The Truth Is I’m A Liar

Miley Cyrus featuring Joan Jett “Bad Karma”

Miley Cyrus always seems most comfortable singing rock songs, and this makes sense – even though she can competently emote in a more R&B mode, everything that makes her charismatic and exciting as a vocalist is in the grit and raw power of her voice. She effortlessly conveys a lot of core rock values that can be hard to come by in a lot of popular rock music from the past few decades – raw sexuality, attitude, huge untamed emotions, and a touch of camp. Up until recently her career has been a bit confusing because it’s apparent how much she’s had to move away from her strong suit to stay relevant in the market. A lot of her biggest hits have basically been rock songs, but her new album Plastic Hearts is the first to come to the audience with the wild proposition that she’s giving us a big pop record that’s also a big rock record. What a concept, right?

“Bad Karma” is a sleazy rocker with a lascivious “uh huh, uh huh” hook that has a very ‘70s feel but more of a ‘90s alt-rock sense of dynamics as the verses build up tension until Angel Olsen’s guitar part crashes in on the chorus. Cyrus sings the song as a duet with Joan Jett if just to acknowledge how much of the song is owed to her back catalog, but their voices complement each other very well – it’s almost like hearing the same person at different points in her life. They both project a convincing degree of shamelessness in their vocals and that’s really all this song about being a reckless and self-destructive flirt needs to work.

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