I don’t have to prove my Taylor Swift bono fidas to you bub, I’ve reviewed every album and every song (and every tour) in detail since 2009. Hey, she even thanked me for a review once. Even earlier than that, when “Love Story” was released as a single, I told everybody how major she was and nobody listened And earlier than that I was raving about “Our Song” from the first album.
So, yeah, I downloaded a pirated 1989 to get it two days early, but I also pre bought it on Itunes and from Target (for the deluxe version) but patience, man, I don’t do it. Soooo… rushing to get to Ludlow Street for CMJ, here is a first listen, a Voice Memo take, (as she calls a copy of voice memo demos on the deluxe version) .I am always a quick study so I doubt my opinion will change much over the next coupla weeks still… I am doing this with no crib sheets or publicity notes, I don’t know who wrote what or why. This is a quick take before a longer one.
Much is made of the lack of a country song but that has more to do with radio programming, Swift hasn’t written a country album in six years, though if it would have pleased the stations I dunno why she didn’t rearrange a couple for the home team.
Here is an overall opinion, it doesn’t peak as high as Red, “This Love” isn’t as great as “State Of Grace” and “Shake It Off” isn’t as great as “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Again” but there is no weak spot, it is consistently superb. A major work but how much more? I’ll need more time before I add my voice to the chorus but yeah, maybe more than that.
1. Welcome To New York – electronic pop Candide comes to New York City and likes it – A-
2. Blank Space – where she writes your name, gorgeous melody, funny lyric (“oh my God look at that face, you look like my next mistake”) and just straight up addictive – A
3. Style – Nice rhythm track, powerful popper – A-
4. Out Of The Woods – State of the art of the art, this is where Tay owns EDM – A
5. All You Had To Do was Stay – Love what they do with the last “stay” -it echoes out up an octave – A
6. Shake It Off – Undisputable pop dream track – A
7. I Wish You would – Excellent dance track – A
8. Bad Blood – Fun sound alike about Katy Perry (they don’t like each other) – A
9. Wildest Dreams – Another bad boy – B+
10. How You Get The Girl – Love the start of this song,hiccuppy Biddy Hollyish though she probably doesn’t know it – A
11. This Love – Fully blown love ballad – B+
12. I Know Places – definition of a deep album track, hip hop moodiness – B
13. Clean – Heavy bass that seems to reverberate, this is classic Taylor, gorgeous song and the end of the album. the rest is deluxe- A
14. Wonderland – Like Alice and boyfriend lost in it – B
15. You Are In Love – One of the best songs on the album, why she held this for the deluxe version is beyond me, nice clipped lines work as a hook – A
16. New Romantic – Nice phasing into the track with horns clouding you on; a song for the dance clubs B+
17. I Know Places Voice Memo -Co-written with the dreaded Ryan Tetter, this is a note by note piano demo and I prefer it to the finished product- B+
18. I Wish You Would Voice Memo – writing to track, works so fabulous. what a great track, she is right it is sick – A
19. Blank Space – This is taped from where Tay played it for Max in the studio for the first time – A
Yeah, I know, this is really just a first and early review. I’ll get back to it. Now I’m off to the Village.
