Miley Cyrus Goes Back To Her Roots In "Younger Now"

If you've followed pop culture in the last few years, you'd recall lots of Miley Cyrus'... "interesting" escapades. A period of rebelliousness had her doing some crazy things. That time has come and passed, and now Cyrus has come into a more reflective period. Miley Cyrus goes back to her roots in Younger Now, calming things down and approaching things more calmly.

Right off the get go, you can tell Cyrus has taken a calmer route. 'Younger Now' begins with ambience, the sound of a rainy day with frogs croaking in the background soon accompanied by warm acoustic guitars. Cyrus' vocals are level, reflective and very understanding of where she is right now. It's nice to hear her being more uplifting than blatantly against the system. Lead single 'Malibu' follows up, a warm and sweet guitar line accompanying dreamy melodies. It has an almost childlike curiosity with a sense of fond reminiscing aside it. It's a song about overcoming obstacles throughout life, coming to be beside someone to help them forge ahead.

While Younger Now is definitely a good step for Cyrus, you feel like there should be a little more climax in the album. It definitely comes with its good moments, such as the wonderful harmonies in her song with Dolly Parton, the pure country 'Rainbowland' and the darker, western twang in 'Bad Mood,' but there just isn't anything that really sticks out as active. There's not a bad song, but at the same time there's not many songs that stand above the rest. You have to respect the palette the record has, like the bluesy sound of 'Love Someone' and the chill 'I Would Die For You,' but beyond that, instrumentally, there's nothing very invigorating. The lyrics bring all the power, and even then the same themes sort of become repetitive over time.

Miley Cyrus goes back to her roots in Younger Now, channeling the sounds she grew up with rather than the more rambunctious tones she's overtaken in past years. Younger Now is a wise and passionate album, and even if it's not the most captivating record, it definitely has a strong message to back Cyrus' passion.

Favorite Track: Malibu

Least Favorite Track: She's Not Him

Rating: 73 / 100

Stream or buy Younger Now on Apple Music: