Sound CheckBilly Ray Cyrus dishes on his musical influences on his new album ‘Change My Mind’ and his love for Canada
Country music recording artist Billy Ray Cyrus has come a long way since the days of his 1992 smash hit "Achy-Breaky Heart," off his debut album "Some Gave All."
Today the 51-year-old releases his thirteenth album, "Change My Mind," in Canada (Oct. 23 in the U.S.) -- and with this new record comes a fresh sound formulated by the musician's own musical tastes.
"The idea was to make an album that really encompassed everything that I grew up on, everything that is part of who I am now, past and present, my heroes and music that I listened to from bluegrass to outlaw country to southern rock and Led Zeppelin," Cyrus told Yahoo! Canada Music. "[I was inspired by] Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe [and] all of that outlaw sound [like] Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, The Marshall Tucker Band, Allman Brothers Band [and] Charlie Daniels. All of that."
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In addition to featuring music styles close to his heart, the singer also wanted the right team around him for the record, including Grammy-nominated and multi-Juno Award-winning music producer Brandon Friesen.
"Brandon was great," Cyrus said of Friesen, who is also his partner on their label Blue Cadillac Music. "He's a rocker and has worked with Slash, Velvet Revolver, Nickelback, and a bunch of different groups. The studio we used [Tranzformer Studios in California] was where Alice In Chains cut a lot of their tracks and it's just got a good vibe there."
What else drew Cyrus to Tranzformer Studios? "It felt like a real studio should feel [and] it wasn't all high-tech," he said. "Some studios you go to are so high-tech it feels more like you're going to a hospital, sterile. This place had vibe all over it and again, those Alice In Chains records and a lot of good rock-and-roll was cut in those walls and it just felt right. Everything on the album is played by a human or sung by a human."
Songs on the record include Cyrus' lead single "Change My Mind" and what he calls the "riskiest song" on the album, "Stomp," which is also one of his daughters' favourites on the disc.
"I don't know if I've ever had a song quite like that one before," he said. "The lyrics are 'The more you stomp in sh-- the more it stinks.' I think it's the first time I've cursed in a song, and it might not be the last if it works out … Miley loves 'Stomp.'"
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Releasing this record in Canada is particularly important to Cyrus because he "loves" the Great White North and has celebrated many professional milestones here.
"Canada has been a big part of my life and my career," said the Juno Award-winning musician, who has also carved out a bit of an acting career. "I received my first gold record in Calgary and I filmed 'Doc' up here [as an actor] for years. There's a lot of really good influence in my life that came from Canada [and] I also filmed my last two movies for Hallmark in Vancouver."
In addition to being a fan of Canada, the singer/songwriter is also a fan of our musical talent, citing multiple Canucks whom he feels are getting it right in the industry.
"Carolyn Dawn Johnson, I think she's a great artist," Cyrus said. "There's a lot of great artists that come out of Canada, I'm still the biggest Bryan Adams fan in the world [and] I like Nickelback, too. Canadians love music and they also make great music. You can go [all the way] back to Bachman-Turner and Ronnie Hawkins. There's a lot of great music that comes out of Canada. I couldn't narrow it down, but I'll be a Bryan Adams fan forever."
Check out the music video for Cyrus' lead single "Change My Mind" featured below, and look for his album of the same name on sale today in Canada and out in the U.S. on Oct. 23.
