Hannah Montana 3 "Could Be The One"

"Hannah Montana 3" came out last Tuesday. The album is the maturest Hannah release yet. It is still a slick slice of kid-friendly pop, by Miley's eternally young alter-ego. Miley herself is the performer here, and nothing more. Her blossoming writing talents are not on display here. It is her voice that she brings, and it is in full force, displaying an increase in strength, confidence, and control, compared to prior albums. And that is important, as the songs cover a wider range than just upbeat songs about secret identities and parties like the first Hannah disc was. We have plenty of songs dealing with love, from crushes to heartbreaks, along side the party numbers.

"Don't Wanna Be Torn" is a song about how love can come with tough decisions. To her acting credit, Miley pulls this one off as though she had penned it herself. "Just A Girl" is a slow number that feels like "The Climb," but not quite as strong. It is a good number all the same, however. "Ice Cream Freeze (Let's Chill)" is a dance number in the same vein as "Hoedown Throwdown," but is considerably less catchy. "Mixed Up" sounds similar to the song "I Learned From You" musically, but otherwise stands on its own, and is a another song about growing up that Miley injects her earnestness into.

Other standout tracks are "He Could Be The One," and "I Wanna Know You." "I Wanna Know You" foregos the usual guitar arrangment that most uptempo numbers use, instead backed by a brassy keyboard, and some really nifty backing vocals. It is about a boy who has great qualities, and now the singer wants to get closer to him. It is a really cool song, but does not warrant having to versions on this album. One is a solo version, the other is a duet with David Archuleta. Both are similar, but Archuleta adds some novelty, as well as nice harmonies, and as such, the duet would have been fine without a solo version.

Another duet featured is the new "If We Were A Movie," by Hannah and Corbin Bleu (actually used in season 2.) I have nothing against it, or Corbin Bleu, but if a guest singer is available, why not just do a new song? Nothing special is added to this song by making it a duet.

Also on the album are song by Mitchell Musso, and two songs already released on the "Hannah Montana The Movie" soundtrack.

Overall, the album is a real success for Hannah Montana. Songs that draw comparisons to movie tunes usually don't fare as well, but otherwise, the album is even better than the movie soundtrack. Still, there is too much filler. "Let's Do This" is one of my favorite Hannah songs, and "Let's Get Crazy" is another enjoyable number, but both were already on the movie disc. No need for two copies. The solo version of "I Wanna Know You," and the duet with Corbin also feel extraneous. Still, if this is the kind of stuff Hannah is doing, I can only imagine how great Miley's next album will be!

News Of The Day

So, let's start off with some news bites.

Jennette McCurdy has written, or "twittered", if you will, that her debut album (still unfinished) may be hitting shelves June 30th.

Demi Lovato is going on tour, and David Archuleta will be the opening act. She also has done a song with Academy Is member William Beckett.

Paul McCartney has a few interesting bits. He may be doing some Fireman tracks live at the Coachella Festival (he has never done a Fireman song on stage before, and was originally going to do so last year on TV, but had to cancel in order to do his show in Israel.) Paul is also supposedly doing a new album, and has as many as 20 new songs already. Ringo is rumored to be involved. Paul may be considering a fall release date, to coincide with The Beatle Remasters. There are also rumors of a box-set of outtakes and such. Such rumors have persisted since the phrase "box-set" was coined, but with Paul's 40th anniversary as a solo artist approaching, it may finally be time (maybe.)

George Harrison has a new greatest hits package, which is cool for those who know little about him, but annoying to big fans who still await remasters of "Dark Horse" and "Extra Texture," not to mention a box-set of unreleased cuts.

"Hannah Montana The Movie" broke some records, and is estimated to make a bajillion dollars (okay, real numbers are much more modest than that.) I hope to see the film soon.

The Beatles remasters have conjured up rumors that the DVD accompanying the new discs will feature the acoustic "Love You To," an instrumental "Doctor Robert," and even a brand new, 10 minute remix of "Carnival Of Light." My bet is that take 20 of "Revolution 1" will also be included, seeing as EMI practically burst an artery when the song was leaked.

I am very excited about all these new projects and releases. I have long awaited Beatle remasters, and if the rumours of new songs being included are true, I all the more anxiously await September 9th (note 9/09/09 is the release date. Number 9, Number 9, Number 9...)

Jennette McCurdy's album also has me waiting. It will be the next new album to come out that I look forward too, and will be a great way to kick off the summer (and Jennette's 16th birthday is in late June, so it will be really cool for her to have her first disc out and all.)

I'm glad Demi is working on a new album, and can't wait to hear more about it. The only real items we know are that the guy from Academy Is... did a song with her, and that Demi likens her new direction more to "Behind Enemy Lines" than her previous work. (By the way, in film footage on the DVD, Demi is seen holding a 12 track CD of a rough "Don't Forget," meaning "Behind Enemy Lines" was at least considered to make the disc. I guess they originally cut it since it wasn't like the rest of the songs, but thought as a bonus track, that wouldn't matter.)

McCartney's stuff is always great, so I can't wait for more info on his projects. No one has reported any specifics on his new album, and I suspect Paul will keep the album under wraps until he has a release date. As for the box-set, Paul has been trying to do an outtakes album since "Hot Hits/Cold Cuts." The album was to be a double set featuring a disc of hits, and a disc of outtakes spanning from "Ram" up to "Back To The Egg". Paul decided just to release a hits disc, called "Wings Greatest." He worked on "Cold Cuts" up into the eighties, remixing and overdubbing, before giving up. Many songs from the proposed track list have since gotten out.

• "A Love For You"- saw release in 2003 on the "In Laws" soundtrack. First done during "Ram"
• "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" - B-side of "Coming Up". Recorded during "Venus & Mars"
• "My Carnival" - b-side of "Spies Like Us" (also made into a "Party Mix.") Recorded during "Venus & Mars."
• "Hey Diddle" - released version from a home tape on "Wingspan." Studio version first done during "Ram," later worked on in 1974 Nashville, sort of early "Venus & Mars" sessions
• "Mama's Little Girl" - released on "Put It There" single. From "Red Rose Speedway" sessions
• "Same Time Next Year" - released on "Put It There" single. From "Back To The Egg" sessions, done for a film of the same name.
• "Wide Prairie" - a portion released on Linda's "Wide Prairie" album. Done after "Band On The Run" sessions
• "I Would Only Smile" - Denny Laine cut released on his album "Japanese Tears." Done during "Red Rose Speedway" sessions
• "Send Me The Heart" - Denny Laine and Paul duet released on his album "Japanese Tears." Done during 1974 Nashville sessions
• "Oriental Nightfish" - Linda McCartney song first released in a music video, later on "Wide Prairie." From "Band On The Run" sessions.

But, there are many songs still unreleased from this collection.

• "Tragedy" - a cover song from "Red Rose Speedway" sessions.
• "Night Out" - from "Red Rose Speedway" sessions
• "Tomorrow" - this song was released on "Wild Life", but during "Venus and Mars" sessions, Paul did an instrumental version
• "Proud Mum" - an instrumental from Nashville (plus a short reprise version)
• "Did We Meet Somewhere Before?" - from "Back To The Egg" sessions, and a small portion was played in the film "Rock & Roll High School" but otherwise unreleased
• "Best Friend" - a concert song from 1972, with studio overdubs (like the song "The Mess")
• "Robber's Ball" - an outtake from "McCartney II"
• "Cage" - a "Back To The Egg" song originally slated to be on that album, before cut in favor of the similar "Baby's Request"
• "Waterspout" - a pre-"London Town" home studio recording

These songs have been overdubbed and remixed and many have new lead vocals from Paul done in the eighties. But a new box-set would feature much more, and will hopefull cover Paul from his early years up to the present.

Hannah Montana The Movie Soundtrack

Well, we are almost ready for my (belated) review of the "Hannah Montana The Movie" soundtrack.

But first, I want to talk about E!'s new documentary, cleverly titled "Miley Cyrus." It premiered yesterday, and covers Miley's life from her birth up through last week at the premiere of the "Hannah Montana" feature film. It is a breif overview of Miley's life, but it is not told only from her perspective. Parents Billy Ray and Tish, sisters Brandi and Noah, friends Mandy and Leslie, former cheerleading coach Chastity, and others get as much say as Miley as they weigh in on the star's life. There is nothing new said in this doc, but hearing Miley and her closest companions narrate this life while images and film clips illustrate proves much more fun than reading Miley's wikipedia page. Of course, in an hour, only so much can be said, and there are many subjects (like getting bullied) that are only hinted at, and Miley's book provides the best source to fill and and look more in depth at these topics.

But, that all aside, let's get to my album review.

After "Breakout," I think it was finally realized that the music of Miley and the music of Hannah are two seperate things. Hannah songs are written by Disney songwriters, and require a fairly generic pop vocalist. Miley sure sings them well, but her own material comes from her creativity, and is written to go with her vocal range, as she sounds her best when singing in a key or so lower than her blonde counterpart. So, the 7 Hannah songs on this disc were fairly unsurprising and, in context of all the Hannah songs, sort of bland. "Let's Do This" was one of the best. Hannah vocalizes the melody for this upbeat song. It's a fun number, very happy (like all Hannah songs) but it just works better. "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" is co-written by Taylor Swift, and is probably the deepest Hannah song there is. "Spotlight" is a jumpy one, with rock instruments, and cool changes. The rest are either not memorable enough, or even a bit disapointing (well, "Best Of Both Worlds 2009 Mix" is cool, a rockier update of the song, but not that different, although the few changes are welcome.)

There are 5 Miley songs on the album, but she only wrote one, and they are otherwise written by Disney writers, so they start to fall into more of a grey area. "Don't Walk Away" was leaked last summer as a "Breakout" outtake, and it is cool, but lacks a hook, and has annoying "crowd" shouts. "Hoedown Throwdown" has that cheap crowd too, but that is the only detriment of the song. It is otherwise a fun novelty number, Miley's first song to really own a dance floor. "Dream" is low key and forgettable. "The Climb" is a big hit, and understandably so. It is the type of pop-ballad that has been missing from Cyrus's eclectic discography. Her vocals are powerful, and she totally owns the song. (btw, there are three versions, the album cut, the piano intro, and the guitar intro. The last two are promo only numbers, and feature country instruments.)

"Butterfly Fly Away" is a beautiful, if not the most beautiful, duet between Miley and her father. It is a bit bittersweet, because Miley will have to "fly away" from her father, but at the same time, I can't imagine such a family oriented person ever really leaving. Still, the song is so sweet. But...

... The best version is NOT on "Hannah Montana The Movie" soundtrack. That version has only strings and guitars, and Miley is the only lead vocalist. Billy Ray does harmonies, but otherwise has no solo spot. On his album "Back To Tennessee" is a longer version. This one has drums, electric guitars, and Billy Ray taking the spotlight for a verse or two. It feels like a more finished version of the song, and I prefer it.

The rest of the album is good fare. Not my cup of tea, but good for a spin or two. Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, a solo Billy Ray song, all playing into the country theme.

Overall, I've learned to expect more from Miley, and aside from a few numbers, she falls a bit short. I'm sure her next solo affair will prove what she can really muster.