Listening Party! - Billy Ray Cyrus-(Back To Tenn.)

[kevin59]

APR 07

Billy Ray Cyrus
"Back To Tennessee"
(Lyric Street/Walt Disney)

[LISTEN] Billy Ray Cyrus - "Back To Tennessee" (CMT)

Track List:

1. Back To Tennessee
2. Thrillbilly
3. He's Mine
4. Somebody Said A Prayer
5. A Good Day
6. I Could Be The One
7. Like Nothing Else
8. Country As Country Can Be
9. Love Is The Lesson
10. Give It To Somebody
11. Real GoneBonus Track: Butterfly Fly Away feat Miley Cyrus

[leilamaurizia]

All Music Guide

2 out of 5 stars

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

It's no coincidence that Billy Ray Cyrus' return to Tennessee happens the same week his daughter Miley leaves Hollywood for the homeland in the big-screen debut of Hannah Montana: taken together, the album and the film are a multimedia project about the Cyrus family's rejection of Hollywood for the heartland. Of course, this is all an act. The Cyruses aren't leaving Hollywood, not when Miley is one of the biggest stars in America, and Billy Ray isn't even from Tennessee, so this is all a charade. Then again, even at his prime, Billy Ray was never considered much more than a cartoon cowboy, scooting along with a near-novelty hit in "Achy Breaky Heart," so the studied calculation of Back to Tennessee doesn't necessarily ring false, even if his affected drawl certainly does on "He's Mine." That's not the only time that his exaggerated swagger strikes a sour note — Cyrus never quite sounds right when he's raising hell as a "Thrillbilly," or when he's aping an outlaw on "Country as Country Can Be," or even when he's singing a syrupy, icky duet with Miley on "Butterfly Fly Away." Billy Ray sounds the best on Back to Tennessee when he doesn't dip too far in either direction, when he doesn't get too country or pop, when he does the kind of arena-country that made him a star back in 1992. This doesn't happen all that often — it's on the minor-key shuffle "I Could Be the One" or the pumping "Love Is a Lesson" — but when it does, the record serves up some goofy good times that nevertheless manage to puncture the entire conceit behind the album, not to mention its companion, Hannah Montana: The Movie.

Billboard

Back to Tennessee
Say what you will about Billy Ray Cyrus, the man has long since exceeded any expectations critics placed on him when "Achy Breaky Heart" made him an overnight sensation in 1992. And "Back to Tennessee," his latest, is a solid testament to Cyrus' staying power. The title cut, which he co-wrote, is a driving number that serves as a thematic cornerstone for the new Hannah Montana movie, in which he stars with daughter Miley Cyrus. "Butterfly Fly Away," a duet with Miley that's also included in the movie, is an airy and flowing song about family on which father and daughter's voices blend nicely. Other highlights include "Somebody Said a Prayer," a powerful statement about belief in a higher power, and "Love Is the Lesson," a Southern rocker with a message ("Life is the teacher, love is the lesson"). —Ken Tucker

[leilamaurizia]

HDD first-week sales prediction:

Lyric Street’s Billy Ray Cyrus...in the 10-15k neighborhood.

[mairy]

Apr 8, 2009 20:00:17 GMT -5 leilamaurizia said:

HDD first-week sales prediction:

Lyric Street’s Billy Ray Cyrus...in the 10-15k neighborhood.

:o

That's like..... nothing. Especially with the Hannah Montana movie coming out and all the promo he's being doing this week, like that GMA concert with Miley.

Looks like he will never be able to make a comeback.