I’ve had an on-again off-again relationship with Taylor Swift‘s Music. I haven’t particularly loved her last couple Discs, but this latest Collection in 1989 certainly has me back on Team Taylor! Quirky Lead Single Shake it Off needs no introduction, reaching the summits of Pop Greatness, but the goods on this ’80s-inspired Feast have yet to be unleashed.
Collaborating once again with Pop Gods Max Martin and Shellback, Swift goes full-on New York-inspired Synth-Pop here. As a Songwriter, Swift is back to those infectious, sweeping melodies we loved so much on Fearless and vocally, she sounds in her element. Surprising Collaborations with her good friend Jack Antonoff of fun. and Bleachers, are perfection. Deserving second Single Out of the Woods is perhaps the strongest Track on the Disc with Fans and Media all speculating that the subject to this Ode to Young Love being none other than One Direction‘s Harry Styles. And if that were enough, she titles another Gem on the Disc, Style, which recalls her most blissful times with the Crooner whom she sings has that “James Dean-Daydream look in his eyes”. The Track is reflectively melancholic and purely delightful. And I’ll be honest, no Pop Song has made me feel that way since Katy Perry‘s Teenage Dream. And speaking of that California Gurl, many are speculating that Track Bad Blood addresses Swift‘s feud with Perry over a poaching of her Tour Dancers. But if you ask me, love is the undercurrent of any Drama. Do you not recall that both Pop Queens shared time with a certain GRAMMY-winning, guitar-playing Lothario?
How You Get the Girl is any Single Girl’s Anthem releasing some frustration about a Lover falling short of her expectations. The gorgeous Wildest Dreams showcases a more mature Swift with a bit of sensual quiver, moody not unlike an offering from Lana Del Rey. Another Antonoff contribution in I Wish You Would is spirited, guitar-driven yet maintaining a degree of elegance.
In all, dare I say, Swift‘s most polished, sophisticated release to date? 1989 is a sublime Pop Feat sure to reach the Blockbuster, Arena-filling levels of success we’d expect of her.
Universal Music Canada release 1989, now in stores.
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