Miley Cyrus is at her creative peak on pop opera album 'Something Beautiful': Review
A few months after releasing her Grammy-winning album “Endless Summer Vacation,” Miley Cyrus dropped a surprise song.
The wistful “Used to Be Young” tracked her journey from a naïve-and-charming hellion in her 20s to a insightful-and-charming hellion turning 30.
In the two years since, Cyrus has settled into a groove of determination and creativity, evolving into one of the most charismatic singers and intriguing songwriters of her generation.
Now, with her ninth studio album, “Something Beautiful” (May 30), she's offering fans a new musical vista where bangers and ballads exist in harmony. Along with the album drop, Cyrus will release a visual film of the same name that will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival June 6 and play in movie theaters around the country for one day only on June 12.
Cyrus, who often bows in deference to forebears such as Stevie Nicks and Joan Jett, has said the inspiration for her ambitious project was Pink Floyd’s 1979 masterpiece, “The Wall.”
If you’re going to go the concept album route, might as well study the masters.
The 13 tracks on “Something Beautiful” revolve around customary themes of heartbreak and trauma, but Cyrus, with her distinctive raspy voice set to soar mode, also offers shades of healing and optimism.
She sews pop bangers (the infectious “End of the World”) with shimmering ballads (the sax-enhanced “More to Lose”), using buzzy electronic instrumentals to create an art rock/pop opera best listened to in its entirety.
Still, we have our favorite songs. Let’s unpack the best of Cyrus' “Something Beautiful”:
‘Golden Burning Sun’
A brash, whirring intro dissolves into a gentle, chugging groove and strummy acoustic guitar that knowingly winks at the Laurel Canyon crew of the early ‘70s. Cyrus’ interest in dichotomous musical styles of dark and light are spotlighted, but ultimately, she embraces her dreamy side. “Surrender … and I’ll never let you down,” she promises, her voice going into her girlish higher register that lends the song a dash of sweetness.
‘Walk of Fame’
From the opening blast of guest Brittany Howard’s vocalizing and a whoosh of galloping keyboards, the pulsing dance song vibrates with energy. It’s the sound of today colliding with the squishy synthesizers that wallpapered European nightclubs in the ‘80s. It’s also the album’s longest song at six minutes, with much of its tail paying homage to a Giorgio Moroder/Donna Summer disco voyage.
‘Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved’
Several of the album’s tracks feature prominent saxophone – that vestige of ‘80s anthems – and this song is no exception. It starts with the wailing woodwind before a wall of synthesizers starts ping-ponging and a hypnotic beat (including the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea on bass) settles as the backdrop to defiant lyrics. “I match my bag to my new dress/I’m still looking like a 10 while my hair is a mess,” she sings not as a lament, but a confident declaration. Supermodel Naomi Campbell features on the song, dipping in and out and adding a stylish spoken word verse repeating “pose.”
‘Give Me Love’
Cyrus ends her musical expedition with a sweeping ballad that is a closing statement as well as an atmospheric swirl of sound that will play beautifully with its visual counterpart. Strings, flutes, acoustic guitar and a whisper of sitar color the canvas as Cyrus leans into her apocalyptic mindset, singing: “So I’ll say my goodbyes to the earthly delights/While my perfect Eden goes down in flames/I’m eaten alive by the mouth of a monster/While fearlessly calling out your name.” Even in song, Cyrus will never concede.