In fact, having listened to this album on repeat for the last month, I wonder if we can even call it Country music anymore. When compared to her other albums, namely Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now, this album has taken on a more contemporary vibe. I suppose part of the reason would be because of the world wide demand on more pop or new age tunes, but I feel another major contributing factor is the fact that Taylor is growing up. And with this growing up and new experiences and changes, her music has changed in a similar way.
The one song in which this change is clear is I Knew You Were Trouble. That explosion in the chorus, where country meets dubstep, is incredibly catchy and had me singing along almost immediately. Speculations have suggested this song is about Harry Styles? I wonder, considering there were some Twitter rumours about some sort of reunion between the two.
Another one of my favourites is The Last Time, a song in which Taylor collaborates with Gary Lightbody. Her voice is a tad bit monotonous at times, but the harmony with Lightbody lifts the song. This one, along with State of Grace, Red, All Too Well, I Almost Do and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together are reportedly about Jake Gyllenhaal... well, I always thought he was too old for her.
Along with the two discussed above, my initial favourites were Starlight, Begin Again and State of Grace. The others followed soon after, but the two songs that took quite a while to grow on me were Treacherous and Sad Beautiful Tragic. With Treacherous, it was the bridge that got me; it's catchy and the lyrics are quite gutsy. Someone at my sister's school suggested that it was about her sex life - uhm, no. I HIGHLY doubt it. The teenagers of today with their... riveting minds. Bleh.Sad Beautiful Tragic only grew onto me once I heard the guitar picking intro; it kind of reminds me of a Spanish guitar. It's a very simple picking pattern - so simple that not even Google could find the pattern for me. So I spent half an hour trying to work it out - and eventually I did. This is quite an achievement for me, as it has been a while since I've played guitar and picking patterns take me a while. It's also the first pattern I figured out by ear by myself. I'll post the pattern up soon.
On the whole, I love the album. Although I do miss the complete country vibe which her other albums are filled with, this new contemporary style is refreshing and Red is currently on repeat on my iPod.
Now, it would be wonderful if Miss Swift would be so kind as to pay South Africa a visit whilst she is on tour.
Here is a good analysis of whom each of the songs on the album is about.
