Miley Cyrus dropped a free 23-song album on SoundCloud after her performance on the VMAs on Aug. 30. Her performance on the VMAs to “Dooo It!” and the music video for the song left many hesitant to hear the rest of album. Some responded that the song didn’t deserve such negative reactions, but diehard fans weren’t happy with the turn Cyrus has taken in her career away from party jams and pop.

The songs on this album range from a ballad about a dead fish (“Pablow the Blowfish”) to raunchy sex jams (“Bang me Box”) to an environmental anthem (“1 Sun”). Cyrus’ voice is on the forefront, which is a different sound from the pounding bass and many layers of sound in “Bangerz.” Some of the songs are very raw and feature just her voice, which gives a very vulnerable feeling. These songs come from different places of vulnerability: some from a deeply introspective place like in “Tiger Dreams,” or from an almost child-like place like in “Twinkle Song” or “Pablow the Blowfish.”

Listening to it, I sometimes couldn’t tell when one song ended and the other began. It’s a very trance-like psychedelic album. There are a few songs that have more of a percussion section and complex layering, like “Milky Milky Milk” and “I Forgive Yiew,” but many songs are as smooth as a trip downstream, like “Cyrus Skies.”

Cyrus’ talent with everything she does is evident, but she definitely made this album with a different aim, and I think the goal was to be herself with as little outside input as possible. The entire album was written or co-written by Cyrus herself, which is unusual for a pop star. Her last album “Bangerz” had a large production team; this album hardly has one. She also dropped the album on SoundCloud for free. To me, this album is more about Cyrus expressing herself as an artist and trying something different than trying to gain popularity or profit.

Bottom line: weird, diverse and raw but not without talent. Cyrus crafts albums that are representations of her, and “Miley and Her Dead Petz” is a perfect representation of who she seems to be right now. The entire album is like getting a trip through her carefree, introspective, horny and high mind.

Album: “Miley and Her Dead Petz”

Artist: Miley Cyrus

Release Date: Aug. 30, 2015

Rating: ★★★☆☆