Miley Cyrus hasn't broken any barriers on her new album -- but the Disney-created pop star still retains a certain voice that is all her own.

Her sophomore album, Breakout, is filled with typical pop-rock songs about break-ups and boy troubles. Despite the album's lack of true originality, it is still an enjoyable listen. Cryus knows her middle- and high school-aged audience well and can relate to them.

On the album Cyrus conveys both maturity and innocence. She sings about crushes and being crushed, but refrains from boyfriend bashing. Her songs have emotion that is true of the singer, because all but two songs were co-written by Cyrus.

The two slower tracks on the album, "Bottom of the Ocean" and "Goodbye" come as a surprise, mostly because of all the airplay of her extremely upbeat, electronic heavy single "See You Again." Cyrus has a low and rough voice that wouldn't seem to fit a slower song. Her voice is not necessarily bad but not beautiful either, and her accent is also more discernible on the slower songs. But, despite the fact her voice can be a little grating, Cyrus sings with more passion on the slower tracks than the faster ones allow.

The lyrics, however, are pretty lackluster, especially on the slower songs. Cyrus has a habit of trying to tell stories with her more emotional songs. There is nothing special about Cyrus' songwriting. Lyrics such as "Suddenly my cell phone's blowing up with your ringtone" are anything but poetic.

The more upbeat and fun songs, such as the title track "Breakout" really capture Cyrus' youth and spirit. Every time she sings "We're gonna dance 'till the dance floor falls apart, uh oh all over again!" I find myself bobbing my head along.

One song that on first listen seemed as if it would be a hit was the biggest disappointment of the album. "Fly on the Wall" starts with distorted guitars and Cyrus singing with an attitude not heard on the previous tracks.

And then the chorus comes.

Cyrus and some girl backups sing in immature-sounding voices, "Don't you wish you could be ... " and then men sing, in annoying '80s techno electronic style voices, "A fly on the wall." The girls jump back in with "A creepy little, sneaky little ... ," and then the song is ruined. The subject matter is a little weird, especially when Cyrus sings "don't you wish you could see me every second of the day?"

"Wake Up America," a song about global warming, seems a little preachy. The lyrics "Everything I read is global warming and going green, I don't know what all this means" take away any credibility Cyrus could have.

Cyrus may not really have broken out of anything with this album, but she could definitely be on her way. If I was still 15, I would probably award this CD a B, but being a little more than a month away from my 21st birthday I feel this CD is more meant for those in their tumultuous early teens.

Grade: C