Opinions not quite as split on this one…

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[4.44]

Alex Wisgard: Hushed piano intro? Sweeping strings? Big slide guitar solo? This is some kind of pre-pubescent take on “Angels”, surely? Ugh. The biggest token-ballad-blandathon since Britney Spears put out “I’m Not a Girl…”.
[2]

Martin Skidmore: The singing is fine, though I think her real strength is as a pop-rock singer, being more gruff almost. The trouble is that this is very much an X Factor final inspirational ballad, and I am sick enough of them that it takes something exceptional for me to like it, and this isn’t special.
[4]

Doug Robertson: It’s destined to soundtrack every episode of the X Factor auditions, and will no doubt become as ubiquitous as Elbow’s “One Day Like This” was last year. You heard it here first: Miley Cyrus is the new Guy Garvey.
[5]

Edward Okulicz: More country power-ballad than power-pop, which is to say it sounds a bit like Bon Jovi and “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” by Heart, and is both cheesy and affecting. A relief to hear reports of Miley’s “maturity” were greatly exaggerated, this is pretty much “My First Ashlee Simpson-esque Ballad” for Radio Disney listeners.
[8]

Dave Moore: What didn’t seem obvious at the time was that Taylor Swift opened up a two-way street between Top 40 teenpop and the country charts. If you thought Miley didn’t have an exit strategy, you were probably underestimating her – and if country doesn’t work, this ballad will sound massive on Christian radio. See, the “climb” is also an upward search.
[7]

Hillary Brown: Cyrus still has a big, brassy, distinctive voice, and she’s been trying to move toward more interesting material, but she hasn’t yet found someone who’ll really push her, production-wise.
[6]

Ian Mathers: Considering this is the girl who, even jokingly, threw a tantrum when Radiohead didn’t want to hang out with her, I don’t buy for a second that she thinks that it “Ain’t about how fast I get there / Ain’t about what’s waitin’ on the other side / It’s the climb.” I know, it’s the song and not the singer, but if (say) Kelly Clarkson or someone was singing this, it might be half decent because they’d be able to sell the song. As it is, there’s a kind of sour triumphalism to the whole affair: it’s a song about perseverance by someone who deep down knows, or thinks, they’re going to come out on top no matter what. Since the song itself is just a pro forma ballad, that feeling sinks it.
[2]

Martin Kavka: Set to a track that combines the worst of Celine Dion and Nickelback, Miley sings that “there’s always gonna be another mountain / I’m always gonna wanna make it move / ain’t about how fast I get there / Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side / It’s the climb.” Did the idea of going around the base of the mountain never occur to her? Or shouldn’t the song have lyrics that metaphorize life as a range of mountains that can only be conquered by climbing across them?
[2]

Jonathan Bradley: It does not appear as if there is much to be said for the new Miley Cyrus single. It has none of the charged confusion of “See You Again”, or the sly charm of “7 Things.” It seems an effort in rather unremarkable balladry notable mostly for being a further step in Cyrus’ now almost complete transition from kiddie pop icon to mainstream star. But, turn your dial over to country radio, where another take on this is making a bit of a splash, and you’ll find that “The Climb” is actually quite a stirring effort. That original mix of this track adds only touches of slide guitar – it’s about as country as the ritzy suburbs of Nashville Cyrus calls home – but it gives the song some character and emotional impetus entirely lacking in the neutered pop mix. Cyrus is not quite able to stamp her presence on a tune the way fellow country-pop sojourner Taylor Swift can, but this is an admirable step into new territory from a performer with far more versatility than her beginnings would ever have suggested. My score is for the pop mix; the country take is worth a few extra points.
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