Miley Cyrus - "Party in the USA"

Miley Cyrus' latest is a reflection on the arrival of an out of town success story in Hollywood for the first time. Lyrically interesting and musically engaging in a somewhat downbeat way, "Party in the USA" represents yet another step in the gradual maturation of Miley Cyrus as a pop artist. She made "The Climb" an inspirational smash, and there is no reason "Party in the USA" should stop her momentum.

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With a title like "Party in the USA," most fans would expect this latest single to be a rousing hands in the air track. Instead, it is a midtempo reflective song that tells a tale of an out of town success and her first arrival in Hollywood. If the song is accurate, we now know that Jay-Z and Britney Spears are two of Miley Cyrus' favorite and most comforting fellow artists. Hearing their songs on the radio helps her know everything is going to work out.

One of the unique aspects of Miley Cyrus' performance style among current pop artists is that she retains a country edge to her voice when she is performing straightforward pop songs. This works to give her as wide a fan base as possible while she slowly matures into an adult pop artist. With a somewhat different instrumental arrangement "Party in the USA" could easily become a country recording.

"Party in the USA" is the first track from Miley Cyrus' upcoming EP The Time of Our Lives. It will be released at the end of August 2009 and marketed exclusively through Wal-Mart stores. Miley Cyrus generated some controversy when she performed "Party in the USA" at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. She was decked out in leather with a dance pole. Any artist's emergence from being a child or teen star into an adult persona is difficult. If "Party in the USA" as a recording points in the direction Miley Cyrus is likely to go, she will be a powerful voice in pop music for years to come.