Whether it’s chopping off all her hair, twerking on national television or wearing less and less clothing, there is no doubt that this star is breaking away from her Disney roots and creating a new name for herself.
Miley Cyrus’s album “Bangerz” released Oct. 4, showcased her radically changed image. It’s her fourth and most musically diverse album so far in her musical career. Within the first week, “Bangerz” topped the Billboard 200 list, selling over 270,000 copies.
We are all familiar with her two hits, “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball,” which are overplayed on the radio and received a large amount of attention for their racy music videos. Oddly enough, those singles serve as a sneak peek to the entire album. The songs on this album can be spilt into two categories that embody Cyrus’s personality: sentimentality vs. catchy, party anthems.
Her downbeat tracks, “Adore You,” “Someone Else,” “Wrecking Ball” and “My Darlin” capture a more mature, heartfelt side of Cyrus that we haven’t seen a lot of lately. Cyrus’s vocals are softer and more mature sounding. She reaches all levels of her range and does not disappoint with her delivery.
However, it wouldn’t be Miley Cyrus’s album without the wild, party side that has gotten her so much media attention. Cyrus incorporates hip-hop in most of her pop singles and collaborates with multiple artists including Britney Spears, Big Sean and Future. Aside from “We Can’t Stop,” the songs “#GETITRIGHT,” “Do My Thang” and “4X4” have catchy beats that are contagious and irresistible to belt out in the car.
In one of my personal favorite tracks, “Do My Thang,” Cyrus expresses her real personality and basically gives a middle finger to all of her haters. With an up-tempo beat, Cyrus tells the listeners that she is who she is, and she is not changing despite criticism. She even raps in this song, which took me a little while to get used to, but ultimately adds to her message in a creative way.
Although most of the songs on this album showcase Cyrus’s talent and ability to keep the listeners engaged, there were a few songs that fell flat. “Love, Money, Party” had absolutely no lyrical substance. It simply repeated those three words over and over again, and the beat didn’t make up for her lack of lyrics.
“SMS (Bangerz)” also left me disappointed. Cyrus’s auto-tuned voice is completely distorted and somewhat hamster-like. It sounded like a bad 90s pop song.
Similarly, the vocals in “Hands in the Air,” featuring Ludacris, had that same high-pitched sound that leaves my ears buzzing for hours.
The “Bangerz” album shows Cyrus’s effort to break away and be an adult artist who can be taken seriously. It’s totally fresh with a blend of dance hits, ballads and even a track with a great country feel. As Cyrus’s first breakthrough album, it accurately portrays an explanation she’s always used for her behavior; she’s just being Miley.
