Taylor Swift released her third album yesterday titled “Speak Now,” her first since the wildly popular “Fearless” in 2008 which featured the infectious song “You Belong With Me.”
“Speak Now” Taylor Swift, Big Machine Records. There are definitely some radio-friendly hits like “Mean,” “Last Kiss,” “Mine” and “Back to December.” But some of the 14 songs on the album start to sound the same, but that’s not uncommon in pop music, be it pop-country or otherwise.
Now, don’t misunderstand me, I like Taylor Swift and not just because she’s adorable and plays the guitar.
What I like most about Swift is that despite the current trend of Disney-fied teen stars to try to show off how overtly sexy they can be (yeah, I’m talking to you Miley), this rising star continues to emphasize romantic love, alienation, fairytale endings, and good ol’ heartbreak.
Not only that, but on Speak Now, Swift chose to eschew any co-writing partners to write every song herself, which is definitely not the norm in Nashville. She also co-produces the album.
In a culture where fame for its own sake has become an entitlement, Swift is almost a throw-back to an earlier era. Despite the polish, she’s a songwriter who wears her heart on her sleeve (and in her songs), who plays several instruments, and like ground-breaking comedic actress Lucille Ball, isn’t afraid to don a ridiculous outfit in a video to prove a point. The point is that she’s just like you, the girl (or boy) on the other end of the stereo who feels and loves and hurts and just wants to express themselves.
That’s what I love about Taylor Swift. And her songs are pretty catchy too.
Leave a Reply