There's something about this album that's got me singing with it and hating it at the same time. (Well maybe not hating it. More like judging it. LOL). All in all, I LOVED THIS ALBUM and the music videos. It's an older, more mature Taylor (I can't say wiser though. -____-), nonetheless, this album hits a lot closer to home in a very mature kind of way. I can't pick out which one's my favorite because everything in it is well written and sung very emotionally. For example, Begin Again, there's something about this song that's heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Maybe it's the illusion/promise of someone just coming around to help you move forward. Also, All Too Well, which unfortunately is a very tragic song. Words like "You call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest" which by the way is the most powerful part of the song along with the rest of the words in that stanza. All I can say is, (well I may have said enough, but rest assured I'll say a lot more) it's a more mature Taylor, one who's exploring age fairly well yet at the same time, some songs remind me of the Taylor she used to be: that fragile little girl crying on her guitar or that girl who seems to think that slamming screen door is a good theme song. LOL, I'm just joking. Anyway, I also loved the people she collaborated with (Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol and Ed Sheeran) and the songs they sang. But really, The Last Time gives me goosebumps.
Some people say it's too pop. But in honesty, she's growing up. You can't expect her to be 22 and writing about high school. People evolve. She has to step out of her teeny-booper days or else she's going to end up on the re-runs of some show asking "what happened to them?". She's far to talented and witty to be forgotten. Besides, since when did reinvention turn out bad? May I remind you of one American-semi-British Maddona, or JLo (whom by the way is not Jenny from the ghetto block anymore. She's Jenny from the classy New York block with twins I'm not racist sorry. Just making a point). Give the girl a break. Plus, even if she turn rock no one would care, people would still listen to her even she rapped. That's the power of her words and her experiences which people are so fond of knowing. Well anyway, too pop or not, she's still amazing at writing songs (at least you can give her credit for that).
I have to say though, there are some teen singers/stars who does not age very well, take Selena for example. She looks really tired when in fact she's not doing anything with her life other than being Justin's girlfriend. But Taylor, God, she's super pretty now. When I would look at her old photos, she looked like a girl from horror movies, but now she's cleaned up well. Anyway, she looked gorgeous in the music video of Begin Again.
