teenage persona.

At just eight tracks there’s no denying that ‘The Time Of Our Lives’ feels underdone. Especially considering that few of the tracks would pass for anything other than ‘filler’ on a full LP. Though it is perhaps necessary to ensure Cyrus’s continued chart presence in her own name, passing this bonus disc off as a ‘new album’ and charging full price for it is criminal. Especially given it was originally conceived purely to promote her clothing line in select US stores. Despite claims of musical progression, there’s little consistency here and the two best tracks (‘Party In The USA’ and ‘The Climb’) are already widely available. Even the most good-willed fan would struggle to see this as anything other than an exercise in penny-pinching before the Hannah Montana franchise comes to an end and Cyrus is left to fend for herself.

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Craig Herman