An Inconvenient Truth

I have something to admit. It's not convenient for me to admit, as it is fairly embarrassing. But it's the truth. I like to BOP. I like that upbeat, bubble gum, cheery pop music that seems mostly to be marketed towards teenage girls. I don't care. When I'm driving with the sun shining and the windows down, I can't help singing along to "Bye, Bye, Bye" or "Candy" or "Breakaway". This isn't the worst of it though. I have to tell you something...

I like Miley Cyrus.

What's that? You can't hear me? Um... I said:

I LIKE MILEY CYRUS!

It's true. I just can't help it. It might be weird for a 27 year old woman to like a teen star, but there is just something about her. Hannah Montana is a cute show. She is a cute girl. Adorable. I don't care what people said about her Vanity Fair photos. I think she was lucky to be having her photo taken by Annie Liebowitz and who wouldn't be excited about that and actually listen to the photographer. I didn't think the sheet picture looked sexual. And I don't care what people said about the photos of her and her dad. I have not heard ANYTHING about him mistreating her or taking advantage of her career. From everything I've seen and read, they seem to have a good relationship. I don't care about the stupid pictures of her that turn up on the internet. They look to me like any photos that a 15 year old girl might take with her friends or on her cell phone

Not only do I like Miley but... I like her music. I admit it. I went to the store and I bought her new CD, Breakout. Then I played it in my car. And listened to "See You Again" multiple times until I had the words down and could bop properly - with the windows down, the wind in my hair, and the volume loud, singing at the top of my lungs.

I listened to the whole CD. Yes, some of the songs sound simliar. And it's true that she has that little teen pop country queen twang to her voice on a lot of the songs. But if you listen to "The Driveway", it fades and you can start to hear what her voice can become, what she might be after a little more time and a couple more years recording and making CDs. And it's wonderful. "7 Things" is catchy, and her version of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is exposing a whole new generation to the song. Then there's "Wake up, America". I admit that the song is a little silly, but the intention is good, and let's face it - it sounds like it was written by a 15 year old girl. It's kind of nice for once to hear a 15 year old girl singing about things that a 15 year old girl would write about or talk to her friends about is somewhat refreshing. My least favorite song on the CD is "Fly on the Wall", probably for exactly that reason. It doesn't feel/sound authentic to me, and it seems out of character.

I hope that Miley will stick with being beautiful and not need to be a sexual object like what Britney Spears became. I hope that she'll continue to make pretty, then beautiful music and not fall into using too many beats, vocal tricks etc - she doesn't need them. I hope that she'll be one of the few that can be a pretty good example to our kids - that you don't need to do all that stuff to get ahead. Here's hopin'. I am going to go bop now.