Album Review: Noah Cyrus – I WANT MY LOVED ONES TO GO WITH ME
3 min read
As an artist, Noah Cyrus has made a name for herself over the past ten years. Beginning at the tender age of 16, she has collaborated with a string of major artists, been GRAMMY nominated, and performed at countless high-profile festivals and talk shows. It wasn’t until 2021, however, that the claim can be made that she found her sound. Working with PJ Harding on 2021’s People Don’t Change EP and releasing her debut collection THE END OF EVERYTHING in 2020, it was clear the folk pop route was working for her. Now, she has release her second full length album I WANT MY LOVED ONES TO GO WITH ME.
The album kicks off with the deliciously folky I Saw The Mountains, an atmospheric and ethereal track that seems to glide on a bed of synths and strings. When the drums kick in for the chorus it lifts everything tenfold, and the guitar solo towards the back half was a lovely choice. It sets up the following track Don’t Put It All On Me perfectly, the song featuring Fleet Foxes takes elements from the prior song and amplifies them, thematically not instrumentally. Their voices meld seamlessly, at times sounding like a modern Fleetwood Mac. What’s It All For? strips it all back, an acoustic and fiddle pairing providing a solid base for Noah to sing out her soul. Way Of The World featuring Ella Langley and New Country with Blake Shelton both utilise their contribution excellently, the former’s softly driving beat perfectly accentuating the duet, while the latter gives time for both singers to shine on the building instrumentation.
Both Long Ride Home and Apple Tree apply the reverb heavily and rely on subtle instrumentation, but use it in very different ways. The former’s chorus explodes with loud synths and pounding drums, before reducing back to just voice and acoustic. The latter song is a six-minute odyssey built from piano that ends with a haunting song sample and a reverb tail the size of the Grand Canyon. Man In The Field picks up from where it left off, telling a tale that could have come straight from legend. With You pulls in electric guitar to create a new form of ambience, while Love Is A Canyon brings the drums back in and builds to a satisfying climax. Final song XXX, featuring Bill Callahan, begins with the man himself and a guitar. The pair’s voices come together wonderfully and the soft song itself acts as a lovely, somewhat bittersweet ending to the album.
I WANT MY LOVED ONES TO GO WITH ME is a step further into folk and country for Noah, farther than any of her previous work before. Because of this, long time fans may be surprised, but new listeners will be hard pressed to tell you who it is that is singing these wonderful songs. The collection is mature, well arranged, and packed with interesting songwriting. It’s hard to know if this is the beginning of a new direction or the stepping stone towards something else entirely, but as it is, it’s a fantastic standalone.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
