JCHReview: Taylor Swift - Fearless
November 10th 2008 03:21
With tracks like "Tim McGraw" and "Teardrops On My Guitar", her debut album can be understood as the torn out pages of a teenage girl’s diary. "Fearless" maintains this theme, however, it also succeeds in further exploring compelling melodies and narratives, cleverly capturing the lament of being young and in love. The first taste of this can be received in the opening title track, “Fearless” where Swift strikingly paints the picture of a faultless first date: “Well you stood there with me in the doorway my hands shake/I’m not usually this way but/You pull me in and I’m a little more brave/It’s the first kiss, it’s flawless, really somethin’, it’s fearless”. With an accompanied drumbeat and guitar, the first track introduces the theme of strong hooks met with intense imagery.
An additional thing to note about this record is Swift writing eight of the thirteen cuts by herself, with five co-writes. The solo cuts offer an incredibly personal tone as the listener delves further into an often tragic narrative. In “White Horse”, Swift softly and smoothly drifts from the verse into the chorus, mourning a relationship that never came into fruition. While many are quick to confine Swift to a younger demographic, the record is able to offer an attainability beyond youth and high school. Tracks such as “Breathe” and “You’re Not Sorry” will connect with the sixteen year old YouTube generation as well as the thirty-year-old woman harking back to their youth.
The John Rich co-write “The Way I Loved You” presents a strong and cutting melody accompanied by piercing guitars and chorus, stepping away from the lingering theme that dominates much of the record while the incredibly personal “Fifteen” intimately explores the banes of the teenage existence.
Swift openly discloses her own vulnerability and personal insecurities (as well as a minor tinge of reprisal) in an intensely intimate record. “Fearless” is able to showcase Swift’s ever evolving songwriting talent as well as an ability to find the proper medium between a lighter production and the showcasing of her vocals (something that was a minor problem in first record). Ultimately, this is the kind of album that will not only please her fans but will also reel in new ones, allowing Swift to maintain her position as the darling of the pop/country universe.
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