Taylor Swift vs. Spotify

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest music performers today, and is currently touring -- but is she big enough to defeat a musical streaming service?  She recently opted to pull her music from the Spotify service, and she hasn't held back about why.

In Time and The Wall Street Journal, Swift has argued that artists should value their art and be certain that people are paying enough for it -- and she doesn't see that happening through Spotify.  According to Swift, Spotify lacks any settings or qualifications for who can get what music, which for Swift means anyone there can get her music without paying for it.  Swift still has her music available for purchase through many other avenues: iTunes, Beats Music, Rhapsody, even physical cds, such as the Target exclusive version of 1989 with bonus songs and material.

But can Taylor Swift have a substantial impact on Spotify -- and other music suppliers -- all by herself?  Quite possibly.  As I said at the start, she is one of the biggest musicians out right now.  Her album 1989 sold over a million copies in its first week, and her fans have followed her almost without question as she moved from country to crossover to pop.  And if they'll follow her wherever she goes, many of them will avoid what she says to avoid.  I don't think Taylor Swift will cause Spotify to immediately collapse -- but I wouldn't bet against her, or her massive fan base, either.

Written by James Lynch

Taylor Swift, 1989 (deluxe version)

There's something refreshing about Taylor Swift finally ending her county-pop hybrid music albums and releasing a "pure" pop album.  1989 (deluxe version) has a dual significance to its name: It's the year she was born, and it also has the pop sound and sensibility of the 1980s.  And the deluxe version from Target (disclaimer: I work for Target, but not in their artificial intelligence division) has three extra songs and her notes/demo versions of three other songs.

lifIt's no surprise that almost all the songs on 1989 are about romance (except for the generational love/hate song "New Romantics") -- but there's a nice spectrum.  There are plenty of sappy, feel-good love songs, like "How You Get the Girl" and "You Are in Love."  There are also lost of post-romance tunes, from the longing "I Wish You Would" to the angry "Bad Blood" and the recovering romantic "Clean."

This time, though, Taylor is aware of her past/reputation and works that into the music.  Several of the songs, such as "Blank Slate" and "Wonderland,"  have her knowing that dating her will be both great and terrible ("life was never worse but never better").  "Shake It Off" is about Taylor's reputation for short-lived relationships; or her impromptu dancing; or dealing with bullies and criticism in general.

1989 (deluxe version) is an entertaining album.  Swift's voice hits the right notes for both bouncy fluff and tearjerker songs.  The songs are all solidly in the world of pop, but they all work in there (although I found "Bad Blood" to be a little too sing-song-y).  The bonus tracks are good (though I could take or leave the "songwriting voice memos" at the end) and this is very enjoyable to listen to multiple times.

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

Taylor Swift, RED (deluxe version)

So, is Taylor Swift still a country artist? On her new album Red (deluxe version), she eschews most sounds of country music to create an almost pure-pop album. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that...

Red (deluxe version) has Swift singing mostly about her favorite topics: love and boys. She can be quite optimistic about love, whether it's the teen fantasy night of "Starlight," the goofy romance of "Stay Stay Stay" or the hopeful new romance of "Begin Again." Conversely, Swift has plenty to say/sing about her exes, from bashing an ex in the first single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" to old loves in "All Too Well" and "Sad Beautiful Tragic." She veers off romance a few times -- the we're-young-and-partying "22" and thr fame-is-rough "The Lucky One" -- but Red (deluxe version) is all abour romance, whether it's finding it or remembering it.

While Swift sings as well as ever, the writing here suffers from repetition.  Swift has an annoying habit of either "stuttering" part of a word over and over in the chorus, or using the same word several times in a row; this happening so often in "Stay Stay Stay" doesn't help.  As for the music behind the vocals, Red (deluxe version) sounds a bit less distinct from standard top 40 pop on the faster songs.  When Swift slows down for the ballads, she can be genuinely moving.  And the deluxe version of Red, from Target (disclaimer: I work for Target -- but I play for keeps!) has demo and acoustic versions of the first three songs on the album, plus three new songs.

Red (deluxe version) isn't a bad album, but it lacks the memorable sounds and variety of Swift's last album, Speak Now.  This time around Swift feels like she's doing more crowd-pleasing music than challenging or growing.  I hope that Swift tries for more country in her next release.

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch

 

Taylor Swift, SPEAK NOW

Taylor Swift certainly knows her audience. The semi-country pop singer, now 20, is still singing about young love and young heartbreak on Speak Now, her third album. Fortunately she manages to make these familiar topics pleasant, even tossing in a few surprises here and there.

Most of Speak Now is about romance, either starting or ending. The romantic songs are largely sweet, where everything is glorious and sweeping. (The exceptions are the single "Mine" where financial troubles enter the mix, and the title track that has possibly the worst time to tell someone that you love them.) The breakup songs are surprisingly even, with Swift as much as the instigator as the victim of the failed relationships.

The album's liner notes say all the songs are about times Swift wished she had spoken up in her life, and fans can wonder how much of the songs are autobiographical. Is "Mean" about the Kanye West incident? Maybe -- or it could just be a response to all her haters. Is "Better Than Revenge" (which has enough percussion and electric guitar to be a Paramore tune) about her then-boyfriend Joe Jonas getting stolen from her by actress Camilla Belle? Probably. In any case, Speak Now continues to make Swift the girl next door who knows about longing and heartbreak (even while she's on the cover of magazines and dating celebrities).

Forutnately, Speak Now works very well as a pop album. Taylor Swift has a very nice voice, and she can handle quiet songs as easily as upbeat singles. The album has very consistent quality, and the Target exclusive (I no longer work there, so no more disclaimers. Woot!) has three new songs, two acoustic versions, one pop remix, plus the music video for "Mine." Taylor Swift's music still targets the young female audience, but Speak Now is good enough to warrant Swift's mainstream appeal.

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

VALENTINE'S DAY soundtrack

"I don't wanna write a love song for the world/ I just wanna write a song about a boy and a girl." This line from Micahel Franti & Spearhead's "Say Hey (I Love You)" summarizes the soundtrack to the movie Valentine's Day, being released two days after, well, Valentine's Day. As one might imagine, the theme of the album is romance.

Valentine's Day features songs about love, be it love enjoyed, love hoped for, or love missed. There's a wide variety of artists here: old pros like Willie Nelson and Nat King Cole; newer artists include Taylor Swift (who has two songs here, possibly thanks to her role in the movie), Joss Stone, Jewel, Maroon 5, and Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl; and new artists (to me, anyway) like Black Gold and Steel Magnolia.

So what's here? There are lots of covers, of varying quality. Maroon 5 give an excellent big band feel to "I'm in the Mood For Love." Sausalito Foxtrot's perky "Everyday" won't replace the Buddy Holly version anytime soon. And I still don't know what to make of the Indian stylings of Anju Ramapriyam's "Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours."

While Valentine's Day is for the most part sappy and sentimental, the album does better by including artists with numerous styles. Taylor Swift's songs are her usual pop-country hybrids (though I found "Today Was a Fairytale" more country than most of her singles), but Joss Stone provides a jazzy touch with "4 and 20," Amy Winehouse delivers the blues on "Cupid," Michael Franti and Spearhead deliver a Caribbean tune, and Nat King Cole goes with the Spanish song "Te Quiero Dijate."

Overall, the songs are decent. As with most soundtracks the song quality varies, and few of the ones here really stand out. Then again, the songs are enjoyable as well, something light to listen to for getting in the spirit of the holiday. Valentine's Day is a nice little album, nothing awe-inspiring but a pleasant listen.

Overall grade: B-

Reviewed by James Lynch