October 22, 2026 The Independent Student Newspaper of Oswego State
Laker Review

Taylor Swift surprises fans, steps away from country roots

dtruong October 25, 2012 2 min read

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Taylor Swift is turning heads for more than one reason after the release of her new album โ€œRed.โ€

โ€œRedโ€ is Swiftโ€™s fourth album to date, and will not silence critics who say she has become โ€œtoo pop.โ€ What Swift showed with โ€œRedโ€ is that she showed that she is unafraid to step out of her country roots, regardless of the naysayers. In the album, she experiments with an unfamiliar type of sound. Her songwriting remains top-notch, while she continues to mix anguish and hilarity into one.

The first song of this album, โ€œWe Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,โ€ is playful and catchy as a confident headliner to the album. One of her most beautiful songs on the album is โ€œState Of Grace,โ€ an eloquently written song that has clear rock influences and mixes in a sensitivity often associated with Swift. Swift drew inspiration from the band U2 while writing the song. โ€œRedโ€ is a classic Taylor Swift country song. She opens the song lamenting the crash and burn of a fast-moving relationship.

Swift is still on top of her game, and anyone who says otherwise should take a good listen to the entire album. Two songs on this album stand out on first listen. โ€œBegin Againโ€ is a soft, unpretentious, acoustic ballad that is everything a Swift fan could want in a song. It journals the introduction of a new boy in Taylorโ€™s love life, one that has started eight months after a breakup that left Swift saying โ€œall love ever does is break and burn and end.โ€ Swiftโ€™s new pop and rock sound is on display especially in the song โ€œI Knew You Were Trouble.โ€ The song has an almost dubstep sound to it. This song is catchy and you will find yourself listening to it over and over again. It has an electro-pop sound and is one of the most unique songs in โ€œRed.โ€ Not every song on this album is about love. โ€œRonanโ€ is a track about a four-year-old boy who died of cancer. Itโ€™s a tear-jerking and incredible song that is a true testament to Swiftโ€™s growth as a songwriter. โ€œRedโ€ is a new, energetic and unique sound for the country star.

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2 Comments

  1. Rick Astley October 26, 2012 at 12:39 am

    LOVE THIS! she can step out of her comfort zone and still rock it! You pointed out how she is experimenting and discovering a different side to herself which i agreed with! nice article ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Sara October 26, 2012 at 12:44 am

    I love T-Swift! This was a fun little summary that obviously paints the album in a positive way. I’m a little down on some of the songs but the ones that you pointed out are definitely the best in ” Red”. Good Job Matt!

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