(Photo Courtesy of Big Machine)Taylor Swift made the leap from country queen to pop princess effortlessly, introducing surprisingly satisfying pop hits on her new album, "1989."
“This time, I'm kind of just doing whatever I feel like. I felt like making a pop album, so I did,” Swift told Billboard about the new album.
The album is a departure from Swift’s typical country music genre, branching into lighter pop hits with a few more experimental ballads. Swift sheds her country skin easily, sounding like a pro at even more mainstream numbers like “Shake It Off,” the album’s first single and end-of-summer hit.
“Welcome To New York” starts the album and invites listeners into her new New York lifestyle with a fun retro backtrack and catchy young lyrics. While the song does feel reminiscent of pop divas before her time, and the lyrics do come off a bit clichéd, it is interesting for Swift stylistically and makes for a good introduction to “1989.”
“Out of the Woods” is an album standout, showcasing greatly improved vocals for Swift and witty lyrics laden with metaphors about yet another speculated celebrity-involved break-up.
“Wildest Dreams” sounds like it could be Lana Del Rey’s take on an older Swift hit. The song is a stylistic “1989” standout that demonstrates Swift’s growth as an artist and serves as a bridge between her older work and new sound with a slightly dark lyrical twist.
Taylor Swift arrives for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. (Photo Courtesy of Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/MCT)Swift tests her new experimental pop sound on the song “Clean,” utilizing simple and straightforward instrumentation and layered vocals. The song explores the ending of a relationship, comparing the object of the song to a vice, using sophisticated metaphors.
The song sounds like it could fit perfectly on an Imogen Heap album, possibly due to Heap’s contribution as co-writer and co-producer for the track, as reported by The Christian Science Monitor.
Read our Imogen Heap review here.
The collaboration is effortless and interesting, allowing the song to feel natural and not overly produced as some of the other “1989” numbers.
Songs like “Blank Space,” “Style” and “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” are fun dance-worthy moments that will likely end up on the charts. Swift handles the catchy, up-beat tracks with vocal ease, but the songs sound a tad overdone and immature as compared to other moments on the album.
Overall, the album demonstrates Swift's change from country superstar to pop icon and represents some of her most inventive and stylistically best work. Swift’s country fans may be a bit disappointed by the complete disappearance of her signature country sound, but “1989” does demonstrate her growth as an artist and provides some worthwhile stand-out hits.
While the haters will probably continue to hate, Swift’s “1989” shakes them off with ease and delivers fans with a new sound and quality content.
Reach the reporter at Samantha.Shotzbarger@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @SShotzbarger
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