Well, Taylor Swift has done it. She’s officially left country behind, and I’m thrilled; not because it was bad, but because she’s been drifting further away from it with every album and needed to cut the tethers. This departure resulted in 1989, her first official pop album, which sold 1.3 million copies in just the first week.
I’m going to admit that I drifted away from Swift’s music for a while, but 1989 has brought me back in. Dripping with inspiration from the 80’s, Swift’s new album promotes a completely new sound for her while still featuring her smart lyrics.
She teamed up with Jack Antonoff (Fun and Bleachers) for “Out of the Woods,” one of the most addictive songs on the album, and “I Wish You Would.”
Swift co-wrote “Welcome to New York” and “I Know Places” with Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic). Though “Welcome to New York” is a fun, upbeat city anthem, it doesn’t move me like most of the other songs.
“Wildest Dreams” and “This Love” have just enough of her former vibe paired up with her new sound to make me remember why I turned to her albums when I was desperately in need of some emotional reinforcement. “Bad Blood” is one of my favorites to jam out to. She also still has the subtle messages (“Style,” anyone?) to show where her inspiration comes from, but she doesn’t count on it as much as she did before.
“Clean,” which finishes the album, was co-written with Imogen Heap, and you can definitely hear the inspiration.
I can’t sit still for or avoid singing along to songs such as her next single (being released Nov. 10) “Blank Space” and “Shake it Off,” which has proven to be a strong first single.
Swift knows what she’s doing, and she’s doing it well. She’s talented, funny, and self-aware, and she’s using all three to her advantage. A deluxe version of the album with three extra songs and three voice memos can be exclusively found at Target. The album can also be found on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and a number of other retailers.
Taylor Swift ‘1989’ Review: Photographs courtesy of TaylorSwift.com
