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At first glance, the latest release from the polarising Miley Cyrus may seem to be another attempt by the songstress to expand her repertoire within the pigeon-hole of “pop girlie”. Too often does the expectation fall upon artists under this label to churn out singles. Appeal to the lowest common denominator, or fade into obscurity. Have your voice plastered all over Billboard charts, or be considered irrelevant. If there’s no “hit” to latch onto, there’s no success.
This is generally the way of old media. Water yourself down, deliver the most streamlined image of your sound and style, and rake it in.
Yet, Miley seems to be flatly rejecting all of this on her latest record, ‘Something Beautiful’. None of the lead singles on this album were tailored even remotely for widespread virality. The title track was a shockingly progressive left-hook. Walls of droning saxophone and a suffocating production style are the last things you would expect from an artist of Miley’s caliber. Yet, she is doing it, and doing it justice.
End of The World and More to Lose are milder by comparison, the latter being the more gratifying in my opinion. Miley’s reverb-soaked vocal lends an ethereal bent to tracks like these that may have tricked some pundits into thinking she was shooting for psychedelia. The music on this album is elevated, sure. It’s experimental by Cyrus’ standards. This is purely an exercise in pop and soft rock though, and it is working.
Easy Lover shoots for the stars and lands on them with both arms outstretched like a gymnast. Miley’s soaring chorus melody is a major highlight, proving that she is not only bringing the musical dexterity, but the kind of sharpness in songwriting that this style of alternative pop requires.
‘Something Beautiful’ manages to stick its landing on earth almost as emphatically as it took off. The Daft Punk-ian grooves on ‘Walk of Fame’, the Ray of Light-era Madonna influence on ‘Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved’ and ‘Reborn’, and the sparkling contemplation of Give Me Love coast this album out beautifully. It is a level of variety and execution that Cyrus has not quite been able to achieve in the past. Here though, it sounds as if she was just picking up where she left off. It harkens back to her head-scratching Flaming Lips collaboration 10 years ago. Though what was a clear identity-crisis at the time, has now become a fully-realised idea. Miley has always had this level of artistry in her, and it was only a matter of time before it evened itself out. This is an album that fully lives up to its title.
Dan Will Review 