Taylor Swift New Album ‘Reputation’ Countdown
There comes a time in a boy’s life when he has to listen to Taylor Swift. Whether he goes to the bar, or mall, or even at home ’cause that’s all that his brother listens to… A boy will be subjected to “You Belong with Me,” “Shake it Off,” “Trouble,” and all of her other hits. With her sixth album, Reputation, upcoming soon I decided to actually listen to her records to see if there is more to T Swizzle than hearing “Blank Space” 24,325 times.
Speak Now (2010)
Ughhh. Not much to say about this record besides that is Wal-Mart as fuuuuck. This is the one where she assumed all songwriting duties and it shows that her country shtick was wearing off. It is clear to me that she knew this, and it is obvious (to me) that a change was needed.
Taylor Swift (2006)
Not a bad debut for some who was only 15/16 when she released it. The innocence on this record is very prevalent (she prays in “Our Song”), but only if she knew what was ahead of her. Ultimately, some charm with some filler.
Fearless (2008)
This is the one where she had the mega smashes “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me.” These songs are now ten years old… fuck. Some strong songwriting on the singles and sonic variation put this one over the debut. The biggest problem is that the lyrical subjects don’t have variance (all about boys), and that can make the music feel repetitive (especially when working in the country genre).
Red (2012)
This one really surprised me… it’s a good record. It really reminds me of a record like U2’s The Unforgettable Fire in how it catches her in transition (going to pop from country). Yes, this is when she started working with mega-songwriter Max Martin (co-wrote “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “22”) to meh effect. She sounds best on her own like on “State of Grace” or channeling her inner Zoey Deschanel on “Stay Stay Stay.”
1989 (2014)
I have a dirty secret that I have to admit. I god damn love dance pop, and 1989 is filled with great dance pop songs. The problem with her music is that she normally writes about boys. By making a pure pop album she solves that problem, because the genre is normally predisposed on subjects dealing with the other gender. Also, this is number 1 because “Style” sounds like the best approximation of John Carpenter writing a pop song.
Where will Reputation end up? Check out Musicfestnews.com on Nov. 10 to read my full review!