Miley Cyrus's journey from dual-identitied child star to grown woman making her own artistic decisions may never be complete, and that's okay by me. The evolution and opportunities and chances and risks and rewards and hits are all equally as exciting when it comes to seemingly every step she takes in her career now. And Plastic Hearts is all of that too!
Plastic Hearts is a 12-song album, stretched into a 15-song album thanks to a remix and two live covers. It clocks in at 50 minutes. It's got appearances by legends Billy Idol, Joan Jett, and Stevie Nicks as well as 6-time 2021 GRAMMY nominee, Dua Lipa. And, on Apple Music, there are four additional bonus tracks, with Backyard Sessions of High, Plastic Hearts, Golden G String, and Angels Like You. This really is a release packed with extras and wow moments.
I fully admit that I was exciting going into this album. And that can be a double-edged sword. I wanted to like it a lot. I wanted it to be awesome, but you can't always get what you want. So when I hit play and listened... I was happy, and maybe not surprised, and maybe not relieved, but satisfied and smiling.
Personally, if I'm not starting at the top of the tracklist (which I do recommend), I'm starting with Midnight Sky.
Miley Cyrus - Midnight Sky
I mentioned the guest appearances on the album already, and they're a lot of fun. But what those first three names, Idol, Jett, and Nicks, bring to the table is a rock and roll edge and power that Cyrus' pop fans might not otherwise be all-in on. The big upside, of course, is that these songs all work ( Night Crawling, Bad Karma, Edge Of Midnight). Miley has an edge of her own. It's in her voice, but also in her attitude, and when she flashes that snarl with the curled lip, she's as much bad-ass performative rock star as we've got these days.
Note: (Most of the time) When I listen to Midnight Sky, I hear the Edge Of Midnight remix in my head because it's so damn good too. Here's what I said in the New Music Spotlight when it dropped: "Miley's new album, Plastic Hearts drops on November 27, 2020, and now we know that this killer remix of Midnight Sky is going to be track #13. Legend and Hall of Famer, Stevie Nicks coming on for Midnight Sky (Edge of Midnight) is everything I could have wanted as one more reason to be excited for the entire album. Dang this is good."
On release day, I was scrolling through Twitter and this tweet from NBA writer/podcaster (and pretty good hobbyist guitar player) popped up. KOC is a smart dude who loves music, and I respect the heck out of him - so here are his thoughts about Plastic Hearts.
The new Miley Cyrus album Plastic Hearts is so good. Prisoner, High, Midnight Sky & Plastic Hearts are my favorites. Love how she's all in on the rock vibe yet she preserves her own style. It'll serve as a gateway record to new genres for many of her fans. https://t.co/i0pxDwEzBB
- Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) November 27, 2020
Miley Cyrus - Prisoner (ft. Dua Lipa)
I don't know if chameleon is the right way to describe Miley Cyrus as an artist - or if she's just talented enough and interested in enough variety that she can incorporate as many influences and sounds and ideas as she wants into an album like Plastic Hearts.
She's got an emerging pop superstar in Dua Lipa right there on Prisoner (which evokes vibes of Olivia Newton-John's Physical), she gives me deep NIN Closer feelings in the bass lines on Gimme What I Want (and it fits), and she offers of one of Johnny Cash's most famous lyrics, "I walk the line", on Never Be Me.
From pop to rock to country, it all works for Miley Cyrus in a way it wouldn't for a lot of artists. And maybe it's her country roots and her pop childhood and her love of rock and roll that just found a way to mix and mesh wonderfully. I don't know how or why she is this artistic vessel. But she is.
If you want to dance, you'll get that on this album. If you want something slowed down, you'll get that ( Never Be Me surprised me in a great way and so did Golden G String). If you want introspective storytelling lyrics, Miley goes there too. Plastic Hearts is a lot of things without feeling like it's too many things.
I don't know if this gives us any sense of what we can expect in the future from Miley Cyrus, or if what it tells us is that we should expect anything and everything from Miley Cyrus. And while I am very interested in the answer to that question, right now I'm quite enjoying these songs and this album and what Ms Cyrus has put together. I'm in.
Hit play on the stream of Plastic Hearts to give it a full listen now (or scroll just a little further for videos of Heart Of Glass and Zombie) - turn up the volume and enjoy!
Miley Cyrus, Plastic Hearts Tracklist
1. WTF Do I Know
2. Plastic Hearts
3. Angels Like You
4. Prisoner (ft. Dua Lipa)
5. Gimme What I Want
6. Night Crawling (ft. Billy Idol)
7. Midnight Sky
8. High
9. Hate Me
10. Bad Karma (ft. Joan Jett)
11. Never Be Me
12. Golden G String
13. Edge Of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)(ft. Stevie Nicks)
14. Heart Of Glass (Live from the iHeart Festival)
15. Zombie (Live from the NIVA Save Our Stages Festival)
