“They’re all pretty much about the tumultuous, crazy, insane, intense, semi-toxic relationships I’ve experienced in the last two years” says Swift about her new 16 track album – Red. Swift’s latest album was released on October 22nd and is already a big success, selling an outstanding 1,208, 000 copies in the US in the first week. The album’s lead single ‘We are never ever getting back together’ (A rather long title I have to say) was a worldwide success and reached the top position on I tunes in just fifty minutes!! Many critics believe that this is a new beginning for Taylor as she proves with ‘Red’ that she knows how to ‘mix it up’ and ‘keep her fans interested.’ As a fan of Taylor, I was hoping for something bigger and better when I heard about her new album being released and I have to say I am not disappointed.
I really like the track ‘We are never ever getting back together’, the hook is catchy and simple and even haters will find themselves singing when it sounds through the radio speakers. I have to admit the lyrics for this particular track are not Taylor’s lyrical best but I believe that her aim for this track was to make a statement that her music is changing. And her music is changing, but why are people saying this in such a negative way? An artist has to evolve or else they will fade into obscurity before they can even say ‘Grammy.’ I am glad Taylor has ‘mixed it up’ on this record and I enjoyed the mix of genres, beats and instruments on the different tracks on this album. A few of my personal favourites are ‘The Lucky One’, ‘Treacherous’ and ‘All to Well.’ Another track that stands out on this record for me is the duet, collaboration with British sensation Ed Sheeran. The track is titled ‘Everything has changed’ and the funky guitar accompaniment along with Taylor and Ed harmonies is music perfection. I know that was a little biased but I can not slate this album, even if I tried. Even if I was not a Taylor fan, I just couldn’t. Swift chose to write with other artists and writers on this album, such as Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), Ed Sheeran and a very well-known songwriter Martin Shellback who wrote for other artists such as Pink, Maroon 5 and Britney Spears. Which would explain the overall pop theme throughout the album.
If you are a massive fan of Swift like me, then the normal CD isn’t good enough so you must have the desirable deluxe edition which contains an acoustic version of the track ‘State of Grace’, two original demo recordings of ‘Treacherous’ and ‘Red’ and three extra tracks ‘The Moment I knew’, ‘Girl at home’ and ‘Come back.. be here.’ At the age of 22, Taylor is anything but a pigeon-holed artist and even though she is straying a little bit from her country roots there are two tracks, ‘All to well’ and ‘The Moment I knew’ that remind me of the country girl she once was. These two ballad tracks remind me of her 3rd album ‘Speak Now.’ Lyrically I believe this is her best album to date and a few of my favourite lines are ‘ Hey you called me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest I’m a crumbled up piece of paper lying here.’ (All to Well) Another favourite of mine is a lyric from the self titled single (Red) ‘Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you, memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favourite song’ and last but not least a lyric from Treacherous ‘I can’t decide if it’s a choice, getting swept away.. I hear the sound of my own voice asking you to stay. And all we are is skin and bone trained to get along.. Forever going with the flow but you’re friction.’
Many people believe that Taylor Swift is another pop-star that will fade out of the limelight eventually and will be replaced by another ‘American Sweetheart’ with blonde hair and a squeaky clean image. Well, after the success of her new album Red I think Swift is going to stick around for a little bit longer. If she carries on with the same attitude with her next album and the one after that then Taylor will be one of the pop sensations that will actually stick around and I am glad to hear it. I recommend that you buy this album because it is full of acoustic, country, pop tracks and the lyrics are oozing with talent. People do not believe that Taylor is a credible songwriter because of her pop star persona but if you actually listen to her music, read her lyrics and bestow your own meaning upon them, then you will realise that Taylor Swift’s music is song writing gold.
Rating – 5 stars
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