MOLLY VANDENBERG
Staff Writer
Miley Cyrus returns to her Tennessee roots in her new album “Younger Now” which was released Sep. 29, saying in the first line of the first track “feels like I just woke up, like all this time I’ve been asleep.”
Cyrus wrote and produced the entire album alongside Oren Yoel.
The first track “Younger Now” is an ode to Cyrus accepting herself and the changes happening in her life. It introduces the topic of renovation and that change can be scary, but sometimes what we need the most.
Long time fans will appreciate this album, because it’s the closest thing she has released, since leaving Disney Channel, to her Hannah Montana days.
She even recently sang “The Climb” on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon that was the hit single from “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
While “Malibu” was the popular single with simplistic lyrics that were almost made for Top 40 radio stations, the rest of the tracks are surprisingly more refreshing.
“Rainbowland” features Dolly Parton (Cyrus’ godmother) in a country/pop collaboration, while “Thinkin’” is a more upbeat, playful track.
A lot of the songs on the album center around relationships, such as ballads like “Week Without You” and “I Would Die For You.”
This is a drastic change from her previous albums, including “Bangerz” and “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz.” “Bangerz” was what Cyrus called “dirty south hip-hop.” It featured the kind of songs you would find yourself dancing on a bench at Old Main to.
It seems that Cyrus is attempting to break away from the more provocative image she created of herself over these past four years. She’s maturing. There will be a solid discography for her fans to listen to for time to come.
We’ve been there for the blonde short haircut and now we’re here for “Younger Now.” I have always thought that country music fit Cyrus’ voice best and this shines through on the album.
Some might make the argument that in constantly changing up her style of music, she actually isn’t very sure of herself. However, I can imagine that, as a musician, constantly creating the same sort of music over and over again wouldn’t be very beneficial towards artistic growth.
It’s important to try new things, but at the end of the day we always know our roots and where we come from.