The tongue, the twerk, hammer licking, naked demolition ball straddling, and that foam finger- another performance and another day in the life of Miley Cyrus. But before the media blitz and twitter tit for tat with Sinead O' Connor, Cyrus was known as a popstar to millions of tweens who adored her as Hannah Montana. With her new album, 'Bangerz' Cyrus has managed to shed her child star persona and apparently her clothes along with it. The album opens with the uncharacteristically mature 'Adore You'. Down-tempo, slick and sultry, this is a more restrained Miley than we expect and it's a crucial reminder that behind the self imposed chaos of the 'Miley Cyrus machine' there is a gifted vocalist.
But this maturity is short lived as it's followed by the juvenile 'We Can't Stop'. With a video that sees Cyrus fight for her right to party, and sing lyrics containing drug references to 'molly', she defiantly tells "It's my mouth I can say what I want to" much to the dismay of parents the world over. Whether it's a genuine album highlight has been blurred by constant airplay and promotion. Even if you don't like this track, you will by the time the record company is finished with you. With SMS (Bangerz) Miley's childhood dreams come true as she collaborates with her mentor Britney Spears. The result sounds like a mix of Salt n' Pepa's Push IT and Kesha's 'Tik Tok'. A passable pop tune, Britney's verse falls flat within the mix of heavy production and Miley's dominant vocals. While '4x4' seems to be a tongue and cheek homage to her dad's Billy Rae country roots. This pop hoe down, while gloriously cheesy, and annoying it somehow becomes one of the albums secret guilty pleasures. As is 'Do It On My Own'. The funky baseline and sassy lyrics evoke 80's Madonna making it a possible future single
When Miley attempts hip hop however, things don't work so well. The auto-tune infused 'My Darlin'' featuring Future and the dance track 'Love, Money Party featuring Big Sean sound generic and uninspired as if their inclusion on the album were for street - cred purposes only. Likewise, her rap on 'Do My Thang' is almost laughable as the former Nickelodeon princess tells us she gets "crazier then hell" in her best gangsta chick accent. But among the 'in your face' genre hopping there are some striking even beautiful moments. The vocal on 'Wrecking Ball' show's Cyrus' range and versatility. Her passionate delivery rings true as raw and real demonstrating the artist she has the potential to become if she'd just stop trying so damn hard. ' Rooting for My Baby' meanwhile is like an easy summer breeze drifting by with an effortless vocal and Latin guitars.
Despite her recent pontificating about world domination, artistic growth and the inception of her 'movement', Bangerz is nothing more than a decent pop album. While there's glimpse of pop perfection, there are also a considerable amount of missteps. Still, as the controversies grow so do download sales and maybe that's all that matters to 'the Miley Cyrus machine' in the end. With her spotlight shining brighter than ever, and the fickle fan base, Miley should probably enjoy the attention while it lasts.
Review by Karen Lawler
