Liberty Walk is a really fun song for such a serious subject. Though you can take it as a song about following your dreams or being willing to stand up for yourself against any kinds of odds that get in your way, Miley Cyrus admitted in interviews that her primary inspiration for the lyrics, the story she wanted to tell, was of a woman in an abusive relationship. And she does a surprisingly good job at telling the story in an entertaining way. (Even her spoken word lyrics, she insists she can't rap, are pulled off surprisingly well.) Though I have a feeling this is a track that will be best listened to live, it works as a great lead off track. It's up tempo, and a song of independence. It keeps with the theme of the disc well.

Who Owns My Heart conjures images of eighties night clubs. As the song first started playing, I wasn't sure I would like it, but it's pretty catchy. It definitely belongs to another era, but would probably fit right in with a lot of the recent pop singles that are great throwbacks to the disco-turned-pop era. Not my favorite or anything, but definitely fun.

Can't Be Tamed, the first single from the album, is fun and edgy. Well, it's edgy if you're a singer/actress who has been largely known for Disney bubblegum pop. This is Miley's first attempt to break away from the squeaky clean image she's had for so long. And, unlike most of her critics, I really love this song. I like that she's making an effort to be more creative in her music and figure out what kind of artist she wants to be, even if she's taking some cues from other modern pop artists, like say, Lady Gaga or Britney Spears, to do it. Taking cues from these other artists shows that she should be able to successfully move along with an older audience. Back to the music though: It's a fun song, and one that I can listen to over and over again. Probably one of my favorites.

Every Rose Has Its Thorn was originally recorded by eighties band Poison, and front man Brett Michaels gave Miley his blessing when he found out she wanted to do a cover of this song, even hanging out with her family in the studio when she did so. Now, I don't know if she benefited from having him in studio with her, or from the fact that this is one of her mother's favorite songs, but this is actually one of my favorite tracks on the disc. I think she sounds great on the song, and it's actually a really good cover. Covers are usually tricky to pull off because the original is always at the back of the listener's mind. Of course, Miley probably has the benefit of most of her fans having never heard the original.

Two More Lonely People is another track that feels like a throwback to the eighties, and again, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to it. This is a better song than “Who Owns My Heart,” but its message is actually very similar to “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” so I'm also surprised at the placement in the track list. It probably would have been better if it was a couple of tracks earlier, or even a couple of tracks later.

Forgiveness and Love has an old school bluesy-rock sound to it, and this is one of the best songs for Miley's voice. Yes, there are a few spots in the song where she sounds like her vocal chords might be closing off, like the notes might be a little difficult for her to hit, but, vocally, this sounds like it might have been the one she worked the most for. I think if she had let a bit more of her country roots shine through on this one, it would have made it even better.

Permanent December is probably the only song on the entire album that I don't actually like. There are parts of it that are okay, but the vocals are so inconsistent that I find myself either skipping the track altogether or waiting for the next song to start. There are lines were you can hear Miley's real voice, others where it's the electronic overlay, and still others where, though it should be her real voice, it just sounds fake. As a result, it's like there are three different Mileys working on the song, in addition to the background vocals. And sandwiched between two really good songs, this track just seems like a token pop song for the clubs, something not necessary. If I had to compare it to any other modern pop singer, I'd say Ke$ha would be a good bet. The only thing is, Miley doesn't have the same kind of voice. Ke$ha can pull off the chanting and the high pitched flirting with the microphone, but Miley's raspier and deeper sound needs more than that.

Stay has a little bit more country-rock in its tone that most of the other songs. And it's a nice change. I think southern rock would be such a great sound for Miley, though it's one she rarely tries out. She has enough twang and enough edge to her voice that they balance each other out on tracks like this, making her vocal performance sound fantastic. It also allows her to demonstrate more emotional range in her sound than the electronic mess that is “Permanent December.”

Scars contains as much emotional depth as the previous track, but it's more pop-rock than country. Of course, though the song seems like one of regret, it also has a pretty angry sound to it. There are several points within the song where the vocals are almost shouted instead of sung. And while that's something I don't usually like, it strangely works here. It surprised me just how much I like this song. I think if it was a softer song, it might even lose something.

Take Me Along is kind of like the B side for “Stay.” Instead of begging the guy to ask her to stay, Miley is instead begging to go with him. It's got a softer sound to it than the last two tracks, but it's definitely got more bitterness in its lyrics. And I think the trio of “Stay,” “Scars,” and “Take Me Along,” really work well lined up back to back to back like this. They tell similar stories, but in very different styles, and it's fun to hear Miley try out a few different things without making a complete leap away from one concept.

Robot sounds better live. There's just no way around it. I really dislike the echoing background vocals on the chorus of the studio version. And there's a lot more shouting than singing, and like I said about an earlier track, that's something that usually bothers me. It's strange because there isn't a ton of electronic elements on this track like there are on some of the earlier ones on the disc, but while listening to it, I kept feeling like there was too much going on with the song. I like the idea of the song, and like I said, the live version is better, but on the disc, I'd give this song a pass.

My Heart Beats For Love makes a great closing song. It sounds laid back, very much a track you might listen to on the way out to the beach or something like that. And I'm surprised it has such an easy song to listen to considering Miley has said in interviews that it was written for a friend of hers, a song she wanted to use to take aim at people who criticize other peoples' relationships when they don't agree with them. Definitely an enjoyable track.

Seeing as how there are only two songs out of the twelve on the album that I don't particularly enjoy, I'd consider Miley's breakaway from the younger bubblegum sound a success. She managed to take a small step with her EP released last year, but I think this album does show that she could be considered a serious artist, not just a Disney darling. She's really made a concentrated effort to put out music that means something to her, and that tells a story, and it shows. I would still love to hear her put out some more southern rock tracks, but I think this album will do a great job at tiding me over until she decides to head back into the studio. It's definitely worth the money you'll spend on it.