In hindsight, the only disturbing part of Miley Cyrus' VMA performance was how anti-climactic it was. For about five years now, she's done everything possible to distance herself from the clean-cut "Hannah Montana" image: posing half-naked in magazines, barely there clothing for live performances, drug use, a weirdly celebratory music video about dancing with Molly and getting lines in the bathroom, and throwing around a few profanities for good measure. Come time for her big, bold statement that she's now all grown up, it turned into something quite tragic, as there really was nothing entertaining nor progressive about fondling Robin Thicke with a foam finger. To most, that garish performance proved to be the end of Miley Cyrus as a notable artist, but in actuality, it may not have been that pivotal a moment. If anything, the VMAs was just one in a part of a long, ceaseless promotional parade for her fourth album "Bangerz". In many interviews prior to its release, she touted it as her debut album; a brassy, bullheaded record that was her first since the end of "Hannah" in 2011. She also stated that the albums title comes from having "nothing but bangerz", also implying that she would have it set on the clubs more than her previous outings. While "Bangerz" definitely presents us with a Miley ready for a long night out, her vision is certainly not suited for the dance floor. Besides "We Can't Stop", an excellent mid-tempo cut that just gets catchier with repeated listens, the rest of the album is loaded with slow hip-hop jams (check out "My Darlin", a duet with Future and one of the worst songs Cyrus has ever recorded), a couple power ballads ("Wrecking Ball" to name one, a full-blown outpour of emotion, which in contrast to "My Darlin" is one of Cyrus' most affecting and best songs), and finishing off the list are a few manic, messy hybrids of Ke$ha's electro-pop and grimy hip-hop (Cyrus' duet with Britney Spears, "SMS (Bangerz)", is the album's shortest song, as well as it's most disappointing moment).
While "Bangerz" certainly isn't the worst Miley could have done, there's also a feeling of anti-climax that comes along with the first listen. All of her flaunting and brashness of her VMA performance has been channeled through her ambition, but not her music. Mostly helmed by Mike Will Made It--his name is mentioned in virtually every song--he and Cyrus has crafted thirteen songs that certainly portrays a different Miley, one that's sexed up and dressed in hop-hop hand-me-downs, but also don't get the job done of portraying her as a mini-Madonna. She pays homage to the queen by using the line "love don't live here anymore" in the EDM closer "Someone Else", but it's not enough to fully form what Cyrus tries so desperately to be. While there's certainly nothing wrong with having grand ambition, "Bangerz" is one of those records that would have been much better off without the excessive effort. This is proven with the opener "Adore You", an easy listening ballad that might as well be a love letter to her new-found self. It, along with another notable break-up song "Maybe You're Right", are remains of that sweet, young girl that Cyrus tries to hide, but cannot subdue. She's only in her twenties, so she still has much to figure out, but still, with all the exertion elsewhere, she could've had something special here. What's missing, then, is something special here, a chorus, a production, a fiercely unapologetic personality that is on course with Cyrus' public persona. Without exceeding expectations in any of these areas, "Bangerz" winds up being just fine. It might capture Miley's rebellion more consistently than "Can't Be Tamed", but it has virtually none of the fresh, hooky productions that made it surprisingly irresistable. Ultimately, though, there are enough good moments (one more being the twangy Nelly duet "4x4") to make "Bangerz" neither the disaster, or unfortunately the triumph, it could've been.
Recommended Tracks:
1. Adore You 2. We Can’t Stop 3. SMS (Bangerz)
4. 4x4 5. My Darlin’ 6. Wrecking Ball
7. Love Money Party 8. #GetItRight 9. Drive
10. FU 11. Do My Thang 12. Maybe You’re Right
13. Someone Else
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