I certainly relish the special opportunity to post about Miley Cyrus. She’s not getting nearly enough coverage nowadays.

single: “We Can’t Stop“

artist: Miley Cyrus

I can surely be forgiven for thinking this was a Rihanna record on the first listen. The lower female register, the Island-tinged vocal embellishments, the midtempo pop/R&B shuffle–this record emulates a lot of RiRi’s strongest selling points.

But you know what–I can’t call it a rip-off. Rihanna and her team have been putting out the highest quality pop music for the last six years; for Miley to not only model the style convincingly, but to do it with panache and honest-to-God swag–that’s an artistic win-win.

Miley’s hip-hop affectations might not be ready for the stage. Her twerking may need tweaking. But on this record, she’s every inch the reborn, confident adult pop artist she strives to be.

Hannah Montana don’t live here anymore.