Taylor Swift is rapidly becoming one of the best-known names in the music industry, and that's no big surprise to anyone at this point. Aside from the country genre's increasing popularity, Swift's self-titled 2006 debut release blended country perfectly with pop, making it superbly accessible.
Swift's sophomore release, "Fearless," is a perfect example of what solo artists should do if they value their staying power in the popular market. The album continues Swift's tradition of mixing her southern drawl with pop sensibilities, while keeping the timeless and universal theme of love, or lack thereof, at the forefront.
The first single, "Love Story," continues almost too perfectly in this tradition. The song starts with a simple power chord guitar line garnished with violin -- or perhaps the term "fiddle" would be more appropriate here -- to accent the country side of the tune. The lyrics are nothing special and certainly inanely trite and overused, but if Swift is looking for popular appeal, she sure as heck knows how to get it.
The chorus finds Swift talk-singing, "Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone/ I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run/ You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess/ It's a love story, baby just say yes." As mundane and unintelligent as the lyrics may be, there's something in Swift's voice that seems to acknowledge the simplicity, and she is okay with it. Swift is playing dumb blonde here, but she's surprisingly self-aware.
The last track and second single from "Fearless," entitled "Change," is another made-for-radio tune that sounds part Paramore and part Shania Twain. The song starts with a rather rocking, distorted guitar-rhythm that quickly melts away to Swift's stereotypical acoustic guitar and softly spoken verse format. While the track certainly has potential, it never goes anywhere or does anything different than any other pop track on the radio. Although the familiarity is nice, it's going to take something more than that to push Swift from "good" to "great."
"You're Not Sorry," a bit of a lost track somewhere in the middle of the album, is one of the hidden gems that makes the album somewhat worthwhile. The song finds Swift at her most angst-ridden, and perhaps for that very same reason, it's the best song on the album. Even though almost every cut off the record features some perspective on lost love, Swift phones in the emotion on most of the others, but not on "You're Not Sorry." As she sings, "I've been giving out chances every time and all you do is let me down/ And it's taken me this long baby but I figured you out," it's the tiny tinge of superiority that makes the song so pleasantly evil.
Another delightfully bitter tune is found in "That's The Way I Loved You," a lyrically-driven track about the fickle nature of love. The song tells the tale of a guy who is everything Swift wants, but lacks the frenzied irrationality of the lover she formerly had. Again, the fact that Swift seems to relate better to these lyrics drives the intensity of the song, and the cheesiness that comes with "Love Song" and many of the other tracks slowly falls away.
"Fearless" is in no way a great album, as the musicality and songwriting can't hold their own against the strength of Swift's lyrical abilities. Taylor Swift could be one of the biggest crossover stars in history if she would only combine her songwriting talents and passionate voice with the melodic skills of a great collaborator or producer.
