ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Miley Cyrus became a household name in the mid-2000s as the star of Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” and throughout her career, she has also successfully released a fair share of her own music away from the Mouse House.
The most recent of those efforts came in the form of her newest album, “Bass Persuades,” which was released Sept. 18 as her first with Atlantic Records. While Cyrus isn’t an artist I typically jump on YouTube to search for, I heard about this album’s release and decided to go ahead and give it a listen to see what the buzz was about.
To start off, Cyrus’ vocals are pretty solid for each song on the album. She leans into a fun and funkier side with songs like “Bass Persuades” and “Different Religions” and leans more into a sultrier tone with songs like “Let’s Get Married” and the album’s closer, “Snow.” Being an alto, I did enjoy how Cyrus used a lot of the lower register of her voice, and it ends up being pretty strong and very pleasing to listen to. While the performances are solid, however, I do wish she would have pushed herself somewhat because there are some songs I’ve heard her sing in the past where she absolutely brought the house down, and I wish there would have been some of that shown in the songs on the album. Overall, however, the vocals from Cyrus and the pair of guests she duets with end up being pretty solid.
The songs on the album are also pretty solid listens. I have a feeling “Bass Persuades” is going to be highly requested at dance clubs for the near future, along with “Different Religions,” which actually slightly reminded me of “Killah” from Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” album. “Let’s Get Married” and “Orbit” both make for pretty solid love songs and are very sultry and sweet, and I actually feel like neither of them would be completely out of place for a first dance at a wedding. I also really liked “Innocent Ways,” which I feel could be interpreted as either a letter to herself about while she’s certainly grown up and been through a lot in her life, she still has a lot to learn (which is actually a pretty universal message) or an apology to loved ones she might have let down in the past. One of my absolute favorites on the album is “Snow,” which offers a picture-perfect engagement and the feelings that come along with reaching such a milestone. All in all, there wasn’t really any song on the album that made me want to skip, and it ends up a satisfying result.
While the songs individually are pretty solid, the album as a whole doesn’t really feel like one cohesive work but rather songs patched together from a few different concepts into an album, and the final result is kind of messy. The album starts off with a pair of hard-driving, bass-thumping dance songs, then goes to some love songs, then back to more pop and dance before concluding with a final love song. It’s a bit of a whiplash effect – especially going from “Different Religion” to “Let’s Get Married,” which almost feels like that awkward moment when a parent comes in and you have to dive to change the channel or switch off the stereo if you happen to be watching or listening to something a little more adult than usual. The randomness of the song order prevented this album from feeling like a journey, like a lot of other albums I’ve listened to. I feel like Cyrus and her team should have picked one overall sound for the album – either a hard-thumping album full of dace songs or a more romantic feel. If there had been one focus, I feel like that would have made the album as a whole much, much stronger.
Another area where the album slightly suffers is the length – there are only 10 songs and the whole album lasts slightly less than 40 minutes, so it almost feels like this album rather hinders itself from being fully understood and developed by being as short as it is. If there had been maybe a couple more songs, it might have felt more complete, in my opinion.
Overall, Miley Cyrus’ “Bass Persuades” album ends up being a bit of a mixed bag as a whole, and I would give it a C-plus grade. Cyrus’ vocals are pleasing to listen to and I enjoyed how she played around with both the funkier and fun side of things as well as the slower and sultrier side, especially with her lower register, though I do wish there were at least a few moments of her pushing herself, because I know she’s got a decent range. The songs on the album are also pretty solid listens, and there are a handful I feel will work in a variety of settings. However, I feel there could have been more cohesion and more of an effort for the album to truly feel like one project, because it almost feels like songs from multiple concepts were kind of thrown together for this album. The album’s short length also prevents it from being fully understood and appreciated, and I feel like a couple more songs would have helped it feel more complete. If you’re a fan of Cyrus’ other work, this will probably be a fun time, but if you’re unfamiliar, it’s up to you whether or not you want this album to be your introduction.
