If You Like Miley Cyrus' "Bangerz," You'll Love...

Miley Cyrus's Bangerz dropped yesterday. 

Miley's *steeples fingers* interesting relationship with black American culture has gotten a lot of attention over the past few months, as her Mike Will-produced "We Can't Stop" climbed the charts. (We've touched on this a few times.) It's also been noted that Miley is bringing (a particular conception of) black art to the forefront to attain the highest levels of popular success at a time when a lot of artists—from Robin Thicke to Justin Bieber—are caucasian. Which has led to a lot of questions about appropriation. 

After hearing Miley's album, it's tough to say that it's any more derivative of other artists than would be true of white pop stars as a whole. Her awkward relationship with blackness seems more about marketing—random asides in her lyrics ("bout that life"??) or her videos, rather than the sonic blueprint of, say, Juicy J records. ("23," the most hip-hop song she's released, is actually going on Mike Will's album.) Instead, it's a reasonably diverse pop record, one with its fair share of ups and downs. Mike Will's contributions tend to find him stretching away from the kind of beats he's made for rappers in the past. (The strongest tracks tend to be the most traditional—songs like breakup anthem "Maybe You're Right.")

Of course, that isn't to say that her record doesn't have some debts. There are definitely moments where you can point to the direct influence of other performers. (It is also, it should be noted, a definite post-Rihanna pop album.) So we decided to take a look at Bangerz and peel back the layers to reveal the record's musical DNA. If you like this Miley Cyrus song, you'll love....

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Miley's lead-off ballad "Adore You" is one of the album's strongest songs. It's also, randomly, produced by Oren Yoel-the beatmaker behind Asher Roth's "Lark on my Go-Kart." That said, it sounds nothing like his earlier song. Instead, if you like "Adore You," we recommend INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart."

A young African-American producer with a strong sense for creating unique sonic atmospheres creates a pop song for a young caucasian woman about partying. Sounds a lot like Danny & The Juniors' "It's My Party" to us! Of course, Miley seems uninterested in crying (at least, until the breakup songs at the end of the album), but her attitude is similarly assertive.

"SMS (BANGERZ)" definitely has an electro beat that led us in the direction of Fergie, then JJ Fad. But at the end of the day, the screwed chorus and distorted synth-guitar basically just screams Tone Loc's "Wild Thing." 

"4x4"'s strumming guitar and four-on-the-floor beat might remind some of "Cotton Eyed Joe," also widely known as the worst song ever, but it's actually a bit more tasteful. It's Basement Jaxx's late-period "Take Me Back To Your House," mixed with a little outlaw fetishism. The Pharrell production sounds perhaps inspired by Timbaland's country-fried Deliverance LP for Bubba Sparxxx. Add Nelly, and stir.

Wow, Future covering Sean Kingston!* And turns it into a song about making a sex tape, rather than one about suicide. This also, of course, is reminiscient of several other Future ballads, like his own "Honest," or Rihanna's "Loveeeee Song," although it compares rather unfavorably to either.

*Kidding of course.

"Wrecking Ball" sounds like Zedd's "Clarity" as produced by Dr. Luke. So a little like Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," or any other number of Dr. Luke jams with strong female vocals.

"Money, Cash, Hoes" or "Money, Power, Respect" meet #hashtags meet the seething synths of Rihanna's "Birthday Cake." It is a touch less subtle than "Birthday Cake," but in that ballpark.

"Wait," you think, "I've heard those drums before." Certainly, the Pharrell-produced "#GETITRIGHT" will sound familiar to anyone who's listened to The Neptunes in the past. We've decided this record-an easy highlight of the album-is a Pharrell remix of Prince's "Alphabet Street."

Kim Wilde's "Kids In America" did this already, nice try.

This is probably the most ridiculous song on the album. It's a track that manages to combine Music To Strip By: Party Fun Songs From the Golden Age of Burlesque with dubstep, Amy Winehouse with "Don't Tell Mama" from Cabaret, and throws French Montana on top of it.

This is possibly the album's worst song. It captures the superficial qualities of what Nicki Minaj does well, but misses... well, everything else. All form, no function.

This writer would argue this is the album's best song. Maybe because it sounds like Bruce Springsteen's "Jungleland," from the opening piano to the distant "Whoaaaa"'s that Louis CK recently celebrated in a late night bit.

Thematically, Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here Anymore." (Although maybe it's a bit more like this remix, in vibes.)