The flashes of darkness and experimentation on Bass Persuades only make Miley’s frustrating retreat into safer territory harder to understand

After a daring and impressive ninth album, Miley Cyrus rebrands by going back to basics with a boring, cliched release that’s often unpleasant to listen to

The album’s abrupt shifts in genre and tone never allow you to settle in

Miley Cyrus has a distinctive voice, outsize charisma, and an infamous weird streak, but her short, uninspired new album sounds dated on arrival

Her latest album lacks direction, but gives glimpses of what could've been if she'd followed its strongest songs’ best impulses

Throughout Bass Persuades, a darker, industrial Miley is fighting to be heard. The album is at its best when she gives that side room to breathe

The ever-evolving artist settles comfortably into her own skin on her 10th album, even if the best stuff is hidden away on the record

Marking her 10th album under a new moniker, the former Disney star's latest artistic reinvention is as intriguing as it is muddled

The album is kind of fun, but it would be more fun with better lyrics

Massive bangers don't seem to motivate her any more — at least, not as much as the love she goes home to at the end of the night

Bass Persuades luxuriates in both her hard-won wisdom and confidently polished taste, nothing more or less. It may not be as progressive as its predecessor, but it’s fascinating all the same