Love her or hate her, she's just being Miley.
The former "Hannah Montana" star, who shed her Disney image once and for all at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, released her fourth record, "Bangerz," through RCA Records on Tuesday. The 16-track album features guest spots from the likes of Britney Spears and Ludacris, as well as, several firsts for the singer.
"Bangerz" is the first album from Cyrus to sport a parental advisory label. It is also Cyrus' first album with RCA after the singer split with Disney-affiliated record label Hollywood Records. The new album also gave Cyrus her first Billboard No. 1 when "Wrecking Ball" topped the Hot 100 last month.
"[It's] bigger than just a record; it represents taking over the world," Cyrus said in her recent MTV documentary, "Miley: The Movement."
Reactions from critics Tuesday were mixed, but the album did find some high praise. Entertainment Weekly called the record "utterly fresh, a pop blitz from a hip-hop blueprint, and proof that Miley won't settle for just shocking us."
The AV Club noted Cyrus' strong vocal skills, saying, "Her pipes are solid throughout Bangerz, and on the rare occasions that producers overlay her vocals with Auto-Tune ("My Darlin'"), it weakens the material." The review finished by saying the album "could very well legitimize Miley Cyrus."
Rolling Stone called the record "strange but traditional."
"[Cyrus'] Disney-steeped voice never takes a back seat to the wide-ranging production (from the likes of Pharrell, Will.i.am and Dr. Luke), and Billy Ray's daughter rocks a country vocal during several tracks," the review said.
Cyrus, who will turn 21 in November, has been hard at work reinventing herself. She first made a name as the titular star in "Hannah Montana", a family-friendly Disney sitcom that ran for four seasons and became a worldwide phenomenon that spawned everything from a clothing franchise to sold-out concerts.
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