Miley Cyrus is enormously talented and deeply problematic. Not surprisingly, Attention: Miley Live, a bumpy 82-minute recording made when the former Hannah Montana opened for Green Day in Los Angeles two months ago, is loaded with provocative contradictions.
Cyrus applies her valkyrie-like voice to her signature pop hits “Wrecking Ball” and “Party in the U.S.A.” as well as to covers by the likes of the Pixies, Prince and Dolly Parton. Joan Jett seems to be Cyrus’ lodestar, but she often winds up sounding like Wynonna Judd. A brief interpolation of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” suggests Cyrus might be the Nancy Sinatra of her generation.
Candidly assessing her career, Cyrus acknowledges she’s “been a lot of different things, a lot of different identities.” Much of Attention: Miley Live may not be “good,” but few albums released in 2022 are likely to be more interesting. Monitoring Cyrus’ ongoing evolution promises to be a lot of fun.
