Taylor Swift – Speak Now

Ich liebe Taylor Swift einfach. Egal welches Album, für jede Stimmung und Geschmack ist was dabei. Ich mochte Country Musik nie so wirklich aber Taylor macht da wirklich gute Musik.

Speak Now has always been one of my favorite Taylor Swift albums, so I've been greatly anticipating the release of Taylor's Version. Her previous rerecordings (Fearless, Red) were able to elevate what she had created, her mature voice providing both albums with gravitas. With Speak Now (Taylor's Version) you are given the same incredible album with clear instrumentals, crisp vocals, and professional production. I will it that there are moments I love from the original album, certain ways in which Swift sang a lyric or a way the music sounded, which have changed slightly. This doesn't detract from the album. It's merely something to get used to over time. Example: The Story of Us has a few moments when Swift speaks rather than sings, and I've grown to love the sass of the original version, and I just don't feel like the sass is present in this version to the same extent. Again, this is just me.

Innocent was never a favorite song of mine, but this version has backing vocals added and slight changes to the instrumentals, making it a standout for me. Simalar to Red's Girl at Home, I will now make sure to pay attention to this song more than I did previously. The change to the lyrics in Better Than Revenge was needed, and I'm glad Swift was not only aware of the issue but also willing to make the change and keep the song present. Swift felt the pain expressed within the song, so there is no reason to remove the song, but she was smart and made the changes where they were needed the most. I applaud her for this.

As for the Vault songs, when compared to the Vault songs released on Fearless and Red, I find these to be better than Fearless but not as superior as Red (at least, as of right now). What Vault songs could reach the level of All Too Well 10 Minute Version? Nothing can. The Vault songs for Speak Now do sound close to the "sound" of Speak Now, something that the Vault songs from Fearless and Red did not; they sounded close to what Swift created since 1989 or Reputation, which is not a bad thing. The Vault songs here have been produced to be as close to the original album that I feel as if they must have been transported through time to 2023. I appreciate their work to create a cohesiveness over the entire album. The standout Vault songs (in my opinion) are Elective Touch (feat. Fall Out Boy), I Can See You, Foolish One, and Timeless. I need more time with When Emma Falls in Love and Castles Crumbling, but they are both wonderful songs. There are a several songs Swifties had hoped to see on this album which were written around this time, but it is important to that Speak Now is a self-written album, meaning certain songs are not possible to exist here.

Overall, I'm so glad to have this album. I'm happy that Swift now owns it, and I can't wait to have all her music collected so I never have to listen to the Stolen Versions. Now we just have to wait for Debut, 1989, and Reputation.