It seems the name on everyone’s lips these days is Taylor Swift; and with good reason too! The cute 22-year-old is one of the top five selling digital music artists worldwide, and boasts an impressive collection of awards, including six Grammies! Taylor’s fourth studio album Red, released on 22 October, was bound to be a big hit, and after giving it a good listen I can confirm it is every bit as good as would be expected.
Full of catchy pop tunes with a country twist this album is exactly what you would expect from Taylor Swift, however there are a few tracks which contain a slightly more mature side than some of her previous albums. Sticking to the infamous themes of love and heartbreak that run through the majority of her work, Taylor shows some real musical maturity in some of the songs featured on ‘Red’ – particularly the two duets ‘The Last Time’ featuring Gary Lightbody of Scottish band Snow Patrol and ‘Everything Has Changed’ with Ed Sheeran, another young star who has shot to fame in recent years. The Ed Sheeran duet, in particular, is a sure hit with both of their voices and styles complimenting each other perfectly.
Though Taylor is famous for her catchy hairbrush sing-along teenage anthems, her musicality should not be underestimated. There are some lovely melodies and instrumental backing tracks supported by meaningful lyrics in a lot of tracks on the new album, particularly the duets mentioned earlier and ‘Sad Beautiful Tragic’. However ‘Red’ wouldn’t be complete without a few sing-along car tunes like the first single from this album, We Are Never Getting Back Together. This song will get stuck in your head after one listen and is frustratingly catchy! 22 is similar: fun, cute and will be floating around your brain for hours!
Red is like a teenage girl’s bible, and rightfully so because Taylor is a great role model for younger girls. She’s young, happy, writes her own music, is humble and dresses like any other 22 year old – virtually impossible not to like. Her lyrics make her seem like any other teenage girl.
With songs like I Almost Do being completely honest and relatable I think she really broadens her target market with this album and maybe people will be pleasantly surprised. With an impressive back catalogue including a number of films and prestigious awards including being the youngest Billboard Awards Woman of the Year in history, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Taylor Swift took over the world. At 21 years old, maybe some people will think I shouldn’t love her as much as I do but I challenge anyone not to smile whilst listening to Red! Most importantly; Taylor Swift makes country music cool.
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