Can one song change a career? Judging by the resounding success of the singleFlowersan infectious pop-funk track cloaked in melancholy that brought back Miley Cyrus to the glories of Wrecking Ball in 2013, the answer can only be yes.
This is why there is great anticipation for the release of the eighth album by the ex Hannah Montana, Endless Summer Night, from yesterday available in physical and digital format. After the end of her marriage to Liam Hemsworth, the Californian pop star shows herself to be even stronger and more confident: her songs reflect the strength she has found by focusing on her physical and mental well-being. Recorded in Los Angeles and produced with Kid Harpoon, Greg Kurstin, Mike Will Made It and Tyler Johnson, the artist describes the disc as his personal love letter to the Californian city, of which he tells the infinite highways, the lights and the shadows, the splendors and the miseries. “I divided the album into two parts. AM coincides with morning, which offers a potential for new possibilities. PM coincides with the night: it’s a great time to rest and recover energy, but also to give vent to your wildest side. For me it is very inspiring ”, the singer said in a video posted on her very popular social channels. After the eighties synth pop of the previous one Plastic Hearts, in Endless Summer Night Miley broadens her palette of colors, skilfully moving between pop, blues and dance, making the most of her country-tinged voice that has made her one of the most popular young performers in the US for her versatility: a sort of millennial Dolly Parton.
A comparison confirmed by the successful duet with country star Brandi Carlile in thousand miles, a song that, we are sure, will become a catchphrase of American radios that accompany listeners on long car journeys. One of the album’s best tracks is the lilting and restless Muddy Feetwhich in just over two minutes offers an interpretation contest with the always impeccable Sia in a crescendo of voices, instruments and emotions. River is a driving four-kick dance track that rivals the best productions of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue, while Handstands is a sensual and hypnotic electropop that skilfully alternates empty and full, in the wake of Tame Impala, SZA and Kali Uchis. THEsland it’s a summery and Latin song with a good chance of becoming a quality catchphrase, thanks to its captivating melodic lineWhile You And Violet Chemistry reveal all the singer’s love for black music (soul in the first case, funk/r&b in the second). Rose Colored Lenses and above all the final Wonder Woman exemplify the positive message of the album, in the name of self-acceptance and the desire to start over, to embark on a new one-way journey, leaving behind the pains of the past. Endless Summer Night it is a mature, successful and predominantly minor-key albumin which Miley Cyrus officially throws down the gauntlet to Lady Gaga who, from pop star for teenagers, has become over the years one of the most loved and respected performers in America, up to the well-deserved victory of the Academy Award for shallow.