Before I listened to Bangerz, I was excited to hear some new Miley, but as the album played, I kept getting a sinking feeling of disappointment.
Overall, Bangerz lacks a sense of direction. One minute, Miley wants to sing some classical pop and the next, she’s trying to rap and prove how wild she is. Why, Miley? Why?
To start off, we have “Adore You.” This is a simple song, with a nice overall feel and a good starting point for the album.
Next is the first single, “We Can’t Stop.” Obviously this song is not a work of lyrical genius, but with this smash party hit of drugs, God and homegirls with big butts, how could you go wrong?
Following this is the title track of the album, “SMS (Bangerz).” This is where things start to go a little south. Miley does not so much sing as she speaks quickly to a beat. Even though there is a guest spot by Britney Spears, it still falls short.
Next are “4×4” and “My Darlin,” two songs that are not so special but that feature artists Nelly and Future, respectively.
After these songs is easily the biggest highlight of Bangerz, the single “Wrecking Ball.” This is one of the few pieces on the album with some drive behind it. After watching a live performance of the song where Miley begins to cry while singing, it’s hard to debate its value.
Sadly, this shining moment doesn’t last long. The next track, “Love, Money, Party,” is yet another step back for the album. Although it’s tempting to turn the song into a drinking game, taking a sip each time Miley says a word in the song’s title, I wouldn’t recommend doing so because you’d probably get alcohol poisoning.
Next is the monotonous song, “#GETITRIGHT.” I would like to take this moment to address all musical artists: please reconsider adding a hashtag into the title of your song.
The next two songs, “Drive” and “FU,” are pretty generic and don’t really seem to stand out.
Next is another low, “Do My Thang,” in which Miley is trying to bangerz us over the head with the message that she is super wild now.
The next song, “Maybe You’re Right,” is a nice pop song. Honestly, many of the best songs in the album are the ones where Miley does the most singing (shocking, right?), rather than make weird attempts at rapping over crazy beats.
“Someone Else,” “Rooting for My Baby,” “Hands in the Air” and “On My Own” are not really standout songs and don’t add much to the album.
With only some true highlights, the album is mediocre at best. Many of the songs are fun to listen to, but the same amount are too similar, simple and riddled with repetition.
I wanted to really adore the album, but there was just not enough actual substance to make it stand out and leave an impact. At the end of the day, this album is more miss after miss than hit after hit, even though Miley Cyrus does have vocal talent and so much potential.