Miley Cyrus made Breakout in 2008 as a step toward having her own identity, and the record mostly delivers on that promise even as it stays close to the Hannah Montana sound that made her famous. It is a pop album built for radio play, full of teen-friendly hooks and a few moments that show Cyrus stepping outside the comfort zone she had built for herself.
Track List
| # | Track |
|---|---|
| 1 | Breakout (3:26) |
| 2 | 7 Things (3:33) |
| 3 | The Driveway (3:43) |
| 4 | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (3:06) |
| 5 | Full Circle (3:14) |
| 6 | Fly on the Wall (2:32) |
| 7 | Bottom of the Ocean (3:15) |
| 8 | Wake Up America (2:47) |
| 9 | These Four Walls (3:28) |
| 10 | Simple Song (3:32) |
| 11 | Goodbye (3:51) |
| 12 | See You Again (Rock Mafia remix) (3:16) |
Opening With Breakout
The title track sets the tone with a verse about the routine of teenage life: “Every week’s the same / Stuck in school’s so lame / My parents say that I’m lazy / Getting up at 8 a.m.’s crazy / Tired of bein’ told what to do / So unfair, so uncool.” It is a simple complaint dressed up as a song, and it works as a mission statement for the whole record.
Middle Tracks and the Turning Point
7 Things is the standout here, a pop single that still holds up as one of Cyrus’s best moments on record. Fly on the Wall follows it and earns its place as the second track critics singled out, a more grown-up sound that shows Cyrus reaching for something beyond the Hannah Montana playbook.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Full Circle are solid but forgettable, the kind of covers that fill space without adding much. Bottom of the Ocean and Wake Up America are slighter, passing through without leaving much of a mark.
The Back Half
These Four Walls and Simple Song are pleasant but minor, the album’s middle stretch settling into a comfortable but unremarkable groove. Goodbye closes the record on a note of departure, and See You Again (Rock Mafia remix) brings the album to a close with a remix that adds nothing new.
What Cyrus Said About the Record
Cyrus spoke plainly about the shift the album represents. She said her new songs had a different feel and that she finally got to step out and do exactly what kind of sound she wanted to do. She added that she had introduced herself on her last record and that now people already knew who she was, so this was just getting to know her personally.
The Verdict
Breakout is a step forward for Cyrus as an artist, even if the music itself does not always match the ambition. The singles are strong, the middle tracks are filler, and the album as a whole lands somewhere between the Hannah Montana records that came before it and the more adult work she would release later. It is a commercial success and a critical footnote, and it deserves credit for signaling the direction Cyrus would take in the years after it.
- Breakout3:26
- 7 Things3:33
- The Driveway3:43
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun3:06
- Full Circle3:14
- Fly on the Wall2:32
- Bottom of the Ocean3:15
- Wake Up America2:47
- These Four Walls3:28
- Simple Song3:32
- Goodbye3:51
- See You Again (Rock Mafia remix)3:16
