As the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and star of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, it was, perhaps, inevitable that fifteen-year-old Miley Cyrus would release an album. A mixture of pubescent love ballads and punky-yet-sugary-pop, Breakout is unquestionably aimed at young teenagers.
Opening track ‘Breakout’ sets the tone of the album, with its bouncy, cheerleader-style chorus about how “lame” school is. But Miley also feels the need to share her infinite wisdom on subjects such as global warming – she actually co-wrote most of the tracks on the album – and the listener is treated to such lyrical gems as “Wake up America/ We’re all in this together/ It’s our home so let’s take care of it”.
A number of tracks, most notably ‘Fly on the Wall’ and ‘7 Things’, are oddly infectious, but this redeeming feature can’t quite make up for her attempt at ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. Overproduced and lacking any sort of originality or edge, Miley’s version will bring a tear to the eyes of anyone who ever danced around their room to Cyndi Lauper, hairbrush in hand.
The verdict? Buy it for your little sister – she’ll love it. You probably won’t.