Let me start by saying that I likeTaylor Swift. She’s cute, she’s young and she’s got a great sense of humor. But I’m sorry, the girl can’t sing live. It’s pretty obvious she needs a team of producers, studio engineers and pro-tools experts to help keep her vocals in-tune. Check out her appearance from last night’s Dancing With the Stars. ouch. I personally recommend turning down the volume while watching this.
hopefully her upcoming hosting gig with Saturday Night Live will showcase more of her comedic ability than her singing ability (or lack thereof).
Taylor Swift may not have the greatest voice but she sure does have a great sense of humor. On her last night touring with Keith Urban (at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri), Swift and her band rushed the stage while Urban was performing “Kiss a Girl” in full-on KISS outfits and makeup!! Watching the video clip, you can tell Urban was genuinely surprised by the whole thing. It’s a truly funny moment and I’m so glad some of the fans caught this on tape. Swift and her crew even got the KISS moves down. oh, and check out the Hershey’s Kisses prancing around in the back.
You know, I pretty much had my mind made up when I picked up the latest release by Taylor Swift titled Fearless. It’s easy for anyone to categorize Swift as an over-glamorized cross-over princess, hyped up and marketed by the big corporate machine. In fact, her record label is even called “Big Machine”. heh. And yes, she’s only nineteen and her vocals on the album are auto-tuned to death. So, as you can see there’s a lot going against her at least on the surface. But interestingly enough, it turned out that I really enjoyed listening to her album these last few weeks. Forget for a minute that the corporate big-wigs are running the show and that her heavily processed vocals make her sound like all the other female pop acts on the charts. Even with all that, there still remains some credibility since she writes her own songs, plays guitar (and you know how I have a soft spot for girls with guitars!!) and is even a co-producer on her latest album.
I do have to mention though that her lyrics are filled with cliches and “young love” angst that sort of limits the scope a bit on these songs but obviously they connect with millions of teenaged girls across the U.S. looking at her incredible sales figures in 2008. Having said all that, the girl knows how to write a big hook. The big choruses and the sing-a-long simplicity in her songs sink right into your skull and remain there for days on end. The whole album is pleasant to listen to with no obvious clunkers to mar the experience. Standouts include – “Hey Stephen”, “Fearless”, “Forever & Always” and “the Best Day”.
Lastly, if I did have to nitpick, I would have left things a bit more open-ended in the song “Love Story” instead of tacking on the happy ending in the last chorus. It feels a bit hokey especially since the tragic love stories “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Scarlet Letter” are referenced in the song. But it’s a moot point I suppose since the song is a number one hit.
retroGrade: B
— Fearless artist: Taylor Swift
label: Big Machine
release date: November 11, 2008
produced by: Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
. It’s easy for anyone to categorize Swift as an over-glamorized cross-over princess, hyped up and marketed by the big corporate machine. In fact, her record label is even called “Big Machine”. heh. And yes, she’s only nineteen and her vocals on the album are auto-tuned to death. So, as you can see there’s a lot going against her at least on the surface. But interestingly enough, it turned out that I really enjoyed listening to her album these last few weeks. Forget for a minute that the corporate big-wigs are running the show and that her heavily processed vocals make her sound like all the other female pop acts on the charts. Even with all that, there still remains some credibility since she writes her own songs, plays guitar (and you know how I have a soft spot for girls with guitars!!) and is even a co-producer on her latest album.
