Red ★★★☆☆

By Celena Chong

The countrypop song writer’s nifty new album, “Red”, went platinum just after one week of release. Widely acclaimed for her less-than-welcoming lyrics and bitter anthems, Taylor Swift toys with the familiar concepts of relationship recuperation and teenage heartbreak. The subject matter is inevitable and debatably a tad juvenile for the now 22 year old. However, it’s a guarantee that all those who catch a tune will eventually betray themselves, humming the gripping hook of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together while they get ready in the morning. How did T-Swift’s new album hold up this time?

The country teenybopper’s emotional range spans from unforgiving to wistful in the album cover song, Red.  The only warning is that the synthetic echoes of “Re-e-e-ed” within the chorus may take some getting used to. Critics are quick to pounce on Swift’s new sans-acoustic experimentation, but Red, at least, doesn’t detract from the star’s unique songwriting abilities or smoothness of delivery, with fuzzy guitar riffs all along the edges.

Swift’s biting lyrics, tinged with all the colors of the sass rainbow, inject enough character into We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. However, it is impossible to pinpoint what gives me the feral urge to switch the station every time I hear “I remember when we broke up…” The repetition is a bit overcooked, and Swift’s voice sometimes takes the edge of a whine. The message screams “unripe youth”. She should never ever pull this one on us again… The track earns a C+ at best.

I Knew You Were Trouble is possibly the heart of Swift’s electronica trial—the question is, was she successful? The verdict is: yes, thoroughly. With an elegant bass drop after she sings: “Flew me to places I’ve never been/Now I’m lying on the cold hard ground”, this track sparkles with a dubstep sheen. Her breathy, textured vocals especially within the energetic hook only seem to validate her warning projected to all teens. Every album needs an outlier, and this one was a great addition to the Red compilation.

In the very acoustic collaboration with Ed Sheeran, “Everything Has Changed,” the listener will catch a temporary vacation from the country pop hybrid tracks. In this nostalgic ballad, Sheeran is the star, slightly out-singing Swift with his iron vocals—yet, their voices weave in and out like a grandma’s woolen blanket, putting whoever listens at ease. It’s a fireplace type of song.

Kind of eclectic, but shining through with old T-swift familiarity, Red has my unwavering approval—I give it three stars.  In my opinion, Swift has captured our hearts once again.