“One thing Stunning” is the profession melting pot we have all been ready for.
On her ninth studio album, “One thing Stunning,” Miley Cyrus finds herself in a assured state of juxtaposition — between style, lyrical themes and shiny manufacturing. It’s a sonic tapestry the place poetic biblical references marry shimmering pop hooks, anchored by the vocal prowess that solely Cyrus can ship.
SETTING THE TONE THROUGH JUXTAPOSITION
The album opens with “Prelude,” a spoken-word observe that channels the intimacy of slam poetry, layered over an ominous, larger-than-life orchestral rating. Right here, Cyrus rests within the album’s principal theme — the character of life — stunning, individualistic and fleeting.
The transience continues into the title observe. “One thing Stunning” fuses jazz, pop and rock, into one of many album’s defining moments. Its heavy rock refrain hits unexpectedly however lands with precision. Mixing biblical and sensual, with lyrics like “water to crimson wine, kissing to kill time,” it’s a prayer whispered within the eye of a storm — a plea for consolation in chaos.
Then comes “Finish of the World,” a glam-pop gemstone that echoes ’70s ABBA. It’s a radiant celebration of uncertainty, mixing existential dread with defiant pleasure, selecting love as if tomorrow doesn’t exist. “Like a comet on the Fourth of July,” Cyrus sings, portray alluring apocalyptic imagery the place the ending is equally luminous as it’s overwhelming. The place “One thing Stunning” leans on manufacturing distinction, “Finish of the World” lets its lyrics carry the load of duality.
Probably the most dazzling ballads of her profession, “Extra to Lose,” is Cyrus’ self-proclaimed model of “I Will All the time Love You,” written by godmother Dolly Parton however popularized by Whitney Houston. It pays homage to the classic but immortal affect on the visible album’s sonic manufacturing and accompanying style. Cyrus belts a quiet heartbreak, describing a love unraveling like “a film star in a worn-out coat.”
Bookended Pop Perfection
The primary of two wordless tracks, “Interlude 1,” is stark and uneasy. Produced by Maxx Morando and Max Taylor-Sheppard, it blankets the album’s opening act in uncomfortability but confidence within the album’s capacity to mature earlier than your eyes, mirroring the trajectory of Cyrus’ personal profession.
“Straightforward Lover,” the one that hand-held right now’s album launch, was written by Cyrus however pitched for Beyoncé’s Grammy award-winning album, “Cowboy Carter.” Delivered as pop perfection, it’s an ode to the magnetic pull of a relationship that now not serves but nonetheless electrifies the soul. Its emotional tug-of-war is matched by its manufacturing sheen.
Performing as a direct bookend, “Interlude 2” follows as a pivot. Livelier, extra dynamic, but much less ominous than its predecessor, it means that the album hasn’t peaked but. Spoiler: It hasn’t.
Glorified Love within the Highlight
One of many album’s simple standouts, “Golden Burning Solar,” is a shimmering plea for love that’s rooted in belief and devotion. It seems like a religious sequel to each “Prelude” and “Finish of the World” — a sun-drenched screenshot of good happiness. Cyrus locations her accomplice on the middle of her universe, but nonetheless urges him to “give up,” she belts in repeat.
The album’s first characteristic comes courtesy of Brittany Howard on “Stroll of Fame.” A homosexual glam, Gaga-adjacent pop anthem that dissects the very nature of fame within the sexiest means doable. Whereas fame is often a celebration of superstar and achievement, it’s a double-edged metaphor. On one finish, it represents glamour and standing; on the opposite, it holds loneliness — a star buried within the pavement.
A Virgin Mary youngster of the 2015 “Miley Cyrus and her Lifeless Petz” album, “Fake You’re God” faucets into psychedelic pop, with biblical references blurring dream and actuality, acknowledging her lover as virtually God-like. The track’s undertones elevate the primal and intimate want for consolation in one thing divine.
Timeless, Trend-Ahead Vulnerability
With archival style as the point of interest of the album’s visuals, “Each Woman You’ve Ever Cherished” faucets on the second and last characteristic, Naomi Campbell, who delivers the fiercest a part of the observe. It’s a daring, defiant and hyper-glamourous celebration of self-worth. Campbell and Cyrus ask, by way of a fashion-forward dance flooring anthem, to not merely be admired — however really be seen.
Sitting in a seedy nightclub, “Reborn” is a sweaty religious banger meant to be heard in a smoke-filled European nightclub. Right here, love is each rebirth and salvation. Cyrus once more leans on biblical undertones and a craving for one thing everlasting.
She closes the album with “Give Me Love,” a wink at her nation roots with guitar strings that paint a journey by way of an imagined paradise, melting dream and fantasy. Direct references to the Backyard of Eden symbolize temptation, with a “naked woman” performing virtually like a siren inviting each magnificence and hazard. Its outro is a lush, aching cry for love.
Closing Ideas on “One thing Stunning“
“One thing Stunning” seems like Miley Cyrus’ most cohesive and introspective album to this point. It’s not outlined by style, although it is right now’s pop, however extra so by imaginative and prescient. Although there’s consistency within the unpredictability of what’s to come back, that has been a constant theme within the 20-year journey of Miley Cyrus.
