Album Review: Billy Ray Cyrus – Home At Last

Billy Ray Cyrus’ career will forever be defined by “Achy Breaky Heart,” and that’s a shame, because that song is, as far as the rest of his catalog is concerned, something of a musical anomaly. Cyrus’ debut album, Some Gave All, which spawned that now infamous hit, (and which has sold over 9,000,000 copies to date, making it one of the most successful country albums of all time), was a bluesy, roots-infused collection which borrowed more from southern rock and traditionalism than the pop-country revolution of the late 80s and early 90s.

So, Cyrus’ latest effort, Home At Last, which forgoes flashy production in favor of a more stripped, acoustic approach, sounds less like a deviation than some might expect.

There’s nothing, musically, on Home At Last, that will knock your socks off. Cyrus isn’t even the best singer in his immediate family, let alone one of the best in the genre, and the song selection (keeping in mind that this record is released on the Walt Disney label), is very safe.

What Cyrus has, however, is an utterly unique, rustic, and often rugged voice. The strength of this album resides in its honesty and the way it allows that voice to emote.

Songs like “The Buffalo,” and “Don’t Give Up On Me,” speak to a working class sentiment, and while the songwriting is, at times, suspect, the album’s material as a whole has little patience for pretext. The lead single, “Ready, Set, Don’t Go,” for example, about a father watching his daughter grow up, is heartfelt without the typical sugarcoated tugging of heartstrings. “She’s gotta do what she’s gotta do and I’ve gotta like it or not/She’s got dreams too big for this town, and she needs to give ‘em a shot,” Cyrus sings.

If you’re already a Billy Ray fan, Home At Last (which enters at #3/#20 on the Billboard Country Albums/Top 200, respectivley), is sufficiently satisfying, and if you’ve never forgiven him for “Achy Breaky Heart,” now is a good time to give him a well-deserved second chance. This record isn’t spectacular, but it is enjoyable, straightforward, believable, and worth a listen.