Ever since his daughter
Miley became a superstar in the late aughts,
Billy Ray Cyrus has been doggedly working at a comeback, attempting album after album, none of them quite the right showcase for his unassuming charms. Unexpectedly, 2012's
Change My Mind -- the sequel to his toothlessly jingoistic but nonetheless amiable 2011 set
I'm American -- finds the right groove, one that's not too slick, not too loose, one that showcases
Cyrus' everyman skills to an appealing effect. A shade rougher and rowdier than anything he's ever recorded -- he goes so far to sing a cheerfully profane chorus on the closing "Stomp" --
Change My Mind succeeds largely because
Billy Ray allows himself to lay back and rock out, lets himself revel in the noise he's making. Unlike any of the records he's cut since 2006's Wanna Be Your Joe, there are no attempts at a slick crossover pop hit (although the excellent, propulsive, hooky "Good as Gone" could have been an AM pop hit in another time): there are blues stomps, raunchy guitar riffs, and ballads dressed in dobros.
Cyrus remains more of a showman than a down-home country boy -- something the mawkish "That's What Daddys Do" makes clear -- but
Change My Mind strikes precisely the right blend of grit and glitz, a record that's clean and mean but still kicks. Having
Cyrus sound so comfortable in his skin at such a late stage is a bit unexpected, but
Change My Mind benefits from his veteran skills; he never pushes too hard, he just settles back into the songs and he winds up with one of his best albums yet. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine