This week saw Miley Cyrus drop her sixth studio album titled “Younger Now”. This is, once again, a whole new musical direction for her; and it’s one we absolutely love. The album feels very personal and it’s a total gift to be able to hear it fully.
She has certainly come a long way from her Hannah Montana days. Her recent albums have definitely been experimental as she’s dipped into various genres to find her own sound. “Younger Now” brings another new genre into the mix; really showing how versatile Miley Cyrus really is.
The album was released on 29 September 2017 and contains 11 tracks. “Malibu” and “Younger Now” served as official singles from the album, with “Inspired” and “Week Without You” acted as promotional singles. Only one collaboration appears on the album, which is “Rainbowland” featuring Miley Cyrus’ godmother, Dolly Parton.
Giving us quite the country-pop vibe, Miley Cyrus certainly impresses us all with her “Younger Now” album.
Younger Now
This is the perfect opening and title track. The song and its corresponding music video are Elvis-inspired, just like the album artwork. It’s a look back at who she was and how she’s changed, gearing up her fans for this new album. It’s a rhythmic track that exposes Miley Cyrus’ vocals. It has the potential to be a droning song; but, she prevents that from happening with her awesome vocal range and relaxed style of singing. It works and excites us for the rest of the album.
Malibu
This was the first track we ever heard from this album and it’s certainly a grower of a song. It leads on well from “Younger Now”, bringing an even more relaxed vibe. It’s much more groovy and understandable as to why it was chosen as the first single from the album. It has a more commercial side to it, one radio will certainly play, especially over the other songs.
Rainbowland (feat. Dolly Parton)
The opening of this track is something truly special as we hear Dolly Parton talking. She’s in Nashville on her way to Dollywood and she’s singing along to Miley Cyrus’ track on CD as she records her own vocals on cassette; talk about making us laugh. Her recorded message takes up 30 seconds of the actual song, bringing a beautiful personal touch to the track.
It is a pure country track that we can’t help but love. It feels like it’s an average track that Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton sing whenever they’re together. Their harmonies work perfectly together, but at times Miley Cyrus overpowers Dolly Parton and it doesn’t sound like your typical collaboration. It’s slightly on the disappointing side as this could’ve been so much better. Even Dolly Parton admits at the end of the song it sounds a bit scrambled; yet, they kept this version of the song and it’s really sweet in its own way.
Regardless, the song is totally brilliant. It’s catchy and powerful with a jovial spirit that definitely brings on rainbow colours.
Week Without You
This is definitely one of our favourites from the album. It’s filled with passionate lyrics and a groovy rhythm. It’s one we are totally fond of, and should totally be upgraded as an official single. It does have a “Younger Now” feel to it. It’s real and honest, a great track from Miley Cyrus.
Miss You So Much
Keeping to the style of previous single “Week Without You”; this song is just as honest. It’s nice to see these stripped back tracks that really showcases her vocals. There’s so much emotion flooded in this track that you can tell that she really means every lyric of this song.
I Would Die For You
In comes the rhythmic tracks again. Still stripped back, but this one has a great melody that draws the listeners back into the album as a whole. It’s sweet with the same real honesty that she’s shown in the previous tracks. It’s one of those songs you imagine being played during a family picnic; it really is that sweet.
Thinkin’
Here is a much more commercial pop song, one we’re used to hearing from Miley Cyrus. It’s beyond catchy with a slight country vibe to it but would be a total hit if it became a fully-fledged single. It totally stands out on the album and “Thinkin'” really has us singing along to the song by the end of it. It’s rich and addicting; one that many listeners will no doubt connect with; we relate to the song so much. Totally one of the best songs on the album.
Bad Mood
The opening lyrics to this song is “I always wake up in a bad mood”; don’t we all. This is not the perfect track to wake up to, so don’t set it as your alarm in the morning, unless you want to channel these words and wake up in a bad mood. It’s a serene track that has a lot of fire coming from Miley Cyrus, something we haven’t really heard from the previous tracks. It’s quite the chant of an anthem that is totally powerful.
Love Someone
This song is probably one of the darkest ones on the album, with Miley Cyrus totally focused on the words of the song. It has a musical theatre sound to it, one we would love to see on stage. This is one of those album tracks that fans will go wild for when Miley Cyrus sings it during her tour. Deep, rich, dark, and true. She definitely impresses us all with this track.
She’s Not Him
Taking it down a few notches. “She’s Not Him” is another ballad on this album. Once again it exposes her vocals, allowing her to release the raw emotions she’s been holding within. It really shows how far she has come allowing herself to be truthful in her songs.
Inspired
This almost feels like a bonus track. We first heard her perform this track at the One Love Manchester benefit concert, hosted by Ariana Grande, for the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. It really is one of the biggest stripped back tracks we’ve heard from Miley Cyrus. It’s lovely and totally unforgettable. A lot of people thought it would be a hit, yet it’s not commercial enough and will always remain a treasured song by many.
This album, as a whole, doesn’t showcase Miley Cyrus’ versatility. All the tracks are pretty similar, with only a few being able to fully stand out. It’s a real and honest album that is full of emotion in every way. It may not be a typical Miley Cyrus album, but it’s one that has her heart on her sleeve and is yet another brilliant stepping stone in this female singer’s career.