Taylor Swift shines on Fearless

02/04/09 - Although Taylor Swift's first album showed promise for the young 19 year-old as a country singer, her second album, "Fearless," has proved her to be a musician that is here to stay. With a No. 1 single "Love Story" and an album that made her the biggest selling artist of 2008, Swift was able to cross music genres and appeal to more listeners. A mix of country and pop, Swift seems to be much more than the primed and produced pop stars like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. She actually has talent, writing her own music, playing the guitar, and singing well without the help of digitally enhanced vocals.

I'd even go as far to say that she is better than most other country singers. Producing country music at a time when the genre is dominated by 30 to 40 year old men and their twangy voices, Swift does really well, bringing a new youth and energy to old style country.

Although her second album is more pop than country, Swift's music has not completely crossed over to the pop side, alluding to one-horse towns and bungalows to keep to her country roots. The pop music radio stations try hard to remix her songs, like "Love Story," to hide the country sound, but they do a poor job, morphing a perfectly good song into something that should have never been changed.

"Fearless"' first single, "Love Story" captures the essence of the 13 track album, a compilation of songs relating to love, heartbreak, and cruel rejection. Although many of the songs can be ripped off the pages of a teenage girl's diary, they remain captivating with strong lyrics. And who can't love "Love Story?" With its upbeat harmony and catchy chorus, can any girl, no matter how old, help but imagine Romeo, coming to sweep her off her feet? The single line "This love is difficult, but it is real" sums up the song, as something worth fighting for. "Love Story" has been number one on the pop charts for quite a few weeks.

It's hard to believe that this 19 year-old girl can write songs this good. Her lyrics speak to a life that is much more experienced than the average teenager. Then again, of course, she has a different perspective. Producing No. 1 albums and touring the country is not the life of a normal teenager.

One song, however, "Fifteen," does seem to reflect what is the norm in teenage life. In a slow tempo, Swift's song can be a source of comfort for high school freshmen girls who don't quite fit into the intimidating halls of high school with the gossipy girls and hot senior football players.

She sings about the outcast who gives her heart and self to an older boy, who nevertheless forgets her existence. Yet Swift consolingly sings, "and when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall/I've found time can heal most anything/And you just might find who you're supposed to be/I didn't know who I was supposed to be."

Swift's "White Horse" takes the album in a turn away from its lighthearted appeals to teenage girls, however. This acoustic ballad is depressingly sad as if reality hits "Love Story" and takes it for the worse. The love ends in heartache, of course. Swift, again, creates a fairytale setting to describe a relationship that ended up not being what she hoped for.

Swift sings, "I'm not a princess/This ain't a fairy tale/I'm not the one you sweep off her feet/Lead her up the stairwell/This ain't Hollywood this is a small town/I was a dreamer before you went and let me down/Now it's too late for you and your white horse/To come around."

Even though the knight does not show up on his white horse, the song is one of the best on the album. "The Best Day" is the most unique song of the album. The song lacks the high powered guitar and choruses, but its acoustic simplicity makes it appealing. In "The Best Day," Swift tells her story in the voice of a young girl growing up from the "age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarves" to being thirteen and not knowing how her friends could be so mean. With its softness, this song can be easily forgotten amidst Swift's more pop-like hits, but "The Best Day" is heartwarming because Swift takes the time to thank her parents.

With such good lyrics and vocals, "Fearless" is the whole package. Swift does not produce an album that is digitally enhanced, fake, or lacking in talent, leaving listeners feeling like they missed out on something of what music really should be. Her music is real. Whether it speaks out to the life experiences of 14 year-old girls, or to those who have ever felt rejected in a relationship, or to anyone who likes a good hit, I think her music means something even if it is just means something to Swift.

At only 19, it will be a wonder to see what Swift will create in her future. She certainly set the bar high for herself.