Product Description
-------------------
Taylor Swifts new sopre album, FEARLESS featurex 13
brand-new tracks! Including her latest release "Changes," which
was released for the 2008 Olympics. Also, "Breathe," which is a
collaboration between Taylor and one of her BFFs Colbie Caillat
("Bubbly").
Review
------
3 1/2 STARS
Ah, young love. Country sensation Taylor Swift, 18, chronicles
her formative years' romantic highs and lows on this stellar
follow-up to her triple-platinum self-titled debut. Writing and
coproducing all 13 cuts, the recent high school grad from
Hendersonville, Tennessee - who just split from teen hunk Joe
Jonas, 19 - tells the story of her freshman year on the sweet,
midtempo "Fifteen" and ruminates on a deteriorating relationship
(hello, Joe!) on the mature "Forever & Always." -- Us Weekly,
October 31, 2008
Berks County native Taylor Swift's new CD highlights new music
releases by John A. Zukowski
Taylor Swift's new CD "Fearless" comes out today. Other new
releases include Enya, T-Pain, Tracy Chapman and David Archuleta.
Taylor Swift is just 18 years old. But for me she's done
something really important for mainstream country music: she's
put some feeling and soul back into country.
Swift writes her own songs (unusual for a country singer). And a
lot of her songs are about her hopes and her experiences. So it
doesn't matter that she's just 18. It sounds real. And that
honesty is what makes the best country music. And she makes other
country singers older than her seem phony in comparison -- even
someone not so old like Carrie Underwood.
Swift's second album "Fearless" comes out today. She played the
title song from it on "The Late Show" with David Letterman last
night and it sounded great. The lyrics were really heartfelt and
direct. She really could have been a punk rocker if she wasn't a
country singer. I really like how she's shaken things up in the
mainstream country music genre. -- Lehigh Valley Express Times,
November 11, 2008
By Kevin Amorim
Those who thought Taylor Swift was a big deal after the release
of her first record should be prepared: She's about to get way
bigger.
Although they're written by a teenager, Swift's songs have broad
appeal, and therein lies the genius and accessibility of her
second effort, "Fearless" (Big Machine).
The inful "Fifteen" ("In your life you'll do greater things
than dating a boy on the football team") will connect with teens
looking for hope and with adult women looking back, while the
sparse "White Horse" will appeal to anyone who's experienced love
lost, which is to say, everyone. "Hey Stephen" ("All those other
girls, they're beautiful but would they write a song for you")
displays Swift's confident sense of humor, and "Breathe" (written
with Colbie Caillat, who sings on the track) is a love-gone-wrong
song suitable for women of all ages. - Billboard.
THE GRADE: A
BOTTOM LINE Wise beyond her years. -- Newsday.com, November 11,
2008
By od D. Ollison Seemingly out of nowhere in 2006, Taylor
Swift did what is becoming almost impossible to do in today's
crumbling music industry: She sold more than 3 million copies of
her first album. And the country-pop star did it all rather
quietly, garnering a Grammy nomination for best new artist along
the way.
Svelte and blond with a sculptured face the camera adores, the
16- year-old singer wasn't a teen dream manufactured by the
Disney machine. She also wasn't packaged as a vampish pop tart,
wailing suggestive songs that belied her years.
Her earnest but girlish vocals were ensconced in sympathetic
arrangements that were more pop than country. But it was Swift's
gift as a songwriter that pushed her ahead of the pack. She wrote
about her bad luck with boys in detailed, sometimes touching
lyrics that never felt too precious. In fact, Swift's songs are
sturdy and universal enough to work in any musical context.
On Fearless, her hotly anticipated sopre album, she basically
sticks with what worked on the debut. She's 18 now. And although
her maturation on the album is deliberately pitched to the
country-pop crossover crowd, Swift's songs remain tightly
crafted. The melodies may not always be immediate, but the tunes
still worm their way into your head.
Lyrically, Swift is still boy-crazy. She achingly pines for the
dreamy ones ("Love Story," "You Belong With Me," and the breezy
title track) and dismisses the empty-headed ones ("Tell Me Why"
and "White Horse"). She refreshingly eschews the role of diva
wannabe and remains the down-to-earth girlfriend next door.
"The Best Day," an affecting ballad, is a lovely valentine to her
family. Simple and understated, it's sure to be a hit with fans.
-- Baltimore Sun, November 11, 2008
Swift Fearless, taking the spotlight away from Rose BY WERNER
TRIESCHMANN
This is so old-school pop star.
Three days before Christmas and a stop at west Little Rock's Best
Buy to snag Taylor Swift's Fearless turns up empty - that's
right, not a single copy to be had in the whole store. Boxes of
Guitar Hero and gleaming iNanos were still waiting to be bought.
Then there were the well-stocked displays for a certain new album
by s 'N Roses.
Taylor Alison Swift, who turned 19 on Dec. 19, was only 4 years
old when Axl Rose started working on Chinese Democracy. Today,
however, Swift, the cat-eyed, curly-haired singersongwriter, is
the most popular music act in the country. Miley Cyrus and the
Jonas Brothers have the power of the 'tween marketplace and the
mighty Disney behind them, but only two full-length albums into
her career, Swift is challenging the rule that nobody makes rock
stars anymore.
Swift is, of course, slotted as a country act and her first big
hit, "Tim McGraw," reinforced that label. Among the many things
that Fearless confirms, the foremost might be that the
Pennsylvania-native Swift is navigating the broad waters of pop
music. There's a banjo and fiddle here and there on Fearless, but
the symphonic strings and general guitar uplift dominate.
You already know what Fearless is about - or maybe your
favorite/closest teenager informed you in a breathless text
message filled with exclamation points and all caps. Romance!
Doomed romance! Being 15 and being crazy in love with Romeo even
though of course it can't work out because he's a vampire - oh
wait, that's something else.
Maybe you also already know that Swift's name is on all of these
songs and that there are only five or so where the teenager
shares credit with John Rich (of Big & Rich fame) and others.
Maybe you've already decided that you love or hate this young,
beautiful and now-rich singer-songwriter because of what you
already know.
It's not likely that even Swift's biggest fans could tell from
her low-key, mostly-acoustic, happy-to-be-here debut that the
girl has a gift that translates to a bigger stage. That is to
say, Fearless is about as tightly constructed and as hook-heavy
as any pop record could be. The hits are certainly going to keep
on coming after "Love Story" has its run on the charts.
While most of the early praise for the record has focused on
Swift's sharp eye for detail (the nervous anticipation that comes
with the first day of high school and the insanity that comes
with young love), few have spoken about her voice. Although you
can take it to the bank that Nashville's most expensive machines
were applied to smooth out the edges, Swift is still able to
convey the passion - the fragile feelings - that drives so many
of these songs.
Taken as a whole, the great sweep of the production elevates
Fearless, makes it more than a heart diary typed on perfumed
resume paper. That's not to say that Swift's obsession over the
fickle ways of young men doesn't start to wear.
The last song - the abstract, gospel-ish "Change" - isn't enough
of a curve to break up the feel that too many of the tunes here
are about the same thing with the same kind of tempo.
But even at 19 years old, Swift is smart enough to play to her
strengths and her strengths are enough to make Fearless rich and
satisfying in ways that few albums can match. Eat your heart out,
Axl Rose. -- Arkansas Democrat Gazette, December 28, 2008
Taylor Swift hits all the right words on 'Fearless' * * * (out of
four)
SWIFT UNSPIFFED
For the past decade, the term singer/songwriter has been
liberally applied to hot young artists who rely on more
experienced collaborators to hone their tunes, and to provide the
savvy production that usually upstages the melody and lyrics
anyway. But Swift cut her creative teeth in Nashville, where
storytelling still matters; and for her sopre album,
Fearless, she wrote more than half the songs independently, and
clearly had a big hand in the rest.
You just can't fake the kind of innocence and wonder that ring
through the glowing title track and the moonstruck single Love
Story, or the guileless urgency and unmannered precociousness
marking more bittersweet songs such as Fifteen and White Horse.
Swift's grainy-sweet vocals have a similar freshness, even on the
less memorable cuts. It's a pleasure to hear a gifted teenager
who sounds like a gifted teenager, rather than a mouthpiece for a
bunch of older pros' collective notion of adolescent yearning. --
Elysa Gardner -- USA Today, November 11, 2008
Taylor Swift, 'Fearless'
Nashville's hottest young star lives up the hype
By Andy Hermann Critic's Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
The buzz: All Taylor Swift did with her self-titled debut album
was sell three million copies, produce a pair of chart-topping
singles ("Our Song" and "Should've Said No"), get nominated for a
Best New Artist Grammy and win virtually every country music
award a newcomer can get. Two years later, Nashville's teen
phenom is now all of 18 and ready to show that her debut was no
fluke.
The verdict: Swift is already a superstar in country music
circles, but "Fearless" should catapult her to the top of the pop
heap, as well. It's very nearly a flawless record, full of
big-hearted anthems with catchy melodies, chiming, pop-radio
guitars (and the occasional fiddle and banjo, as if to say,
"Don't worry, I'm still a Nashville girl at heart") and
disarmingly frank lyrics about being an average American kid with
real-life hopes, dreams and dramas. On "Fifteen," she captures
the wide-eyed excitement of dating older boys in high school,
singing "he's got a car!" like it's the most exciting thing
imaginable. "Hey Stephen" is an irresistibly sunny come-on of a
love song; "The Best Day" miraculously manages to portray a happy
childhood without getting cloying or sentimental; even lead
single "Love Story," with its corny "Romeo and Juliet"
references, is infused with so much sweetness and precocious wit
that it's impossible not to get swept up in the song's surging
chorus. Right from the get-go, it appeared that Swift's talent
ran deep; on this record, she proves it, and then some.
Did you know? On the CMT show "Crossroads," Swift teamed up
British pop-metal veterans Def Leppard to perform songs like
"Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me." (The pairing is less
odd than it sounds; the producer behind those classic `80s Def
Leppard albums, John "Mutt" Lange, also produced hits for one of
Swift's biggest influences, Shania Twain.) -- Metromix, November
10, 2008
Those who thought Taylor Swift was a big deal after the release
of her first record should be prepared: She's about to get way
bigger. Though they're written by a teenager, Swift's songs have
broad appeal, and therein lies the genius and accessibility of
her second effort. The inful "Fifteen" ("In your life you'll
do greater things than dating a boy on the football team") will
connect with teens looking for hope and with adult women looking
back, while the sparse "White Horse" will appeal to anyone who's
experienced love lost, which is to say, everyone. "Hey Stephen"
("All those other girls, they're beautiful but would they write a
song for you") displays Swift's confident sense of humor, and
"Breathe" (written with Colbie Caillat, who sings on the track)
is a love-gone-wrong song suitable for women of all ages. --
Billboard Magazine, November 7, 2008
Twang Banger: Nashville blonde belts 13 more hits about driving
around small towns with boys by Rob sheffield
4 STARS
Boys, boys! Won't you leave Taylor Swift alone? Can't you see the
poor girl already has too many teardrops on her guitar? Too
late--all over her fantastic second album, the country phenom
gets bedeviled by the boyfolk, making the thrills and spills of a
two-week teen romance sound as torchy as one of Patsy Cline's
marriages. She is put together to fall apart, the kind of gal who
applies her maa with great care because she plans to cry it
all off in the parking lot. In "Fearless," she wails about
getting caught in the rain "in my best dress"--like she'd wear
anything else to go ride around in a storm. This girl likes to
make a scene.
Since she's only 18 and has been a hard-working full-time country
metar for the past two years, it's a marvel she has so much
romantic roadkill under her wheels. But Swift has the personality
and poise to make these songs hit as hard as gems like "Tim
McGraw" and "Our Song" from her smash debut, and, once again, she
wrote or cowrote them all. The music drives hard enough to keep
up with her tingling pheromones--when she slows down for the
drippy piano ballad "You're Not Sorry," she reminds you what a
smart job she normally does of keeping the tempo jumping.
As for her boys--oh, the carnage. She makes mincemeat out of
these hess critters. She wipes her boots with boys who treat
her kind and, uch, "talk business with my her" but don't get
her hot ("That's the Way I Loved You"), and with boys who get her
hot but don't treat her kind ("White Horse"). She even meets a
boy who falls in love with a different girl ("She wears short
skirts, I wear T-shirts/She's cheer captain, and I'm on the
bleachers"), but rest assured, that doesn't happen often. "15"
takes a big-sisterly tone to advise younger girls not to get hung
up on marrying their freshman-year boyfriends, but that's as much
adult restraint as Swift allows. In "Hey Stephen," she coos, "All
those other girls, well they're beautiful/But would they write a
song for you?" Not as good as these songs, that's for sure. --
Blender Magazine, December 2008
Why we care: There's never been a more cynical time in pop music,
at least from a critic's point of view. Not only do we assume
most Top 40 tartlets aren't doing their own singing -- we've
accepted it, grading on cultural impact, art and integrity be
damned. The 18-year-old Swift's pop-country pirouettes have all
the weight of a dandelion crown, but she can sing and write a bit
and flash a genuine smile. Ultimately, though, the Pennsylvania
gal is one of the hottest things in music more for what she's
not. Why we like it: With feet-on-dashboard beats and innocent
guitar strums, Swift's sopre helping of country fluff (see
first single Love Story) details the kind of drama and heartbreak
crescendo that can devastate a kid...at least until after recess.
Her voice is strong when it has to be, wi and lilty in those
quiet times. She knows catchy, that's for sure.
Reminds us of: The star pupil at Faith Hill's Camp for
Exceptional Blonds
Grade: B -- St. Petersburg Times, November 2008
by Chelsea Rae
Rarely today do you find such care taken in creating a full
fledged album but Taylor has done just that. From album cover to
final note every entity is Taylor. Fearless is an ambiance of
sounds, symbols and colors all metonymic of Swift from her
carefully chosen cover , heart shaped hand print on the CD
itself and most of all the tantalizing lyrics everyone begs for
more of. The digital diary begins with the album track
"Fearless," a song about the best first date Taylor says she's
never had. Swift has out done herself on the melodies backing
this track as well as through out, you could play each song
without the lyrics and still receive her message. Swift shows
maturing in her writing and vocals but the subject line still
remains the same, relationships. Not just with boys but those who
are close to h er. On the second track Taylor sings about what
it's like to be a freshman in high school in "Fifteen," the
writing is so descriptive it takes you back to your own first day
of high school. You feel yourself go through the rollercoaster of
emotions you had once before all inside the 4:55 story. Best
friend Abigail makes a lyrical cameo appearance in the line
"...Sat down next to a red head named Abigail and soon enough we
were best friends." The third track belongs to current #1 single
"Love Story," this song is followed by a slew of ear candy and
potential singles with, "Hey Stephen," "White Horse," and "You
Belong With Me." "Hey Stephen," is as addicting as former smash
hit "Our Song." If you aren't listening to it in the car you'll
find yourself singing it to yourself constantly. "White Horse,"
has already received re on the season opening of Grey's
Anatomy and has ideal soundtrack appeal. "You Belong With Me," is
incredibly catchy a song that pokes fun at that "other gir l."
Kansas fan Nickie Yardley 23, references the lyrics in saying
"Her writing is so relatable cause I'm that t-shirt and sneaker
wearing girl." The album makes a transition midway when the songs
shift into lyrics of hurt and let down. Swift's seventh track
"Breathe," was a collaborative effort with Grammy nominated
Colbie Caillat whose vocals are also featured throughout. ITunes
overnight success, "You're Not Sorry," suffices as Swift's
darkest track to date as she calls out a former relationship. You
can hear the hurt in her voice while she slides through the hook.
The angst continues with songs "The Way I Loved You," and
"Forever and Always," a dig at ex Joe Jonas. The album shifts
gears once again on track twelve "The Best Day," This song is the
most tender lyric and vocal on the entire record, a morsel of
Taylor's childhood. Kentucky fan Allison Scott 18, could not have
put it any better in saying "'The Best Day" is a heartfelt and
touching ballad, that really pulls on my hear t as a daughter who
adores her mother, when I listen to Swift's dulcet voice and the
sound and tempo of the music." The song ties the album together,
as it takes you through each fragment of Swift's life. The album
comes full circle when it ends on "Change." This record is filled
with lyrical genius Taylor created 8 of the 13 tracks all on her
own a rarity by industry standard. "Fearless" has complete
universal appeal, pigeon holing her into just Country does not do
her craft justice, there is no genre just-Taylor. -- Today's
Country Magazine
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About the Artist
----------------
Stepping off Music Row and into the small but stylish lobby of
Big Machine Records, a visitor quickly realizes it's not just the
walls that reveal the story of Taylor Swift's meteoric rise to
stardom. Even the floors have a tale to tell. With much of the
vertical real estate already cled by industry awards, framed
national magazine covers, and gold and platinum records, the
staff has adopted the tactic of neatly stacking the continuous
stream of accolades and achievements along the baseboards. All
that's needed is a break in a busy intern's schedule to grab a
hammer, a few nails and search out any open wall space.
The photo most often found framed inside with all that precious
metal is certainly a familiar one to millions of her fans: the
cover of her first album, 2006's Taylor Swift. Knowing what we
know now about Taylor, it's a striking image. Gazing back at us
are the calm yet intense eyes of a sixteen-year-old girl who
knows she has much to say, but isn't really sure if anyone will
want to listen.
"It's crazy, the first time making an album, not knowing if
people are going to care what I write in a song," Swift admits.
"And then the second time around...knowing that there are people
who are going to know the lyrics that mean so much to me. It
makes it all worthwhile."
A second time around. It's hard to believe it's already time for
Taylor to follow up her triple platinum debut. Especially
considering that, two years after it's release, it is still near
the top of the country charts.
What's even harder to believe is that Taylor Swift has yet to
turn nineteen.
And when it came time to put a name to her sopre effort,
Swift decided on one word that just might be the perfect
adjective to describe her journey to this moment. FEARLESS.
After all, this is the girl who, at the tender age of 10, had the
guts to take the stage at every karaoke contest, festival, and
county fair that passed through her hometown of Wyomissing,
Pennsylvania. This is the girl, who at age 11, took a trip to
Music City and left in her wake a trail of amused receptionists
as she dropped off her homemade demo tape at every label in town.
This is the girl who, at only 14, relocated with her entire
family to Nashville to sign a songwriting deal with one of the
most prestigious publishers in all of music. This is the teenager
who signed her first record deal before she could drive. Who
sidestepped the major labels in town to take a chance with a
smaller start-up label. Who had the guts to step from an ACM
awards stage and into the audience to introduce herself to Tim
McGraw live on national television - just seconds after playing
the last chord of her first hit song that bears his name.
It's safe to say Taylor Swift knows a thing or two about being
FEARLESS.
"It's a big deal to title your album, so I wanted to make sure
that it was the right call," says Swift. "I started thinking
about the word `fearless' and what it means to me. It isn't that
you're completely unafraid. I think fearless is having fears, but
jumping anyway."
Jump? With this record, Taylor Swift takes a flying leap.
FEARLESS is a creative snap of an undeniable talent taking
the next big step, both in her life and in her music. The high
school freshman who once sang of "trying to find a place in this
world" has now seen so much more of it. It shows in the new
music.
"I think that when you grow up two years, you learn a few
things," reflects Swift. "Some people have been saying that the
songs seem more mature. You know I wasn't really going for that.
I just wrote what was happening to me. I grew up a little bit and
that came into my songwriting."
It's important to remember here -- these are truly her words.
Following an impressive trend established on her debut CD, Taylor
has once again written or co-written every song on FEARLESS -
including seven tracks by herself. Songwriting is a craft Swift
has been honing since first strumming a chord on a guitar at the
age of 12. By that evening, she had written her first tune. She
was hooked. Her life became consumed with songs. Every spare
moment was spent writing, playing, or thinking about music. Even
while hitting the books as a straight-A student at Hendersonville
High School, just outside of Nashville, she was doodling lyrics
in the margins of her s.
Even now, with her life barreling down the country music fast
lane, Taylor still makes it a priority to put the guitar, pen,
and paper she keeps nearby to good use. And it's not easy with
her schedule. After signing her record deal, Taylor left her high
school locker behind to be home-schooled out on the road. Now
instead of English and Latin class, Taylor has been studying
George Strait, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Brad Paisley and Rascal
Flatts on tour. Instead of class pictures, she's posing for the
covers of Rolling Stone, Billboard and Seventeen.
Now, more than ever, making music has become her way of making
sense of all the madness. Writing songs helps her stay grounded
as her career launches into the stratosphere. But for listeners
popping in Taylor's new CD and expecting to hear a laundry list
of lyrics on the plight of country music superstar rising through
the ranks, FEARLESS is going to surprise you.
"I didn't want to write songs about being on the road and being
in hotels and missing your family and missing your friends,"
insists Swift. "When I was like 14 or 15 and I would hear those
things on an album...being alone, living out of a suitcase... and
I was always like, `Ugh, skip!' I'm inspired by boys and love.
Those are my favorite things to write about and I don't think
that that is limited to high school. I'd rather write songs about
how I'm feeling and the relationship side of things."
As we quickly realize from several of the tracks on FEARLESS,
Taylor has found out relationships only get more complicated with
age. Songs like "You're Not Sorry", "Tell Me Why," "Forever &
Always," and "White Horse," the latter of which debuted in the
2008 season opener of the primetime drama Grey's Anatomy, find
Taylor has learned that "happily ever after" endings are not
always a given.
"I think I'm very fascinated by the differences between reality
and fairy tales," Swift says. "When we're little, we read these
books and we see cartoons and the bad guy is always wearing
black. You always know who he is. But in real life, the bad guy
can be incredibly charming and have a great smile and perfect
hair. He says things that make you laugh and he's sweet and he's
funny, but you don't realize that he's going to cause you a lot
of pain."
But lest you think it's all ogres and trolls reeking havoc on the
landscape of Taylor's love-life, there is a welcomed cameo from a
prince charming or two riding to the rescue.
The album's first single, "Love Story," offers up a countrified
version of Shakespeare's play that is anything but a tragedy. In
Taylor's world, Romeo is still breathing when the curtain
closes...and Juliet has a ring on her finger. And in the
incredibly infectious "Hey Stephen," Taylor proves she truly is
FEARLESS by singing about a secret crush - who will most
assuredly not remain a secret for long. Yes, the boy really
exists. And yes, Stephen is his real name. "He has no idea the
song is written about him," Taylor says with laugh. "It's someone
who I've always been friends with and always kind of had a thing
for...and he doesn't know. It's always fun for me to put
something on the album that is personal. Something I know I'm
going to have to deal with when the record comes out."
She even leaves listeners with a positive vibe. The album's final
track is a song Swift wrote to inspire her during some of the
tougher moments in the early going of her career. "There were
times I was working so hard that I didn't realize that every
single day our numbers were getting bigger," Swift remembers.
"Every single day, our fan base was growing. Every single day,
the work that we were doing was paying off. Then, during the 2007
CMA Awards, when they called out my name as the Horizon Award
winner, I looked over and saw the president of my record label
crying. Walking up those stairs, it just occurred to me that that
was the night things changed. It changed everything."
Some things for Taylor, however, have stayed the same. Her steady
creative partner Liz Rose is back on board. Rose was a co-writer
with Taylor on seven songs from her debut album, and was the
first person to encourage her to release "Tim McGraw" out into
the world.
Swift has also invited three more talents in to the writing mix
on FEARLESS. After getting the title track off the ground with
Rose, Swift called on songwriter Hillary Lindsey ("Jesus, Take
The Wheel") to help bring the song in for a landing. Blown away
by pop songwriter Colbie Caillat's talents on her debut album
CoCo, Taylor immediately reached out to her to collaborate. The
result is "Breathe," with Caillat adding vocals to the track. "I
think she sounds beautiful on it," gushes Swift.
And the final pairing brought two country forces of nature
together in the same Music City studio. Taylor Swift meet John
Rich.
"It was always one of my goals to write with John," says Swift.
"I had heard so many things about him. I just wanted to see what
it was like to get into a room with him because I know I'm a very
opinionated writer and I knew he was a very opinionated writer.
So I knew this was either going to be the best thing in the world
or was just going to be a complete train wreck." Not only does
the song they created stay on the tracks, it's proof that two
great cooks can rock a kitchen. Taylor and John clicked in a big
way "The Way You Loved Me," a song about the age-old
story of a good girl pining after a bad boy.
As if writing every song on the album and living the life of a
country superstar wasn't enough, Taylor added even more to her
workload when FEARLESS. She joins Nathan Chapman, the
main man behind the board for her debut album, as a co-producer
on the record. "All the songs for the second record, it's like
they were already produced in my head," recalls Swift. "When I
was writing a song, I knew what every instrument was doing. The
strings, mandolin, banjo, or dobro. I heard it all. It was just
really cool to have all those instruments I heard end up on the
album."
But even as she experiments with new sounds and new directions
for her music, Taylor Swift knows the power of a song begins and
ends with its lyrics. And it is in two of the softer, more
stripped down moments on FEARLESS - the tracks "Fifteen" and
"Best Day" -- that Taylor's extraordinary gift for writing shines
the brightest as she remembers fondly moments from her past.
We've always known Taylor was an old soul, but songs with this
level of reflection from someone still so young - they can leave
you shaking your head in amazement. Then you remember she's just
a few years removed from her own freshman year - and you
understand why her fans, including her over 1 million friends on
her MySpace page, love her. She puts to music exactly what they
are feeling.
"I want my fans to know - I'm the same girl I was when the first
album came out," says Swift. "I'm just not in high school and I
have a different schedule. I feel the same things, I feel the
same way. And my songs are where I'll never hold back."
That is music to a Taylor Swift fan's ears.
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