Saturday, 28 December 2013

Taylor Swift- Fearless Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Fearless
Artist-Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has definitely had one of the biggest years in terms of success as an artist in the year 2013. Not only has her latest record Red shifted 6 million copies worldwide, but she has gained another string of successful singles that have also performed very well internationally, and she has delved into different musical genres and shown great growth as an artist. But it is safe to say that Swift became a power house artist that captured the public attention and hit the big time with her sophomore set Fearless. Not only did she find greater success in America, but the singer also gained a prominent international breakthrough, with the record going on to sell 10 million copies worldwide. But just what was so great about Fearless?

Track 1- Fearless

Title track and album opener Fearless is a light country pop song that lyrically focuses on the concept of the fearless nature of love and jumping into things to experience magical moments in life, with the lyrics reading like a sweet story that romantic comedies will probably pool from. From the beginning Swift shows her knack for a really catchy chorus, whilst her soft vocal tones brings a cute quality to the track that brings out the head rush of love sentiment very nicely. Production wise the track features a simple guitar and drum based sound with an awesome guitar solo for the bridge and a build in power to make this fearless love story really come to life.

3.5/5

Track 2- Fifteen

A mid tempo country pop ballad, Fifteen finds Swift giving us a more emotionally loaded vocal performance that highlights the vulnerability of both the age perspective she is singing from and the wise words that she is trying to convey to her listeners. Lyrically the song focuses on the love and heartbreak and awkwardness that come with being fifteen years of age, with Swift giving her listeners some nice advice that will probably make the track a fan favourite. The songs sound features quite a preppy, fun guitar rhythm against some striking but equally as light drum beats that captures the love-struck teenage feel and offsets the cautionary lyrical quality of the song.

3.5/5

Track 3- Love Story

The song that really broke Taylor Swift into international markets and remaining her biggest selling track in the US to date, Love Story is another country pop tune that finds Swift taking on a romantic perspective inspired by Romeo and Juliet, with Swift seemingly taking on the role of Juliet. The first person narrative and sweet tone of the chorus makes the songs lyrics instantly catchy, whilst Swifts delicate vocals with a nice bit of layering just makes the songs romantic sentiment that bit more potent and powerful for the listener. Things are bright and simple with the tunes melody, creating this ever rushing pace that highlights the power of this love story, whilst the slight twang of the guitar brings an earthy, country rooted element to both the song and the story.

4/5

Track 4- Hey Stephen

Reportedly inspired by Swifts hidden feelings for Stephen Barker Liles of the band Love & Theft, Hey Stephen is lyrically all about Swift telling this story of a love not expressed and the placing of this guy on a romantic pedestal. The song’s lyrics are sharp and well thought out to bring purity to the songs message, whilst Swift’s delivery of her vocals gives a lovely rise and fall effect in the song that shows this is really a girl with true feeling. The ‘ummm ummm’ hook is great and the laidback groove of the guitar and finger snapping percussion gives the song a brilliant sound that shows Swift can really create a whole package of a song where each of the elements really capture the whole emotion behind its creation.

3.5/5

Track 5- White Horse

A weepy country ballad, White Horse finds the singer’s fairy tale visions and love-struck sensibility broken apart and displaced with disillusionment and pain, as you realise the relationship isn’t all that great. The lyrics are more powerful coming after the love songs of the albums beginning and bring a lovely sense of light and dark to the record. The song features a breathy vocal performance from Swift that is rich in its vulnerability, whilst the sparse production with its acoustic guitar, piano and accents of cello creates a simple, pure sound that allows the vocals to take centre stage.

3.5/5

Track 6- You Belong with Me

Another of Swifts biggest hits, You Belong with Me brings the record back to a more upbeat state but also still finds the singer tackling a different kind of love. Here Swift sings of the boy next door who doesn’t realise that you are perfect for him and that you are meant to be a couple. The chorus is instantaneously catchy and although some high school clichés are employed the lyrical quality of the track makes it extremely enjoyable, nicely capturing the spirit of unrequited young love.  Backed by a cool mix of banjo and New Wave guitar instrumentation, the songs sound has a vibrant and infectious sensibility in its own right and perfectly compliments the lyrical message, whilst Swift’s twangy vocal gives the track different shades of depth and light that makes for an interesting country pop number.

4/5

Track 7- Breathe (featuring Colbie Callait)

Taking things down to a lighter, more acoustic level, Breathe finds Swift teaming up with American singer songwriter Colbie Caillat, who serves as the records only featured artist. However Caillait’s presence in the song is really only in giving us some nice backing vocals, and so her appearance on the track can’t be said to add much appeal. The song focuses on the two artists singing about the end of a friendship/relationship that is I heart-breaking in a way but which is sadly inevitable and that eventually we learn to move on. The message is sweet and simple but doesn’t quite grab you in the way the other songs have, although you can’t deny the singers amazing ability to really analysis typical life situations and make good pop tunes out of them. Backed by simple acoustic guitar with some string flourishes, the songs sound builds in intensity to be in tune with the dramatic and climatic feel of the lyrics. Caillat and Swift blend well with an airiness that brings out the songs vulnerable tone, although as said Cailliat could have done with more of a presence in the song.

3/5

Track 8- Tell Me Why

A track similar to Hey Stephen in terms of being inspired by a love interest she was never romantically involved with, Tell Me Why is an upbeat country pop number that is different in that here Swift lyrically vents about the changing attitudes of this boy and how he is sort of playing with her emotions to a point where she is just constantly questioning things. The feistiness of the song is particularly elevated by Swifts snappy vocal delivery, and this song just provides a different feel within the record that shows that love and feelings can go in different ways. The song has a bigger sound than some of her other material with more aggressive guitar production that gives a slight rock tone to the chorus, whilst the banjo instrumentation gives a frenzied country twang to the song that is almost a bit like an Irish jig.

3.5/5

Track 9- You’re Not Sorry

More of an old fashioned kind of ballad, You’re Not Sorry is probably the most emotionally charged, vulnerable moment on the record. Here we find Swift singing of the end of a relationship where she comes to the conclusion that ‘prince charming’ wasn’t all he was cracked up to be. The lyrics are powerful, but what is much stronger in this song is the vocal performance that Swift gives, utilising her real life despair and putting this essence of herself into her performance, showing how her songs can be read as much as diary entries as they are simply nice country pop tunes. The swirling string arrangement and lush piano melody on the track gives the song this greatly intense feel and is nicely backed by the thumping drum beats and storming electric guitars, making this a good break up tune if you just want to kind of sit down and cry.

4/5

Track 10- The Way I Loved You

From the intense heartbreak of the last track Swift changes things up and gives us a song that actually revels in the sometimes volatile quality of love. The Way I Loved You lyrically finds the singer narrating this story in which the guy has done all these things and she is driven a bit crazy, but at the end of the day it is just kind of why she loves him and she sails along with the intensity of the relationship. The chorus is once again really catchy and Swift taps brilliantly into her emotions, whilst she delivers a vocal that builds along nicely with the tracks production and features another storming delivery of the chorus that shows a cool side to the singer. The song is more of a teenage love song but the heavy guitar and drum sound of the track gives it a bit more of a pop rock country feel that will maybe resonate outside of her core fan base, whilst the use of strings in the verses is great in really allowing the chorus to make a dramatic impact.

3.5/5

Track 11- Forever and Always

Out of all the songs on the record that Swift didn’t release as a single, Forever and Always for me is definitely the one that stands out the most as having that hit song potential, with the song being nicely primed to work on both country and pop radio formats. Inspired by the singers relationship with fellow teen star Joe Jonas, the song is lyrically a scorching kiss off to a former beau who said they would be with you forever but who were really just telling an array of lies. The song nicely borders the line of vulnerable and venomous, which is strongly brought out in Swifts vocal delivery that is simple and shows her in a kind of I am a strong woman light. The light acoustic guitar mixed with the heavy electric guitar tones gives a catchy vibrancy to the track that adds to its appeal, whilst the middle section is extremely powerful with its awesome guitar solo that once again highlights the sadness in the fact that this actually wasn’t a single (but I guess that just shows Swifts awesomeness in a way).

4/5

Track 12- The Best Day

Things are taken down to a softer, acoustic vibe with The Best Day. Dedicated to the singers mother, the song is really the only song on the record that isn’t focused on romantic love and is instead all about the friendship the singer has with her mother and the way that she has grown up to become a lovely woman because of this person. The message is sweet and will probably make the hearts of mothers around the world melt, whilst vocally Swift keeps the song very pure and simple and makes the song all the more heart-warming because of this. With the soft guitar rhythm a light tone is created that perfectly captures the sweet texture of the lyrical message and just adds to the songs brilliance.

3.5/5

Track 13- Change

Final track Change is a stomping, big end to the record inspired by the singer’s inner strength and the fears she initially had over achieving her dreams on a label that was relatively small and new at the time of her signing to the label. Instilling hope into both herself and the listener, the song finds Swift singing about overcoming obstacles and then revelling in your triumphs that other people thought you wouldn’t achieve. The message is powerful and once again Swift wraps it beautifully around a really catchy, easily accessible chorus. Her vocal performance exudes this lovely inner belief in herself that affects the listener as well, whilst the pop rock production gives a fierce edge to the track that makes it the perfect rumbling and roaring end to the record.

3.5/5

Final Review

Fearless is an accomplished set from a singer songwriter that to me kind of feels like she is already in this state of being wise beyond her years. The songs are all sharply defined with catchy but also slightly complex and astute lyrical compositions, whilst vocally Swifts light and airy tone perfectly captures each songs emotion and gives the emotion extra oomph. The songs are also nicely produced with a smart blend of country, pop and rock that allows the record to appeal to a variety of people. So with these great elements of the record all coming together, Swift gives us a strong thirteen song set that thoroughly deserved the immense success it has got.

8.5/10

Best Track- Forever and Always  

Worst Track- Breathe (featuring Colbie Caillat)

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