KiaLynne Bland Taylor Swift, the blonde hair, blue-eyed, singer-songwriter born Dec. 13, 1989 just released her fifth album, 1989 on October 27. Named after the year Swift was born and inspired by the type of music she grew up listening to, the album includes 13 tracks, representing the day she was born and her favorite number. “Shake It Off” was announced as the lead single from the album on August 18. When I first heard “Shake It Off”, I knew the album was going to be 100% pop. Swift started out as a young country singer and four of her five albums have been classified under the country/country pop genre. For being a fan of Swift for seven years, I’ve watched her style of music change throughout her career. I knew from her third album, Speak Now, that her voice had matured enough for her to start producing pop and step away from country. Swift must have figured this out herself because this album is definitely not country or even close to country pop. The first song, “Welcome to New York”, serves its purpose being the opening track, as it shows that 1989 is going to be very energetic. The album contains mainly upbeat dance tunes, which is totally different from any other album Swift has produced. While her past albums had a more serious tone to it, 1989 is the opposite from that. in a row, there was no sign of any calm or serious songs. Though I enjoyed her fun and upbeat tracks, I was disappointed to find only two laidback songs. All of Swift’s older albums included at least four emotional slow songs, and to find only two of these tracks was a letdown, especially because her personal pieces were always my favorites; they were easy to listen and relate to, and they were very close to her, so I always favored them. “Wildest Dreams” and “This Love” were the only two slow songs on the entire album (excluding the bonus tracks), and while I enjoyed them, I expected at least one more opportunity of reflection with a traditional Swift slowdown. Though I did look forward to some slower tunes, there were plenty of other songs that caught my attention and satisfied me. I found “Blank Space”, “Out of the Woods”, and “Bad Blood” to be extremely catchy and have such a likable feel to them that I couldn’t resist humming them for hours. The track, “Wildest Dreams”, also stood out to me. It had that chill vibe to it and even reminded me of artist, Lana Del Rey and her music. “Clean” was another favorite; it was the most personal and relatable out of all of the songs on Swift’s album, along with “This Love”. You could tell just by listening to them that they were close to her. Ending 1989 with “Clean” fit well and provided closure for the album. 1989 is my favorite out of every other album Swift has released. It’s her most mature album and the most fun to listen to. Swift’s vocals have improved and matured immensely since her first self-titled album, and you can tell that pop is a more comfortable sound for her. The album cover is unique; it features a polaroid photo of Swift and comes with 13 polaroid photos of herself along with song lyrics at the bottom, which I found to be creative. The deluxe version of the album comes with three extra songs, three voice memos recorded by Swift, and a CD booklet signed by Swift. If you’re looking for a new sound or pop artist to listen to, 1989 is the album for you. You can’t help but feel happy and excited while listening to this cheery album. The album had me imagining myself at a Taylor Swift concert dancing and singing along to her unforgettable tracks, and it left me impressed by her mature vocals and sound. If you ever get the chance to listen to 1989, take it; you won’t regret it even if you weren’t a fan to being with. |
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