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Billy Ray Cyrus
So, Billy Ray Cyrus wants to be your ‘Joe.’ Yes, that Billy Ray Cyrus, the “Achy-Breaky Heart” guy. Quite honestly, it’s tough to forgive him for that incredibly stupid song, but somebody bought all those records, and that is why Billy Ray is still with us.
The good news is that there is nothing here as blatantly sophomoric as that novelty line-dance favorite. The bad news is that there isn’t much to cause me to rethink my basic impression. “Wanna Be Your Joe” is a likeable enough ballad about an everyday guy who aspires to true love, and it works in its own simple way, but certainly not enough to impress or inspire new fans. From there, though, things get predictable, both musically and thematically. Goofy novelty numbers make it nearly impossible to take this album seriously, and the titles say it all; “I Want My Mullet Back,” “Ole What’s Her Name” and “A Pain in the Gas” are even less original than their titles may suggest. “I Couldn’t Be Me” is so blatantly a re-write of “Help Me Make It Through the Night” that I’d expect a lawsuit from Kris Kristofferson. Incredibly, not even George Jones and Tammy Wynette can add gravitas to the whiny, misinformed “Country Music Has the Blues.” Doesn’t Billy Ray recognize the irony of him singing about how country music has changed for the worse? Billy, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
For bad measure, the balance of the album is dedicated to good-ol’-boy posturing and ‘new country’ schlock. Worst of all are two morbid shout-outs to dead legends, including the sentimental swill of “The Man” (dedicated to NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt) and “The Freebird Fell,” a tasteless tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd. On the not-so-bad side is “How’ve Ya Been,” a steel-guitar ballad (that remarkably suggests George Harrison) concerning regret, and “Hey Daddy” which pretty much covers the same ground. Other than that, there’s not much left to sink in. I’ve given “Wanna Be Your Joe” three listens, and that’s enough. Actually, it was too much; any more would break my achy-breaky brain.
Grade: 
 
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