Billy Ray Cyrus' Second Disc Was Quite Successful, Yet It Could not Match The Sideral Sales Of The Debut

“It Won’t Be The Last” was Billy Ray Cyrus’s second full-length album. It was released in the summer of 1993, shortly after his mega-successful debut had hit the shelves. I regard it as a major step forward. But it is not that the album is miles away from the previous one, it is just that it has gone the (relatively short) distance that would lead to a more balanced listen. The first time around it felt like the ballads and the rockers did not mesh. That problem was to be resolved by “It Won’t Be The Last”. The key word here is “focused”. There is a clear middle ground between ballads and rock numbers (such as the successful single “Words By Heart”), and the flow of the album feels more natural this time around.

The record has 11 tracks, and the first six are a true pleasure. The single “In The Heart Of Woman” was a foolproof way to set the disc in motion, and having it followed by one of the many Don Von Tress songs on offer (“Talk Some”) was the best way to keep the momentum going. Von Tress was to be the primary tunesmith for the album. That was only to be expected – he had penned “Achy Breaky Heart” and “Talk Some” is the best rocker he contributes to this record, in my opinion. The other rock number (“Ain’t Your Dog No More”) feels too overtly like an Achy Break Heart surrogate, and a forced one at that.

The first side also bears the beautiful “Somewhere New” (which in places lifts the melody from “Hopelessly Yours”), and the contagious “Only Time Will Tell”, a song that showcases Billy was making progresses when it came to songwriting. That is something that can also be said about “Throwing Stones” (which he penned on his own) and the title track (which he co-wrote). The previous time around he had co-written a couple of tracks with his wife – no offense to anybody, having professional writers is not the same. These songs make it all too evident.

“Words By Heart” is located in the middle of the album, and it actually worked pretty well as a single cut. The song has the kind of lyrics that Billy’s large female following absolutely adored, and it might as well be the most successfully measured performance he was to set to record. The accompanying video was also very suitable.

I don’t feel the remaining songs are as exciting as the ones that make up the first half of the disc, although a couple are real growers (the title track and “Right Face Wrong Time”). If anything, they showcase Billy’s development as a finer tunesmith. And the final cut is “When I’m Gone”, a number that has been written by Don Von Tress and Billy himself, and that has him in full balladeer mode, singing a quavering lyrics about abandonment and its aftermath over a sparse accompaniment and a gospelly backing. It works pretty efficiently for a change.

This album could not replicate the success of the previous one, even when it sold quite well. I don’t know how much of a surprise that was at the time. Had he landed another “Some Gave All” the story of the 90s would have had him as the main protagonist, and not just as someone who stole the stage for a moment, and shone like few could ever hope to shine. And he was to keep on pushing – the forthcoming albums were to be even better – “Trail Of Tears” (1996) in particular would be deemed as his most realized album by critics. Not many were listening by then, though. And not that many are listening now. Those who are just familiar with Billy’s most famous composition and the album it was circumscribed to should really hear the rest of the story. Giving his second album a spin is not only natural but also very rewarding. It certainly wasn’t the first good record he issued, and it wasn’t the last for sure.

Rating: 8/10

Billy Ray Cyrus' Debut Is Titled After The Words Of A Vietnam Veteran Named Sandy Kane

Billy Ray Cyrus’s debut was first issued in 1992, and more than 15 years later it still retains a couple of significant records such as being the top-ranking album by a country male performer, and (most notably) the best selling debut album from a male artist – more than 20,000,000 copies have been sold worldwide. Of course, it is the album that has “Achy Breaky Heart” – for my take on the song and the impact it had on Billy’s career I direct you to the general introduction I posted yesterday. Three more singles were drawn from “Some Gave All”, and they all did pretty well on the charts – “Could’ve Been Me” hit number 2, actually. The other two singles were “She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore” and “Wher’m I Gonna Live” (they charted at #6 and #23 respectively).

Before being signed up, the consensus was that Billy was too much of a rocker for Nashville and too much of a country performer for LA. Leaving aside the monster hit of the record, that is something which comes across when you listen to the album. The songs are either full-on country (the vast majority of compositions) or unbridled rock numbers. Personally, I feel these rock cuts are fantastic, and they are the ones that stick in my mind after listening to the CD. I am surprised that “Never Thought That I’d Fall In Love With You” was not issued as a single – Mercury probably though that issuing three harder-rocking compositions could be counterproductive. The fact is that the song has a great guitar part throughout, and a drum track that shifts from accompanying to leading in a snap, then reverts itself again. I like the song as much as the achy breaky one, and the fact it was never overplayed is just a big plus.

Now, I must admit that the ballads leave me cold. Billy co-wrote most of them. I don’t know if that was the problem or not – the “fast” numbers were all taken care of by hired hands, and (to draw a quick comparison) the ballads that were included in “It Won’t Be The Last” did work for me. And they were penned by professional songwriters.

Still, “Some Gave All” is the obvious highlight when it comes to songs whose tempo is moderate. It was an unsolicited hit, too (it hit #52), and it was the obvious standout composition co-written by Billy on the record. I can tell you something that is very indicative of the song’s quality: I live in a country that has seen no war for virtually two centuries, and the song still speaks very clearly to me. I can only imagine the impact it must have in the United States.

The album truly has its moments, then. But whenever I listen to it I get the feeling “This guy is just a one-trick pony”, and the truth couldn’t be further away from that, as he was to prove both shortly and through the years. His next records were to have a more uniform feel, and (from what I have listened so far) they are more enjoyable on the whole than this debut. It has a mammoth of a hit, and it has some great songs interspersed with some that (to me) are a bit monotonous. Billy could do better, and he was to do it within a year. But what a shame he was already painted into an artistic position he could never extricate himself from.

Rating: 7/10

Billy Ray Cyrus Performing During The "Achy Breaky Heart" Days

Success is not as simple or charming as it seems. Not necessarily a phenomenal bout of early success will mean that it is going to be a smooth ride from that point onwards. And I am sure few know that as well as Billy Ray Cyrus.

To the general public, he is always going to be associated with his monster hit from 1992, “Achy Breaky Heart”. As it is (very accurately) said elsewhere, it was to be the song that would make him and break him. The song must have been one of the most played tunes of the 90s. In South America, it was still being played like the first day well into 1995. And in the States, it caused a true mania that included an “Achy Breaky Dance” – the first time such a thing had happened with a country song.

Alas, Billy was unable to sustain that burst of success. In a certain sense, that was to be expected – I mean, had he kept that streak he would have displaced just anybody who ever set foot on a stage – Elvis, The Beatles… anybody would have paled in comparison.

There are two facts that make that lack of true posterior successes a sad tale indeed. First of all, on his second album he didn’t just attempt to replicate the formula but he tried to move forwards to avoid the pitfall of “the Achy Break Heart guy”. And he did fine, but it was not enough to dispel the aura.

Secondly (and what I find the most saddening) is that the guy is good. He has talent – just listen to every album he released after his debut. No discerning person who listens to “Southern Rain” (2009) could argue that the album is more than acceptable. The same goes for his second disc, “It Won’t Be The Last” (1993). Actually, his first record (“Some Gave All”, 1992) is the one of his I like the least.

What is it the Chinese say? “Be careful what you wish for… you might get it”. That is the moral of Billy’s story for us, the onlookers. If the guy was a no-hoper, then I wouldn’t care less. But just merely scratching the surface reveals that he had far more than one monumental hit in him. The story is not over yet, of course. Maybe one day there will be another song of his that will rank alongside the achy breaky number. I, for one, would love to see that day come.