Taylor Swift – 1989

To an extent, I disagree with there being no middle of the road on Taylor Swift's latest release. As someone who listened to her past two efforts, Speak Now and Red, extensively and religiously due to their relatable themes, catchy tunes, and smart crossing of country and pop while being relevant in both genres, I can't help but feel disappointed in this release. It isn't the new direction I have a problem with, as I am heavily fond of 80s music and actually quite like what she's doing, but I feel that there are two things that are at the forefront here that contribute to the averageness of the album as a whole.

The first thing is simply how a lot of the songs seem to blend together not only after the first listen but after ongoing listens as well. There are no standouts here in the same catchy vein as some of her best songs, such as "You Belong with Me" and "Mean." This album is more about being a cohesive whole than either of Taylor's last two albums, which were about producing material that transcended genres and said something about her and her life. The diverse offerings of Speak Now and Red were one of the things that made them appealing, as almost anyone could find a song on the album they could like. This album strives more toward a certain sound at expense of discernible, catchy synths on each song. The catchy hooks are there, like on "Shake It Off" and "Wildest Dreams" for example, but it feels like the musical hooks themselves are repetitive, with the lyrical material being different even if most of them involve her interpersonal relationships, her usual subject.

The second thing is a man by the name of Max Martin. As time went on, I was less and less fond of his production on Red's early singles, most notably "I Knew You Were Trouble" which felt like an overproduced seizure on the ears, particularly at the chorus. This happens multiple times on this album, where Taylor's voice sounds more synthetic and less natural while being accompanied by a booming bassline, and I can't help but dislike this change. This is most notable on "All You Had to Do Was Stay," "Shake It Off," and "Bad Blood" - all Max Martin co-writes that all have high potential with more natural-sounding vocals. I have no fault with the songs themselves, though Martin and Shellback being credited co-writers somewhat robs them of their authenticity. This authenticity is what attracted me to Taylor's music in the first place - the songs here don't seem as personal since they were tainted by others' desires to make them more radio-friendly when they're doing the opposite. Now this isn't as serious as I'm making it sound, as every song is still co-written by our Taylor and still have that appeal to them, only to a lesser extent than songs on Fearless or Speak Now in particular. Honestly, I only have a problem with the production and how Martin feels the need to give a modern, glossy pop feel to every song he touches. This is Taylor Swift, not Katy Perry, and we don't need manufactured vocals because it takes away her innocence and girl-next-door relatability. It also doesn't fit with the late-80s theme, as reverb aside, vocal production was light. This is a modern record with roots in the 80s as opposed to country music, and yet it's still definitive Taylor in its own way.

Now, all that being said, I still like the overall direction of the album, but I think it would be better without Max Martin's presence on production and with more songs written by Swift herself; for the record, there were 8 on Fearless, 14 on Speak Now and 9 on Red and here, there's only one. All three of those albums were pioneering efforts with multiple 5-star songs that we still hear everywhere today for a reason: They were intimate, personal, relatable, catchy, and different from the last one. Here, the songs do at times have those traits, but the repetitive feel to it is the most different thing Taylor is doing on this album, making it her weakest release since her debut.

A song-by-song analysis:

The album opener "Welcome to New York" is a Ryan Tedder trademark track that is catchy in the way that you'd expect from him, and it fits the album perfectly as there are numerous references to a "new soundtrack." Taylor sounds like herself here, even if it is to that new sound of hers - and that's a good thing. 8/10

"Blank Space" starts off very strongly before quickly devolving into feminist drivel that lumps all men together; this is not a good move for Taylor and it undermines the song's appeal tremendously. 5/10

"Style" is one of the better Max Martin tracks on the album since it lets Taylor be herself, complete with the lyrics you'd expect. It sounds different than her prior material, yes, but it suits Taylor really well. This is the kind of track I expected from the album, since it has an authentic throwback feel while still being personal. 9/10

"Out of the Woods" is a catchy anthem that sadly gets too repetitive lyrically later on, but not at expense of quality. It's nothing special but Taylor doesn't sound too overproduced here, at least. 6/10

"All You Had to Do Was Stay" is similar thematically to some of her prior songs, such as "Stay Stay Stay," but lacks the same appeal due to its horrendous overproduction. Her voice sounds robotic and the repetitive lyrics make this grating on the ears. The worst song on the album, which means it'll probably be a single since two duds on Red were. 2/10

"Shake It Off" is the first single and is lyrically a weaker version of "Mean." Its production is something very different, especially given how unnatural Taylor's voice sounds. That being said, the tune is delightfully catchy and being like "Mean" isn't a bad thing. This is the kind of song you'll find yourself singing along to until you get tired of it, which you will. 7/10

"I Wish You Would" is one of the songs that blends together with the rest of them and doesn't really amount to anything spectacular. 6/10

"Bad Blood" is overproduced too, and though it has some lyrical gems, it becomes hard to get through - even for someone who enjoyed almost every single song Taylor had sung in the past - upon future listens due to the convoluted chorus, a similar issue to what I said about "I Knew You Were Trouble" two years ago. I still enjoy that Band-Aids don't fix bullet holes, but overall the production hurts it. 4/10

"Wildest Dreams" is my favorite from the album. Even though it is Max Martin-ed, Taylor's vocals are soothing, the material is introspective and personal, and if you just close your eyes while listening to it, you can picture what's going on. This needs to be a single since it's a surefire hit. 10/10

"How You Get the Girl" is the most sunny, upbeat song on the album, and that's not saying much since there's nothing that's quite on the level of "You Belong with Me," "Mean," or "Picture to Burn." It's a good song, at least, as it's catchy and begging for a dance remix. 8/10

"This Love" is the only song on the album Taylor wrote by herself and was also the only produced by longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman. It's not as forgettable as "Last Kiss" but it still doesn't stand out. The plus side? It's authentic. It tests Taylor's range. And she sounds great on a slow-paced ballad like this. It's romantic in that moving way. 8/10

"I Know Places" is another Ryan Tedder track that's so buried late in the album that it pretty much can't stand out, as it doesn't have a distinct sound the way "Starlight" did on Red. Meh. 6/10

"Clean" is a deep song about becoming sober from not a drug but a relationship gone south. Purging all the things you're holding onto, finally moving on from the things you did like. Taylor wrote this one with Imogen Heap and it's one of the most personal, finely-crafted songs on the album, closing it on a high note. 9/10

The highlights are "Welcome to New York," "Style," "Wildest Dreams," "How You Get the Girl," "This Love," and "Clean" - and even though they're highlights, most of them don't hold up all too well to the gems on Taylor's past three albums. There isn't a song that feels like we'll be hearing on the radio for a decade. They don't feel timeless. They feel modern and glossy and are going to feel average when Taylor's next album comes out in two years. Only a few stick out against the rest of Taylor's discography, and that plus the duds here make this album feel decidedly average compared to her last three amazing releases.

This album wasn't what I expected in that is has no variety compared to her past two releases, which had everything under the sun stylistically while still retaining the personal introspection that made it clear Fearless was an album to be ed. It was this approach that led Taylor to her amazing success, and abandoning it is a risk that will only pay off from her prior fans all eating it up. The questionable decision to ditch Nathan Chapman for Max Martin is the biggest issue surrounding this release, in what who would better suit her longer term success? I would have said Chapman, since he produced far more organically and let Taylor be Taylor. Is this album not worth purchasing, then? No, fans should still buy it, as there is still good material, but it feels more mainstream in an attempt to sound more like Katy Perry than it does trying to cultivate universal appeal like the Taylor Swift we all know and love. It's less personal and more glossy in a risk that may not pay off long-term. History says it won't: I'm certain Shania Twain and Faith Hill will have plenty to tell her.