Sorry, Lana Del Rey lovers. Miley Cyrus has wreh-heh-heh-hecked one of the Born to Die heroine’s standout suh-suh-suh-songs. There was a time late last year, long before the Twerk Tweeted Round the Twitter, when the former Hannah Montana’s unadorned cover of her godmother’s “Jolene” highlighted Cyrus’ country-song vocals. But this BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge take (via Idolator) on Del Rey’s Angel Haze-cosigned “Summertime Sadness,” though stripped down to acoustic guitar and keyboard, brings too much of that Nashville-born Bible beltin’.
The Bangerz singer’s nasal huskiness here comes a bit close to an exaggerated Lana impression, with a show-biz quality that recalls how Lady Gaga, a year ahead of her lovable ARTPOP, went a little jazz-handsy over Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Cyrus’ unplugged “Wrecking Ball,” on the other hand, still hits with the full force of previous versions. It’ll be interesting to hear the LDR faithful’s chatter before upcoming screenings of the still-mysterious Tropico short film. Two Internet lightning rods, together at last — we just wanted you to know, it’s not necessarily for the best.
