Bangerz

Let's be honest, we all have an opinion on Miley Cyrus. And well, she does one thing right; everybody is talking about her. I personally am getting a bit tired of the gimmicks. I wasn't shocked about her walking around half naked. A body is a body and for all I care, she goes grocery shopping without clothes on. I just feel like her attempts at shedding the Hannah Montana image are a bit too desperate. It feels as though she's trying too hard to be gangster. Instead of it all being an effortless process, it seems as though every 'shocking' thing she does is too calculated and too focused on being controversial.

However, in the end it's all about the music. At least it is for me. I can like an artist but I won't give two shits if their music isn't my taste. I wasn't particularly fond of We Can't Stop, although I did find myself humming the chorus at times. Wrecking Ball took some time getting used to. I think it's an okay song. I refuse to watch the video though. Not because she's naked and sexually assaulting sledge hammers, but because it was directed by Terry Richardson, a notorious pervert who exploits young models sent to him. I don't feel like supporting anything like that. Plus, watching the video made me feel a bit dirty.

Anyways, as I think the music should speak for itself, I decided to give Bangerz a listen. I went into it completely without judgement. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish listening to it. To be fair, some of the beats were okay, but most of the time it had all been done before but 10 times better. It wasn't an unpredictable album. Basically, every song was either about heartbreak or partying, getting money and sex. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as it's done well. Justin Timberlake's 2006 album Futuresex/Lovesounds was basically all about sex but it was original and well-thought out. Bangerz is not. It goes from one heartbreak song, to a party song to another heartbreak song. The lyrics are hardly original and quite confusing at times. From all the songs I've listened to, I think Wrecking ball was musically and lyrically the best song on the album.
That doesn't mean I didn't like some of the tracks. I thought the sampling of Stand by me on my darling was quite well done and entertaining. Her country song ft. Nelly 4x4 was good and surprising. But for me personally, those were the only highlights on the track.

I don't think Bangerz will be a classic as Miley hopes it will be. For those who like this kind of music and Miley's voice in particular, I'm sure this album will be great. I was expecting a little more, especially since Pharrell Williams was involved in this album. Unfortunately he couldn't give her the perfect song which would mark her transition from childstar to serious popstar (like I'm a slave 4 u did for Britney).

I hope for Miley that she will evolve some more and find a way to be herself without having to constantly do something controversial. It's getting tiring at a certain point. Yes, we've all seen boobs before. The shock factor is gone. She needs to have more tricks upon her sleeve in order to keep the momentum going. I hope these tricks will include some seriously amazing and surprising music in the future.