Taylor Swift – 1989 (Pop, Synthpop)
Taylor Swift names “1989” her first official “pop” album- a statement that’s pretty hard to believe. Taylor has been making radio-friendly, country-pop songs her entire career, but 2012’s “Red” saw her working with producers like Shellback (P!nk, Britney Spears) and Max Martin (Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync) to expand on her typical country flavours. We are Never Ever Getting Back Together‘s chorus exploded in elementary school, dance-ready pop and I Knew You Were Trouble brought dub-step to country radio.
For many, Taylor’s been making pop music since the very beginning, but it’s on “1989” that she lets her pop music influence take over, creating some of the stickiest music of her career. Shellback and Max Martin return as primary producers, but we also see the likes of One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, Fun’s Jack Antonoff, and Imogen Heap providing Swift with more instrumental muscle.
The weaker moments on “1989” sound a bit like Lana Del Rey, re-marketed for unsuspecting moms, like on Wildest Dreams. Songs like Blank Space play to all of Swift’s strengths: the youthful and floaty timbre of her vocals placed over an instrumental influenced by the minimal pop of fellow singer-songwriter, Lorde Lead single Shake it Off might have given the impression that country would be nowhere to be found on 1989, but tracks like How You Get the Girl and This Love sound like they could have been pulled off of “Red” or “Speak Now.” Shake it Off plays to the worst pop radio tropes of the year: looped trumpet samples, and even a pseudo-rap bridge that’s over as quick as it begins. It’s uncomfortable to hear Taylor singing about how the “haters gonna hate”, but the song is so upbeat and catchy, it’s easy to pay no mind.
If “Red” was Taylor Swift dipping her toe in the waters of radio pop, “1989” is her soaking all but her head. While people are not going to commend Taylor for bravely abandoning her country-pop niche, (I mean, who didn’t see this shift coming?) it’s a welcome change.
FAV. TRACKS: Welcome to New York, Blank Space, Shake It Off
LEAST FAV. TRACKS: I Wish You Would, Wildest Dreams
3.95/5
