Various Artists - Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus [CD]

(This package includes a CD featuring Hannah Montana and a CD featuring Miley Cyrus. Also included is a VIP member card for 30 day free acess to rock out with Miley and her friends in her interactive world.)

Singer/actress Miley Cyrus plays Miley Stewart on the Disney Channel's television series, Hannah Montana. Cyrus, daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, plays a girl who is a normal teenager during the week and (unbeknownst to her circle of friends) a famous pop star, Hannah Montana, on the weekend.

Like Disney product Hilary Duff before her, Cyrus is as cute as a button and sings her own vocals. The folks at Disney, as is to be expected in our audio fueled world, quickly capitalized on their star's vocal prowess and released the first Hannah Montana soundtrack only a few months after the show became a hit. For Cyrus, it was a golden opportunity to lay the ground work for a future singing career.

Less than a year after the release of the first soundtrack, Disney has assembled the double disc set, Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus. Disc one features Cyrus singing as Hannah, while disc two features the Tennessee native performing as herself. The best of both worlds approach is clever marketing on Disney's part and good business on Cyrus' handlers' part.

Tweens are going to gobble up this sugary collection like it's a bag of cotton candy. Disc one bursts at the seams with light-hearted fair such as the fluttering "We Got The Party" and the buoyant "Life's What You Make It." Cyrus is a great vocalist, and one gets the sense, after listening to a track like "Make Some Noise," an uplifting number with a positive message, that this is only the beginning for the fourteen year-old.

The Hannah Montana disc is solid, but Disney saves the really good stuff for Meet Miley Cyrus. Where disc one has a slightly contrived feel to it, disc two comes across as far more authentic. Cyrus steps her game up a notch for her own material. "See You Again," a rocketing cut that borrows the rolling bass sound from Kiss' "I Was Made For Loving You," sets the tone for the entire disc.

From the rock stomp of "East Northumberland High," to the stammering glitter and glee of "Start All Over," Cyrus proves she's worthy of the pop crown she's gunning for. "Right Here," a glossy track with chunking electric guitars and a thunderous rhythm section, is as good as anything on the charts right now. Cyrus rides the melody like it's a wild pony.

Although Hannah Montana2/Meet Miley Cyrus is an enjoyable collection, it will be interesting to see what Cyrus can do when she steps out into the spotlight without Hannah by her side.