Taylor Swift - Fearless (Taylor's Version) ALBUM REVIEW
Once more with feeling.
We have a very special case here. Back in 2019, music businessman and manager Scooter Braun bought Taylor Swift’s rights to her masters from her old label, Big Machine Records. They were a pretty shitty label, everybody knows this. So, instead of trying to buy back those masters, Swift had decided to start re-recording her first SIX studio albums to regain the masters back while giving something to her rabid fans. This is a pretty ambitious undertaking, and honestly, I had no idea how this was gonna go. Right here, we have the first album in this (Taylor’s Version) series, her second studio album, the most awarded country album of all time, 2008’s Fearless. You’d think that ‘Oh, it’s just her old album with some bonus tracks.’ Well, there’s actually quite a bit I have to say, but first, let’s get a little personal.
I’ve been a pretty big fan of Taylor Swift since 2012’s Red, which shaped my taste in pop music for at least 5-6 years, along with her pop music masterclass, 1989. With how big those projects were, I kind of grew up with Taylor Swift and how she’s matured with her sound and storytelling. A lot of people doubted her talent for the longest time, and honestly, I even did when reputation and Lover disappointed me. That all changed when folklore and evermore dropped last year. Without the nostalgia I have for Red and 1989, the talent was there on this little duology. Fearless was never one of my favorites, but hearing what Taylor has done on this reworked version is pretty nutty, and I have a pretty good analogy for it.
Resident Evil II is one of the most beloved video games ever, and once it was announced that it was getting a remake, a lot of people were skeptical. Once the trailers came out for it, people were interested in it, but they were still iffy on it. Once the full game dropped, though, it was getting praise everywhere. In fact, it got so much praise that many critics said that it revitalized the game for a whole new generation, feeling like an entirely new game as well. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is exactly like this. The new version of “Love Story” dropped, and while it was cool, I still wasn’t feeling anything. Once I finally listened to it, though, it all came together. Yes, the songs are the same from the 2008 version, but the modernized production from the same team behind folklore and evermore breathes new life into the tracks. Taylor’s voice has this new timbre that wasn’t present 13 years ago that makes her voice so much better with these tracks. It’s also pretty nice that the new tracks that were from the vault are great too.
I’m honestly pretty blown away by this. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is yet another mark in Taylor Swift’s successful career. This is a grand experiment that worked across the board. As I said, the original Fearless isn’t my favorite Taylor Swift album, but if the rest of her albums can be improved on this level, I don’t think I’m ready for the rest of this experiment.
10/10
Listen here
YouTube Music
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is self-released.
We have a very special case here. Back in 2019, music businessman and manager Scooter Braun bought Taylor Swift’s rights to her masters from her old label, Big Machine Records. They were a pretty shitty label, everybody knows this. So, instead of trying to buy back those masters, Swift had decided to start re-recording her first SIX studio albums to regain the masters back while giving something to her rabid fans. This is a pretty ambitious undertaking, and honestly, I had no idea how this was gonna go. Right here, we have the first album in this (Taylor’s Version) series, her second studio album, the most awarded country album of all time, 2008’s Fearless. You’d think that ‘Oh, it’s just her old album with some bonus tracks.’ Well, there’s actually quite a bit I have to say, but first, let’s get a little personal.
I’ve been a pretty big fan of Taylor Swift since 2012’s Red, which shaped my taste in pop music for at least 5-6 years, along with her pop music masterclass, 1989. With how big those projects were, I kind of grew up with Taylor Swift and how she’s matured with her sound and storytelling. A lot of people doubted her talent for the longest time, and honestly, I even did when reputation and Lover disappointed me. That all changed when folklore and evermore dropped last year. Without the nostalgia I have for Red and 1989, the talent was there on this little duology. Fearless was never one of my favorites, but hearing what Taylor has done on this reworked version is pretty nutty, and I have a pretty good analogy for it.
Resident Evil II is one of the most beloved video games ever, and once it was announced that it was getting a remake, a lot of people were skeptical. Once the trailers came out for it, people were interested in it, but they were still iffy on it. Once the full game dropped, though, it was getting praise everywhere. In fact, it got so much praise that many critics said that it revitalized the game for a whole new generation, feeling like an entirely new game as well. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is exactly like this. The new version of “Love Story” dropped, and while it was cool, I still wasn’t feeling anything. Once I finally listened to it, though, it all came together. Yes, the songs are the same from the 2008 version, but the modernized production from the same team behind folklore and evermore breathes new life into the tracks. Taylor’s voice has this new timbre that wasn’t present 13 years ago that makes her voice so much better with these tracks. It’s also pretty nice that the new tracks that were from the vault are great too.
I’m honestly pretty blown away by this. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is yet another mark in Taylor Swift’s successful career. This is a grand experiment that worked across the board. As I said, the original Fearless isn’t my favorite Taylor Swift album, but if the rest of her albums can be improved on this level, I don’t think I’m ready for the rest of this experiment.
10/10
Listen here
YouTube Music
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is self-released.
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