the cover, here, is an obvious embryonic reference, which makes it clear where miley's references are. and, that's their best record, actually.
you can tell that she's out of her element. a lot of it sounds less like a collaboration and more like a mash-up. you might expect that. it doesn't necessarily imply a poor result, though; splicing distant ideas together is often a surefire way to stumble upon something transcendental. but, to get to that point you have to listen to each other.
listening to each other is an n-person game - and a zero sum one. you can't blame the lack of chemistry entirely on miley and her ego. coyne sounds like he's invested on a financial level rather than an artistic one; it's hard to blame him for being disinterested, he's literally twice her age, but the proper choice is to avoid the situation altogether, rather than drop her with some b-sides and hit the bong while she struggles with them.
...so i'm a little disappointed by the musical aspect. not surprised, but disappointed. coyne has released a dozen records like this that don't really go anywhere. it's actually really a rare occurrence when he can transcend that. when he does, it's brilliant. but these moments have always been fleeting, and there's none of them here.
i can abstractly understand how and why miley wants out of the world she grew up in. but, maybe the single biggest disconnect of growing up the way she has is the way it's (seemingly) prevented her from understanding the concept of musical chemistry. i would encourage her to branch out the way she'd want to, but it has to be with the understanding that writing a truly memorable record - rather than merely a financially successful one - is something that cannot be delegated out, or purchased from a top notch producer. it's something that has to either arise from years of building relationships with the musicians around you, or, more frequently nowadays, by doing everything yourself.
a good start would be finding some people her own age to jam with.