Miley Cyrus - Younger Now Review

Story posted October 4, 2017 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Jacinda Soto

Miley Cyrus has returned to the music scene with a new sound and has dived full into the family business. From the music to the cover art, Cyrus is surely leaving the hip hop scene for good, though it may not be a welcome departure. Cyrus has delivered a flavorless country-pop album devoid of features from any hip hop or emerging artists; quite a different vibe than her previous album Bangerz. Due mainly to the watered down songwriting, the album suffers from mediocrity front to back.

The album’s only feature is an appearance from Dolly Parton on “Rainbowland” that leans too heavily on its “too-good-to-be-true” message. This new journey Cyrus finds herself on towards a more family-friendly reputation will lose her diverse fan base. The cliche tale of a boy she once loved told with the gushy school-girl lyrics epitomizes her disconnection from what made her relevant in pop after her Disney career in the first place.

Cyrus released three singles to force this perception of her on her new album: “Malibu,” “Younger Now” and “Week Without You,” each nothing more than light-hearted, carefree innocent songs. In fact, the 11 track album never progresses past these shallow efforts.

In “Younger Now,” she blames a nondescript “change” for who she was, who she is and who she is becoming. She says in the song “change is something you can count on,” and it’s clear from this album who she is trying to change into at this point in her life, but without citing reasons why.

Instead, Cyrus is back to singing gushy love songs. “Week Without You” and “Miss You so Much” are some of the stronger songs on the album, but purely for the fact they showcase her talented vocal ability. But without her outspoken and raunchy lyrics from past albums, Younger Now lacks that extra and unique edge that made Cyrus worthy of airtime on the airwaves.

The closest she gets to her previous style is one the song “Love Someone,” where she tries to give an honest look in her love life, the bad hands she has been dealt and how she has learned to move on. It comes off as less than a unique honest voice in pop though and more like jumping on the coattails of Taylor Swift’s success.

Cyrus’s unique persona may be gone forever with the new image she tries to portray on Younger Now. While she can be applauded for trying something new, the monotonous mainstream pop sound to this album will not have her making any big headlines any time soon.

Rating: 5/10


Jacinda Soto is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact her, email JacindaSoto15@gmail.com.