April 16, 2021 | Writer: Eric Reyes

This is a week of amazing power pairings in the Music Industry, and this latest strut of a musical experience from Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa has me stunned.

Displaying the full effect of their pop pedigree, Prisoner manages to have a sound that harkens back to the hybrid era of early 00’s femme fatale acts with the sleek, pseudo-80’s revival sound that is all overthe market right now. Where there is often the tendency to bank entirely on show stopping, face melting belts of vocal ferocity from such powerful personalities when they are brought together, here it is all about the attitude.  While there is no denying the great, dusky vocalizations here, it’s less Superbowl Sunday than it is a sold out Greek Amphitheater. The rapt attention of thousands of people packed shoulder to shoulder, being played to by performers who know you’re out there, who want you to feel things, who make you feel things, who feel things because they know you feel things.

The writing here deftly balances the vocal stylings of both artists, allowing them to pace themselves through the song. Their full ability has room to breathe and really blossom. While there are bits here and there with the requisite echoes and electronic trills, more often than not the backing lets the performers be out there on the stage on their own. Their longing, confusion, feeling at times like a soliloquy that both we, the audience, and they, the performer, are privy to, is palpable. Lord that was a lot of commas.

Two astounding vocal talents effortlessly impress with a spartan mix backing them, allowing their attitude, their persona, the quirks of their vocal quality, do all of the work. And we need only reap the benefits.

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