‘Something Beautiful' Review: Miley Cyrus Stays Adventurous

Wall Street Journal

3 days ago

For pop singers of the 21st century, sustaining a career over the long haul involves a certain amount of fan service. Social media has vastly expanded and intensified the connection between superstars and their audience, and the expectation is that the artist will deliver what the masses want—new tracks, videos, collaborations and tours—at regular intervals in order to keep the faithful interested and engaged. Like Taylor and her 'Swifties,' singer Miley Cyrus has an army of followers with a nickname, the 'Smilers,' but her career path has been unpredictable, and she typically leaves her fans guessing what she might do next.
In this and other respects, Ms. Cyrus stands out from her pop-star peers. While many of them tap into a fairly small pool of musical inspirations, she draws on genres from across the spectrum, including a hefty dose of classic rock from the '70s and '80s. In interviews leading up to her ninth studio release and its accompanying film, 'Something Beautiful' (Columbia), she identified Pink Floyd's 1979 album and 1982 film 'The Wall' as a particular inspiration. Nothing on the record, out Friday, evokes the sound or themes of the English band's sprawling opus. But Ms. Cyrus's aesthetic adventurousness is intact, for better and for worse.