The last time I was excited about an upcoming Miley Cyrus album, I had to be either 10 or 11 years old. So, it’s been QUITE a while.
However, hearing “Midnight Sky”, as well as her cover of “Zombie” by The Cranberries and the mashup of “Midnight Sky” and “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks, had me thinking that “Plastic Hearts” could be very promising. With that, I felt the same excitement and anticipation I used to feel back when I was a kid and a mega Miley fan.
When listening to the first song, “WTF Do I Know”, I already felt like I was in for a damn good rollercoaster ride. It has an excellent rock ‘n’ roll sound to it. I mean… can we talk about the bass in the beginning AND the guitar solo appearing later in the song? It’s certainly a solid start.
As the album progresses, you really start to feel an 80’s vibe come through. In my opinion, that is what makes the album stand out. Every song screams, “Miley!” It continuously proves again and again that this genre truly fits Miley’s vocals.
One (actually, two) of the most iconic moments on this album are her collaborations with both Joan Jett AND Billy Idol - two of the biggest 80’s rock ‘n’ roll icons ever. “Night Crawling”, which features Billy Idol, has that 80’s synth pop sound to it. Hearing that? I felt like I time traveled back to the 80’s.
“Bad Karma”, which features Joan Jett, really gives off The Runaways - which was Joan’s first band before forming Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - vibes to me. This collaboration is one of the biggest highlights on the album. Who knew we needed an iconic collaboration between Miley and Joan?
Overall, this album is most certainly Miley’s best work yet. Everything about this album is incredible from the music, to the lyrics and the features. I think it’s safe to say that Miley has a great future as a rock artist. Man, does she sing rock well.
Overall, my favorite songs on Plastic Hearts are (in no particular order) “Hate Me”, “Gimme What I Want”, Angels Like You, Bad Karma, Never Be Me and Golden G String. These songs were Miley’s strongest moments on the album, both vocally and lyrically. Needless to say, she did a fantastic job finding her sound.
Here’s to Miley singing more rock ‘n’ roll oriented music in the future.