CD Review-- "Speak Now" by Taylor Swift

Well, on Monday the new Taylor Swift CD came out. And I bought it. Obviously.
I've always loved Taylor's stuff in the past, but this time around, for the most part, I just wasn't feelin' it. Of course, between my recent punk/newgrass/classic rock addictions, my music tastes have evolved quite a bit since Fearless came out, but I still like that CD a lot better than this one. It strikes me overall as a little forgettable-- nothing special. However, there are a few songs I really like, and since I only paid four dollars for it (thank you Amazon!), it was worth what I paid for it. Here's my iTunes review style play by play:

1. "Mine" -- This might have been a really cute song right now if she hadn't released it five months ago as the first single. The fact that the CD just came out the other day and this song is already overplayed kinda ruins it for me. Basic premise: careful girl with a tough family history with love gets reassured that her boy won't ever hurt her. *shrug* It's kinda catchy, I guess, but it just doesn't do much for me.

2. "Sparks Fly" -- Sooooooooo cliche. Completely forgettable. You're twenty. Get out of middle school Taylor. This was probably my least favorite because it was just so boring. That's pretty much all I have to say about it.

3. "Back to December" -- I really like the lyrics to this one, but the melody line just doesn't keep me interested. There's about two notes. The lyrics are talking about regret over losing a relationship, and they're pretty good. Sad, but good.

4. "Speak Now" -- Oh goodness. This is an adorable little song. This is one of the songs that makes me happy I bought this CD. The opening line is, "I am not the type of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion/ But you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl." When the preacher says "Speak now or forever hold your peace," she... well... speaks. Haha. There is no depth to this song. It provides no profound insight into life. My guess is the events she's singing about are purely fictional. However, there's some funny sarcasm when she's talking about the bride-to-be, the melody line is cute, and it just makes me happy. Sometimes you just need songs that make you happy for no good reason. :)

5. "Dear John" -- Another favorite. This almost made me cry the first time I heard it just 'cause I REALLY relate to a few of the lines. The melody line is pretty and stirring (I love the little guitar twang in between verses and the beat in her voice in the words she draws out) and the lyrics are good. Good job Taylor.

6. "Mean" -- This is probably the most country-sounding song on the album. I feel like this was definitely written to someone... and I'm laughing at the poor guy 'cause he probably feels really stupid right now. The lyrics are "Someday I'll be livin' in a big ol' city and all you're ever gonna be is mean"... and she's making millions of dollars. I love the line about him being "drunk and going on about how I can't sing." It just makes me laugh. And the way she says "You're mean... and a liar... and pathetic..." makes me laugh to. You can hear the sharpness in her voice. Not anything riveting, but it was entertaining.

7. "The Story of Us" -- Well, when I started this line I didn't remember this song, but having gone back to listen to it I actually really enjoy it. It's quite relatable. It's about not talking to somebody you used to love... "I've never heard silence quite this loud." Yeah. That about sums it up, don't it? Huh. This might be a new favorite.

8. "Never Grow Up"-- Booorrring. Sweet sentiment, but I get sick of it really quick. It's telling a little kid not to be in a hurry to grow up because she won't have this time for long. I do like the line about her turning on her nightlight to scare away the monsters in her apartment, but that's about it.

9. "Enchanted"-- Oh wow. My favorite song on the whole CD. Just write down my life, why don't you, Taylor? Ok, maybe not the WHOLE song is my life, but a few of the lines really got to me. "The playful conversation starts, countering your quick remarks, like passing notes in secrecy..." Thank you for this song, Taylor dear. She sings it very well too. And the melody line is beautiful.

10. "Better than Revenge" -- This is the least Taylor-y song on the album, I think. Me and my friend Aimee considered playing it for our non-Taylor Swift liking Holly to see if she'd realize who it was. My thought was that if Taylor Swift had written Paramore's "Misery Business", it would be this same song. The premise is exactly the same. I kinda like the play on words with the title... you assume it means she's above revenge, but the lyric is actually "There's nothing I do better than revenge." Not that I endorse revenge, but it was clever.

11. "Innocent" -- Very forgettable. Melody is boring, lyrics are boring. Moving on.

12. "Haunted" -- Well, I like the opening melody (the DUM-dum-DUM-dum-DUM-dum-DUM-dum's). It's about the foreboding feeling before a breakup and then the missing after it's over. The lyrics are nothing earth shattering (they're actually rather cliche... and I think Evanescence had better ones first... go listen to "My Immortal"), but she sings it well and the melody line is pretty. I'm pretty neutral.

13. "Last Kiss" -- This is the part of the CD where it starts to hit me that almost all Taylor's songs pretty much say the same thing. She broke up with the guy she never thought she'd break up with and now she misses him. The end. But it's a pretty song, I'll give her that.

14. "Long Live" -- A nice happy little closing song. I feel like it's the sequel to "Change" from the last CD. It would make a good graduation song. I like all the fairy tale imagery, 'cause, well, I like fairy tales. Not really much else to say.

Overall:
Taylor, dear, a few tips.
-There are more chords than D, A, E minor, and G. I know you broke out and used C on a few songs. And I'm proud of that. But you could try a little harder.
-Repeat after me: Originality is my friend.

Haha. For real though, overall this isn't my favorite CD: not awful, but not my favorite. I'm glad I didn't spend the full iTunes fourteen bucks on it, but for four bucks it was pretty good. If you're going to pick and choose, buy "Speak Now", "Dear John", and "Enchanted". Those are easily the best songs on the album.

And if you're not interested in Taylor Swift at all, you just wasted a good ten minutes of your life on my blog post. Ha. Ha. Ha.

<3