Cute and Flighty Taylor Swift's "Fearless"
Written: Nov 16 '08
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Fun and inspirational songs, Swift's cute voice
Cons: Content of songs can get a bit repetitive
The Bottom Line: A very fun album that proves Miss Swift is not going away anytime soon
|
|
|
| nikefreak's Full Review: Fearless * by Taylor Swift |
So, by now, everyone has heard of the precocious Taylor Swift, a true star of the country industry who has really gained recognition for writing her own songs, something that in this one-hit and industry-produced music almost never happens for mass-produced artists nowadays. Her being only 18 years of age is another thing to behold, I remember me being 18 and I couldn't write a one-page paper, yet alone a song! Her new album is titled Fearless and is made of 13 tracks that run a gamut from love to friendship to, well, more boy trouble, as her first album dealt a lot with that.
The first song is the title of the album, Fearless, and it talks about a first kiss and date. It starts off with a easy percussion beat and a nice chorus that is easily repeatable. Her voice has a very nice touch to it on the higher notes, not exactly hitting it on par, but gives it a cute lil' hitch to it that I find adorable. Fifteen is the longest song on the album, at almost five minutes and tells the beginning of a high school career. It actually warns of trying to grow up too soon, being impulsive with boys and the such. She actually touches on premarital sex with the lyric, "and Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind, and we both cried." I don't know if she's actually talking about her best friend's experience, who is named the same. It's a good lesson for her target audience, no doubt. (Which, I know, is NOT a 24-year old male, lol!)
The next song up is Love Story, the first single off the album and one that is already #1 on the Hot 100 and all the country charts. It talks of the unrequited love between two people who are prevented from being with each other but try anyway, the obvious play on Romeo and Juilet. Obvious, as well since she references both the names in the song. It's very catchy and I found myself playing it so many times over and over, and for the life of me, can't really figure it out! The guitar hum throughout is infectious and is a good pick for the first single. Her performance on the 2008 CMA's was a bit uneven, (rumor has it that she was fighting a cold) but was quite a spectacle in her white dress. Hey Stephen is another one of those inspired by one of her real life situations. She sings of being the real one for him, even with all the other girls "tossing rocks at his window." Even when push comes to shove, she puts it out there that, "well, they're beautiful but would they write a song for you?" Haha, good girl, that's the way to push your talented writing chops.
White Horse is a ballad played acoustically and is really quite beautiful. Another broken heart and fairy tale, as evidenced by the title; the prince is too late with his white horse since he already broke her heart and she is moving on to someone who will treat her well. What's up with all the guys screwin' cute Taylor over??? You Belong With Me unabashedly starts out very country, with a get-down strum to get it started. This is another high school tale with her saying that she is better than the other girl, even though the other girl "wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts. She's the cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers." Her voice does tend to get drowned out in the chorus though and you can't pick her out really from the music.
Breathe was co-written with Colbie Calliat of "Bubbly" and "Realize" fame. Calliat also provides the harmony. They complement each other quite well on the breathy (no pun intended) chorus, although you do have to really open you ear to hear Caillat on it. It's kinda reminiscent, content-wise, of Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown's duet of "No Air," save for this one is much more the slower and softer song. It's very nice and one of my favorites. Tell Me Why is a definite tell-off song, singing of a boy who treats her bad, even though she needs him "like a heartbeat." Sounds like an actual teenage boy, hot then cold the next moment, although that is very like teenage girls too! You can tell the high notes are still coming to young Swift's voice as she has to fade off of the higher notes. Martina McBride pipes she does not have.
You're Not Sorry is another pretty lil' ballad about her wasting her time on another bad boy who she wasted her time on. The violin strings is a gorgeous touch; I love to hear good string work such as this. If you are asking yourself why most of these songs have a lot of the same theme, well, it's because as she says in the end liner notes, "And to the boys who inspired this album, you had fair warning." Apparently, Miss Swift in her very short life so far has had a lot of trouble with the boys, aka, Joe Jonas. The Way I Loved You sort of a military drum beat at the beginning and delves into a relationship that has its roller coaster up-and-downs, which in all honesty, is what all relationships deal with. "But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain/and it's 2 am and I'm cursing your name" is a way a lot of people feel about their relationships for sure.
Forever & Always is rumored to be about her highly-publicized breakup with Joe Jonas, singer in the Jonas Brothers tag-team, in which a 27-second phone call was his means of breaking up with her. In Swift's world, lyrics such as "Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide, like a scared little boy?" must be tatamount to a lyrical beef such as the Nas and Jay-Z battle of 2001. Ok, maybe not on that level, but you know what I mean. In truth, this is kinda of a throwaway song to me, not really moving me in either direction. Family takes center stage in The Best Day in which she goes though since she was three with her mom, dad, and little bro. A sweet song that shows her personal side of family, something that is all-too rare nowadays. Lyrics such as "I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger" is great to hear from a teenager.
The last song is Change, which got some publicity when it was picked as part of a soundtrack supporting Team USA's efforts in the 2008 Summer Olympics and NBC ran it during some broadcasts. It's a nice inspirational tune in which her supple voice is easily showcased and the lyrics can just about go with any situation.
This album is a nice follow-up to her debut album and does a good job of establishing her. There is no sophomore curse on this girl, ladies and gentleman. I think only time will tell, but with her ability to write her own songs, good, improving voice, and the marketing machine behind her, Taylor Swift can be a force in the music industry for a long time. Of course, this is really targeted toward young girls, but I think a lot of people have enjoyed having someone so young be so talented. The content does lean heavily on her boy troubles, so if you don't want to hear about that, don't even think of picking up this album. Everyone else, it's game on.
PS-The album comes with the music videos for Love Song and Change on it for computer download and play.
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.