How You Get the Girl" is the most sunny, upbeat song on the album, and that's not saying much since there's nothing that's quite on the level of "You Belong with Me,""Mean," or "Picture to Burn." It's a good song, at least, as it's catchy and begging for a dance remix. 8/10 Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. Clean" is a deep song about becoming sober from not a drug but a relationship gone south. Purging all the things you're holding onto, finally moving on from the things you did like. Taylor wrote this one with Imogen Heap and it's one of the most personal, finely-crafted songs on the album, closing it on a high note. 9/10 I Wish You Would" is one of the songs that blends together with the rest of them and doesn't really amount to anything spectacular. 6/10

Now, all that being said, I still like the overall direction of the album, but I think it would be better without Max Martin's presence on production and with more songs written by Swift herself; for the record, there were 8 on Fearless, 14 on Speak Now and 9 on Red and here, there's only one. All three of those albums were pioneering efforts with multiple 5-star songs that we still hear everywhere today for a reason: They were intimate, personal, relatable, catchy, and different from the last one. Here, the songs do at times have those traits, but the repetitive feel to it is the most different thing Taylor is doing on this album, making it her weakest release since her debut. Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Taylor Swift Music (BMI), Write Me A Song Publishing (GMR) (Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, Inc.) This Love" is the only song on the album Taylor wrote by herself and was also the only produced by longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman. It's not as forgettable as "Last Kiss" but it still doesn't stand out. The plus side? It's authentic. It tests Taylor's range. And she sounds great on a slow-paced ballad like this. It's romantic in that moving way. 8/10 Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Taylor Swift Music (BMI), MXM. (ASCAP) (Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, Inc.) & Wolf Cousins/Warner/Chappell Music Scand AB (ASCAP)

Versions

Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Taylor Swift Music (BMI), MXM. (ASCAP) (Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, Inc.)

Shake It Off" is the first single and is lyrically a weaker version of "Mean." Its production is something very different, especially given how unnatural Taylor's voice sounds. That being said, the tune is delightfully catchy and being like "Mean" isn't a bad thing. This is the kind of song you'll find yourself singing along to until you get tired of it, which you will. 7/10 Bad Blood" is overproduced too, and though it has some lyrical gems, it becomes hard to get through - even for someone who enjoyed almost every single song Taylor had sung in the past - upon future listens due to the convoluted chorus, a similar issue to what I said about "I Knew You Were Trouble" two years ago. I still enjoy that Band-Aids don't fix bullet holes, but overall the production hurts it. 4/10 Out of the Woods" is a catchy anthem that sadly gets too repetitive lyrically later on, but not at expense of quality. It's nothing special but Taylor doesn't sound too overproduced here, at least. 6/10

Intro

The first thing is simply how a lot of the songs seem to blend together not only after the first listen but after ongoing listens as well. There are no standouts here in the same catchy vein as some of her best songs, such as "You Belong with Me" and "Mean." This album is more about being a cohesive whole than either of Taylor's last two albums, which were about producing material that transcended genres and said something about her and her life. The diverse offerings of Speak Now and Red were one of the things that made them appealing, as almost anyone could find a song on the album they could like. This album strives more toward a certain sound at expense of discernible, catchy synths on each song. The catchy hooks are there, like on "Shake It Off" and "Wildest Dreams" for example, but it feels like the musical hooks themselves are repetitive, with the lyrical material being different even if most of them involve her interpersonal relationships, her usual subject. To an extent, I disagree with there being no middle of the road on Taylor Swift's latest release. As someone who listened to her past two efforts, Speak Now and Red, extensively and religiously due to their relatable themes, catchy tunes, and smart crossing of country and pop while being relevant in both genres, I can't help but feel disappointed in this release. It isn't the new direction I have a problem with, as I am heavily fond of 80s music and actually quite like what she's doing, but I feel that there are two things that are at the forefront here that contribute to the averageness of the album as a whole. Wildest Dreams" is my favorite from the album. Even though it is Max Martin-ed, Taylor's vocals are soothing, the material is introspective and personal, and if you just close your eyes while listening to it, you can picture what's going on. This needs to be a single since it's a surefire hit. 10/10