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| Billy Ray Cyrus: 'Wanna Be Your Joe' Billy Ray Cyrus on his newest album 'Wanna Be Your Joe' (New Door/UMe), released July 18, 2006, returns to Southern rock roots. 'Wanna Be Your Joe' celebrates the joys, heroes and music of a generation that brought together rock and country. From "Country Music Has The Blues" featuring greats George Jones and Loretta Lynn, "The Freebird Fell" penned with Lynyrd Skynyrd's Artemis Pyle and Ed King, and "The Man, " a tribute to NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, to the tongue-in-cheek "I Want My Mullet Back, " 'Wanna Be Your Joe' is about the life and loves of the average Joe. In fact, one love affair's life cycle is heard in a string of song titles: "Wanna Be Your Joe, " "I Wouldn't Be Me, " "What About Us, " "Lonely Wins, " "I Wonder, " "How've You Been" and "Ole What's Her Name." "Hey Daddy, " a poignant and personal song about being a father, finishes out the CD. The album, for which he wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks, is the first non-gospel outing for Cyrus in four years. During that time, the music star became a television star -- first with four seasons of "Doc, " the #1-rated series on PAX, and now with the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana." Premiering this spring, "Hannah Montana, " which also stars his daughter Miley, scored the highest ratings of any show to debut on that network. Miley also contributes both lead and harmony vocals to Cyrus' song "Stand, " marking the first time father and daughter have recorded together. Cyrus has come a long way from the days when he'd commute from his Kentucky home to Nashville in search of a record deal. His rags-to-riches story of persistence won America's heart. So too did his music. In 1992, "Some Gave All" broke the record for weeks at #1 pop by a debut artist (17). Sparked by "Achy Breaky Heart" -- #1 country for five weeks, Top 5 pop, platinum, and the Country Music Association's Single of the Year, the seven and a half times platinum disc was the fourth biggest-selling album of the '90s. Its "Could've Been Me" hit #2 country, "She's Not Cryin' Anymore" #6, "Wher'm I Gonna Live" #23 and the title track became an anthem for military veterans. 1993's "It Won't Be The Last" entered the pop chart at #3, country chart at #1 and reached platinum thanks to "In The Heart Of A Woman" (#3), "Somebody New" (#9) and "Words By Heart" (#12). The next year's "Storm In The Heartland", with its Top 40 country title track, earned gold. 1996's Trail Of Tears prompted some of the best critical notices of his career as the Cyrus-penned title song depicted the plight of the Native American. Other hits followed: "It's All The Same To Me" (1997's "The Best Of Billy Ray Cyrus: Cover To Cover"), "Busy Man" (1998's "Shot Full Of Love") and "You Won't Be Lonely Now" (2000's "Southern Rain"). After 2002's Time Flies, the gospel album "The Other Side" appeared in 2003 and went Top 20 country. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |