In all honesty, I was a huge fan of Taylor Swift’s last album Fearless, particularly the songs Love Story, You Belong with Me and Fifteen but I still did not think that she had the strength to carry the star power that Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez or Demi Lovato could carry. However, after the infamous Kanye West interruption at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, it seems that overnight Taylor Swift became an international sweetheart, and has become a worldwide known celebrity. A brilliant songwriter and fantastic singer, though she may not have the best vocals, it is certain that her music has the passion and emotion that most music being released today lack. Within the past year, Taylor has experienced a lot and that was the reason why I was excited to listen to her new album Speak Now and if I am being honest, it was indeed worth the wait.
Mine the first single off the album does not disappoint, as Taylor sings with so much excitement and happiness declaring her love and commitment to her lover, saying “Do you remember, we were sitting there, by the water? You put your arm around me for the first time, You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter, You are the best thing that’s ever been mine”. Taylor claims that she has been through so much in the last year, and the reason why she names the album Speak Now is because it was her platform to speak her mind, and if we are truly aware of what Taylor has been through, then this album is an interesting listen. Back To December seems to talk about the brief relationship that Swift had with Twilight actor, Taylor Lautner, she apologises for treating the character she is singing about the way she did... Swift supposedly broke up with Taylor Lautner in December 2009. Dear John is reportedly aimed at John Mayer, who Swift had a brief relationship also and claims that it ended because he just was not treating her right. Swift also claims that she was treated badly by someone that she held close to her heart, and she also felt bullied by the media with regards to her success and her music and that is the reason why she wrote Mean, another track on the album that speaks about being treated badly. My personal favourite on the album is Innocent, written for Kanye West with regards to the VMA stunt, Swift performed this song at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, and I fell in love with it the moment I heard the guitar intro, on the song she sings “It's okay, life is a tough crowd, 32 and still growin' up now, Who you are is not what you did, You're still an innocent” making reference to Kanye’s age.
Other notable mentions on this album include Enchanted, Haunted, Speak Now and Better than Revenge. Unlike her previous albums, this album has a more pop appeal as oppose to her usual country music sound and more commercial content, Swift sings and pens the songs with so much emotion, kind of like how a novelist writes a book. She is able to bring the balance between her emotions and her imagination, and the result is pure magic. One thing is for sure, the more experiences and situations that Swift gets caught up in, we would always have good music from her. Though her vocals sound basically the same in every song, this album is a classic piece of work. With a million copies sold in it’s first week and all its singles debuting in the top ten and becoming digital successes in the USA, she is definitely going to take over the world with this one. Taylor is a true artist!
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