Teens and rebellion have gone together throughout the ages, and I think being the poster child for wholesome Disney entertainment would make the desire to rebel that much more intense. This explains a lot about the "mature" approach Miley Cyrus took with her new album Can't Be Tamed -- and yet it's still very much the music of a young girl.
The music on Can't Be Tamed is easily divided into three themes: romance and infatuation (like "Who Owns My Heart" and "Permanent December"), co-dependent obsessions with an ex ("Stay," "Take Me With You") and being independent against controlling forces (the title track, "Robot"). For good measure, there's an obligatory cover, this time of Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."
These themes are far from new to pop music -- and Miley Cyrus does little to add them either musically or lyrically. Her voice isn't bad (though it's often heavily supported by synthesizers) (and she should never try rapping again), but it seldom stands out. The "sexy" image is still safe ("I met a boy in every city no one kept me amused/ but don't call me a Lolita 'coz I don't let 'em through") so it's mostly about dancing and dating. The songs are fairly average, except for the closing ballad "My Heart Beats for Love" and the surprisingly upbeat separation song "Two More Lonely People." And the Poison cover is decent, if not great.
Maybe Miley Cyrus will be more daring and original with time (she still has one more season of Hannah Montana, though I doubt the video below will be shown on the Disney Channel), but for now Can't Be Tamed is very standard teen pop.
Overall grade: C-
Reviewed by James Lynch
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