Miley Cyrus Goes Back to Basics On 'Younger Now'

(Radio.com) Miley Cyrus turns 25 in November and in her quarter-century of life, the singer has aced more iterations and reinventions than most artists do in a lifetime. We remember Hannah Montana, The Last Song, the exuberant "Party in the U.S.A.," hosting the VMAs, riding a "Wrecking Ball," the psychedelic Dead Petz era--each new Miley more daring and discussion-provoking than the last.

On Younger Now, her upcoming sixth studio album, Miley makes a hard pivot from shock and awe into something much more radical (for her): Bittersweet vibes, folksy melodies and evocative arrangements. Cyrus is credited as a writer on all 11 tracks and the lead single "Malibu" introduced fans to her breezy new aesthetic.

'I just want people to see that this is who I am right now," she told the Harper's Bazaar in July. "I'm not saying I've never been myself ' Who I was on the last record was really who I am. It's just 'myself' has been a lot of different people because I change a lot."

An element of Miley's evolution is reconnecting with her country music roots. Despite her born-and-bred Nashville bona fides, Cyrus told Billboard that she's never felt quite at home on the country circuit, despite her Johnny Cash tattoo and the fact that Dolly Parton is her godmother.

Parton appears on Younger Now's third track "Rainbowland," and "Inspired," one of the album's promotional singles, deploys a mournful country fiddle. Those whispers of Nashville fit surprisingly well into Miley's relaxed, Southern California aesthetic on "Malibu" and the title track "Younger Now." There's a fixed twang in her voice that--even on Bangerz' hip-hop and EDM-inspired cuts--has never quite abandoned her. Read more here.

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