Miss Americana

 

 Note: I needed to update this as Taylor has been a very busy girl!

I'll be the first to admit that I did not start out as a Taylor Swift fan.  When I first heard her, I thought, her voice was so-so...but it was kind of "been-there-done-that".  After all, there was Tanya Tucker, Leann Rimes...

Then my older daughter became a fan.  We got Taylor's self-titled album for her.  When she was 6, she wrote a Happy Birthday letter to Taylor, including a photo.  At the last moment, I threw in a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and didn't expect anything after that.

After a few months I was checking the mail when I noticed a letter addressed to my daughter.  I recognized my own handwriting and was confused for a moment...until I saw the Nashville postmark.  Taylor answered the letter!  While the letter itself was a form letter (with a picture in the body), you could almost hear Taylor's voice in the words...but across the top, in Sharpie, was a hand-written note thanking my daughter by name!  (My daughter's reaction: "SHE SPELLED MY NAME RIGHT!!!"

That was it for me.  I became a fan.  My girl is 18 and STILL a fan.  As a matter of fact, it seemed like, every time Taylor changed her style, it was usually a little bit after my daughter changed hers. [Added note: In 2023, our girl is STILL a Swiftie; we got her tickets for the Eras Tour Concert Movie for her 21st birthday.]

 You've gotta love an artist who grows with you.

I also love how it's not all about her.  The dragons she has faced for other artists are numerous, but she stood her ground, made her point...and others reaped the rewards.

That said, here is my take on each of her albums, in order of preference...from "least" to Best:

11. Evermore (2020):  I was a little disappointed with Evermore.  Coming out so soon after Folklore, it felt to me more like outtakes.  Most of the songs are sung in her lower register, making them kind of whispery and droney.  Also, it felt like she "discovered" "bad words" in Folklore and really pushed it in Evermore; I found most of the vulgarity to be gratuitous.  Favorite track: No Body, No Crime (Honorable Mention: Marjorie)

10. Lover (2019):  This album is sweet, fun, peppy and bright...but also a little bit forgettable.  It kind of came and went (thanks, Covid), which is sad, because I loved its optimism.  I also wish that she hadn't decided to get "political", but that's my issue...not hers.  Favorite track: Paper Rings (Honorable Mention: Me!)

9. Reputation (2017):  Following up the spectacular 1989 was a hard thing to do, and she does it admirably.  It ranks this low because it was very dark; but considering what-all was going on in her life at the time, it's understandable.  Favorite track: Getaway Car (Honorable Mention: Look What You Made Me Do)

8. Red (2012):  Funny thing about this album.  It used to be ranked much lower, because I didn't like its confusing, almost schizophrenic vibe (Is it country?  Is it pop?)...only to find out that she did it on purpose!  Realizing this, it moved up in my estimation.  Favorite track:  All Too Well (Honorable Mention: Begin Again)

Red got "Taylor's Version"-ed in 2021, just a few months after "Fearless".  I really don't have much to say about this except, like the other TVs, it reaped the rewards of  hindsight and production.  Favorite vault track: All Too Well (10-minute version) (Honorable Mention: I Bet You Think About Me

7. Taylor Swift (2006):  As I mentioned, when it first came out, it was kind of "been-there-done-that"...until I realized that she wrote or co-wrote every song.  When I saw her perform "Should've Said No" during an award show, I turned to my husband & said, "Within 5 years, she's going to win Entertainer of the Year."  She did it in 3.  Favorite track: Should've Said No (Honorable Mention: Mary's Song (Oh My My My))

6. Midnights (2022): In the middle of Taylor's quest to reclaim her first few albums, painstakingly re-recording and pulling out "vault" tracks, she surprised us with an album of all originals.  It's fantastic that she can still be creative and original while revisiting her past.  This album has a similar feel to "Folklore" except a little harder.  I love how each song represents a different midnight in her life.  Favorite track: Anti-Hero (Honorable Mention: You're On Your Own, Kid)

5. Folklore (2020):  What did YOU do during the pandemic?  Taylor surprise-released not one, but 2 albums!  The first one is definitely the better of the 2.  The production is so rich, the writing so clever, and she was in wonderful voice.  A pleasant surprise.  Favorite track: Betty (Honorable Mention: August)

4. The Tortured Poets Department (2024): Another entirely new album by Taylor, she upped the ante by making this one a double album.  While I'm not overly fond of her more recent minimalist style - bare instruments, singing in a soft, lower register - it's hard to complain when the songs are so well written and the lyrics so descriptive.  With lines like, "Who uses typewriters anyway", "Now is not the time for typos" and "You look like Stevie Nicks in '75", there are stories told, broken hearts revealed, and a lovely little stab song. For normal people, there isn't a single skip track (the prettiest song on the album is triggering for me, so I don't count as normal).  Favorite Track: The Tortured Poets Department (Honorable Mention: loml)

3. Fearless (2008/2021):  The album that started the phenomenon.  This is a tricky one, as she has re-recorded it for...I won't waste space, and just say justifiable reasons.  Songs like "Change" were improved, but I was a little disappointed with the new "Fifteen". Favorite track, 2008: Forever & Always/2021: You All Over Me (Honorable Mention 2008: Fifteen/2021: Superstar)

2. 1989 (2014):  I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard that she was pretty much leaving country and going straight pop, but this was the way to do it.  I was so impressed with this album and the transition.  This album practically crackles and feels so alive.  Favorite track:  Out Of the Woods (Honorable Mention: I Know Places)

1989 got "TV'ed" in late 2023.  The production was so improved that some songs, like "Out of the Woods", actually made me cry.  There were only 5 Vault tracks this time.  Favorite vault track: Is It Over Now? (Honorable Mention: Now That We Don't Talk)

1. Speak Now (2010):  Never mind the fact that, at not-quite-21, she wrote every single song on this album herself...no co-writers.  Never mind the perfect straddling of country and pop.  Never mind the range of emotions, from silly (the title song) to touching (Never Grow Up) to fierce (Better Than Revenge) to singalong fun (Mine).  This album is my favorite because:  we had pre-ordered it for our girl for her 8th birthday.  Just a few days before her birthday, my husband ended up in the hospital and almost died.  The entire time he was in the hospital both of our daughters slept with me every night, and we had music playing on loop all night.  When she got the CD, she offered it to her Daddy to listen to that first night; however, every night after that, until he came home, this was the album in our player...and I never got sick of it.  I STILL haven't.  Favorite track: Haunted (Honorable Mention: Long Live)

Since the original writing "Speak Now" has gotten the Taylor's Version treatment in 2023.  I was of 2 minds of this.  While I was glad that she was finally owning this beloved album, the original held so many memories for me.  I needn't worry.  TV benefited from the added years, richer vocals, and imaginative producing.  Favorite vault track: Timeless (Honorable Mention: I Can See You)

She's not just an album artist; she has released a number of outside tracks as well.  She has worked on movie soundtracks ("Fifty Shades", "Valentine's Day", "Cats") and some "outside" numbers as well.  Some of my personal favorites include "Beautiful Ghosts" and her version of "Macavity: The Mystery Cat" from "Cats", "Safe and Sound" from "The Hunger Games" (with Civil Wars), and "Ronan" (which will break your heart).