CD Reviews- Taylor Swift- Speak Now

The background:
Speak Now is the third album for the country/pop superstar- a follow-up to her multi-million-selling 2008 album, Fearless. The 21-year-old singer/songwriter wrote the entire album on her own and co-produced with longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman, who worked with her on Fearless and her 2006 self-titled debut. Features the first smash single 'Mine'.

The review:
I have to admit that after two previous Taylor Swift albums, I didn’t quite get it. And by “it,” I mean the worldwide adoration for this teenage singer/songwriter. She’s a beautiful young lady and her songwriting chops have been proven to be liquid gold. Certainly, it’s obvious that the lyric choices she’s made thus far in her career would appeal strongly to the i Generation. But her enormous appeal has crossed across sexes, genres, generations and radio channels.

It was back in September, however, when the groundwork began to shift my thinking a bit. Taylor Swift was invited to participate in the Country Music Hall of Fame All For The Hall benefit concert. Country stalwarts Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and pop star Lionel Richie joined Swift in Los Angeles. Also joining the group was country music’s living songwriting legend Kris Kristofferson. Swift and Kristofferson in particular seemed to share a special bond, having connected at the last BMI Country Awards in Nashville. Never mind that the cowboy boots he wore were literally decades older than Swift herself. He effusively sang the praises of her songwriting, and when he asked if she would be a Hall of Famer someday, bellowed, "She's already in the Hall of Fame!"

Here was one of country music’s foremost storytellers singing the praises and comparing his skills to her own- at only the age of twenty. When I was twenty, I was just simply trying to make it to college classes on time, let alone run a multi-million dollar music empire. Even young music star teenagers such as Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and country’s own Lila McCann weren’t close to burning as brightly and as long as Swift has done already in her young career.

And it was this one storyteller’s effusive praise that opened my eyes and had me take another closer look- at Swift the storyteller. And with eyes wide open, that’s how I dove into Speak Now.

Just four minutes in, it was clear that the pen is the power behind Taylor Swift. Her third album's first and title track, "Mine," shares the tumultuous story of a young lady who at once wants to fall in love but is wary of repeating the same mistakes her mother made with a cheating father. It’s a carefully writing story of a “a careless man’s careful daughter." "Mine" brings together the polish of modern country with the explosiveness of guitar-driven pop-rock at its most dynamic. Add an irresistible melody and compelling lyrics and you have the total package.

What she creates is a country-pop-confessional-songwriter-folk music- a genre she’s carved out on her own. Each song has a transparency that clearly feels lived in.

On another great song/tale, “Back to December,” she turns the tables and offers up regret and solitude. She delivers a powerful apology to an ex-boyfriend, which she never did on her prior two albums. The nimbly rendered interrupted-wedding saga of the title track “Speak Now” is another terrific example of Swift’s ability to tell a tightly woven and captivating story in just a few minutes time. It's told with a such a romantic charm, you hardly believe she could be wrong in being in being a wedding sabateur.

The second half bogs down some with the appearance of more orchestrated and overlong tracks such as "Enchanted" and "Haunted," where Swift indulges in melodrama. It is a bit overproduced at times- “Better Than Revenge” is an auditory collage of a mess. “Last Kiss” is an exception with a cool little Norah Jones-ish vibe.

While her much-debated voice is not nearly as strong as fellow country artist Carrie Underwood- or even pal Kellie Pickler’s- it’s perfectly fine on recorded disc. On many of the tracks, there’s a whispery fragileness that benefits her storytelling. For the most part she forges a variety of deliveries that appropriately match the tale she’s sharing. Power ballads get a strong passion, and longing and regret are softer and somber affairs. While no one doubts Underwood’s powerful pipes, letting her foot off the gas as Swift does with some of her vocals makes it more diverse and introspective.

A couple of excellent ballads are tucked into the second half as well: the surprisingly adult lullaby "Never Grow Up.” When she sings about still needing her night light, she reveals a tenderness and feeling that is certainly what Kristofferson finds so appealing.

Overall the songwriter in Swift has her heart on her sleeve on Speak Now. She wears it well.

Sounds Like:
Kristofferson’s teenage girl muse

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):
Back to December
Mine
Last Kiss
Speak Now
Dear John

The Verdict:
Four Stars Out Of Five