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New This Week
July 22-28, 2008
By Kurt B. Reighley
Special to MSN Music
Sometimes, it seems the only way young stars know how to garner
media attention is by acting crazy. Not Miley Cyrus. Like fellow thespians Joanne Woodward
("The Three Faces of Eve") and Sally Field ("Sybil"), the 15-year-old sensation
seems determined to tame her multiple personalities. And in a very short time.
Just two years ago, Cyrus struck stardom portraying two fictional youngsters on
"Hannah Montana." But with her triple-platinum-selling 2007 album, "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus," she got fans warmed up
to embrace the real Miley -- not just her beloved TV alter-ego -- by showcasing
her original compositions in tandem with songs from the show. "Breakout" goes
even further. Under her birth name, Destiny Hope Cyrus, Miley wrote or co-wrote
all but two tracks, including her current pop smash "7 Things," a spirited dig
at an insincere ex-boyfriend, with a rapid-fire chorus oddly reminiscent of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel
Fine)."
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1992 was a banner year for the Cyrus clan. Not only was Miley born Nov. 23,
but her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, also scored a No. 1 album ("Some Gave All") and a top-five pop single ("Achy Breaky
Heart"), bringing much-needed media attention to line dancing and mullets. That
same year, rising Seattle foursome Candlebox inked a deal with Madonna's new record label, Maverick. But after a string of
successes, including the 1994 smash "Far Behind," the guys' polished take on
grunge fell out of favor. Now the band -- featuring three of its four original
members -- returns with "Into the Sun," their first new album in 10 years.
Can they rally with the same panache that Miley's dad has? Drummer Scott
Mercado, who split before the 1998 release of "Happy Pills," but is back in the
band, says yes: "Without a doubt, Candlebox fans are the most loyal and greatest
fans in the whole world."
1992 was also the year Paul Weller, groundbreaking leader of the Jam and the Style Council, released his eponymous solo debut.
This year, the Modfather hit the half-century mark, but he shows no signs of
slowing down. His far-reaching new disc, "22 Dreams," ranks among his most ambitious; check
out the closing four-song suite, which opens with a spoken word bit ("God") and
culminates in an epic instrumental, "Night Lights." He receives plenty of
musical assistance, too. In addition to U.K. retro act Little Barrie and cult hero Robert Wyatt (who plays trumpet on "Song for Alice," an
homage to the late jazz iconoclast Alice Coltrane), Weller's ninth solo album includes
collaborations with several Brit-pop heavy hitters, including Graham Coxon of Blur, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, and former Stone Roses guitarist Aziz Ibrahim. Basically,
everyone who ever ripped a page -- or 10 -- from Weller's stylistic annals, as
it were.
But if we want to discuss casting a long shadow, Buddy Guy is the man to beat. The great Chicago bluesman, who
turns 72 next week, rivals Weller's guest list with his own array of all-star
contributors on "Skin Deep." Among its 12 selections, the follow-up to
Guy's 2006 release "Everyday We Have the Blues" includes performances by Robert Randolph, the Memphis Horns and Willie Mitchell, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and one of Guy's biggest disciples, Eric Clapton. And while it would seem there are no accolades
left to bestow on him -- Guy is an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a
five-time Grammy winner, a National Medal of the Arts recipient in 2003, and
holder of more W.C. Handy Awards than any other single artist -- the good
people of his hometown cooked up another: On July 20, at Chicago's Millennium
Park, he received the first Great Performer of Illinois Award.
Miley Cyrus' "7 Things" may be dangerously infectious, but it faces a strong
contender for Breakup Song of the Week honors in "Left Behind" by CSS, which features lyrics like, "I'm gonna jump onto the
table/And dance my ass off till I die/And then I'll hopefully forget you,"
propelled by an irresistible synth riff. And the rest of "Donkey," the sophomore
set from the Sao Paulo post-punk party band, kicks just as hard. Having spent
the last couple years touring with the likes of Gwen Stefani, Ladytron, and Diplo, the Brazilian quintet slowed down long enough to
record the new disc with bassist Adriano Cintra producing, then entrusted mixing
responsibilities to Mark "Spike" Stent (Björk, Massive Attack, M.I.A., Arcade Fire). The end result is multifaceted and crazy
-- but only in the good way.
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