WHY I NEVER GOT AROUND TO LISTENING TO
THIS ARTIST/ALBUM
- There hasn't really been a situation where I've found myself listening to Taylor Swift. In fact, there hasn't really been a scenario where I've had to even think about Taylor Swift. At all. Actually, that's not entirely true. I remember waking up one morning to a news report coming from my alarm clock radio stating that Kanye West had interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech after winning the Best Female video award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards the night before. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and absorbed the audio clip of the incident, I remember thinking two things: 1.“Kanye West sounds like a goof” and 2. “Who the hell is Taylor Swift?” To paraphrase the late NHL coach Pat Burns, I wouldn't know Taylor Swift if I hit her with my car.
WHAT I KNEW ABOUT THE ALBUM BEFORE THIS
PROJECT
- Absolutely nothing at all!
- Recently, I've been asking people I know for some music recommendations, and several co-workers – mostly women in their mid-20s – told me that I needed to listen to Taylor Swift. Why? Well, first of all, they explained, she plays her own instruments, including the guitar, piano, banjo, and ukulele. She is also a Nashville-based-country-pop-crossover singer-songwriter who apparently penned most of her early hits. On top of all that, I came across a report from a couple of years ago, stating that Neil Young enjoyed listening to Taylor Swift. I thought that was pretty cool.
AFTER A WEEK OF DIGESTING THIS ALBUM
- I can see why Taylor Swift appeals to those ladies in their 20s. There is some charm to Fearless, albeit in a vanilla-flavoured, mid-west teenager kind of way. Along with the requisite catchy hooks and breathy vocals, Swift's lyrics tell stories of adolescent love and heartbreak. I have to admit, I felt a bit creeped out listening to Swift sing on "Fifteen": When your fifteen/ someone tells you they love you/ you're gonna believe them or on "The Best Day": I'm thirteen now/ and don't know how my friends could be so mean. It just seemed like I was eavesdropping on a bunch of high school girls chatting about boys while riding on the subway. That being said, there always something compelling about a songwriter who wears her emotions on her sleeve and allows herself to be vulnerable, regardless of age, gender, subject matter or musical style.
- Despite some decent country-pop songs on the album - "You're Not Sorry", "Breathe", "Hey Stephen" and "Change" -- it took a lot for me to spend seven days with Fearless. I couldn't connect to her at all. While her list of accolades are impressive - she has won numerous awards and has sold millions of records -- ummm nope.
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