Taylor Swift - ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ - review
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (HIVE)
Just in case anybody isn’t caught up yet, Taylor Swift is amid a campaign of re-recording her back catalogue. Doing this will allow her to own her masters (the songs’ original recordings) and means that she can control the way that these versions of the songs are used. The latest addition to this operation is a brand-new version of 2010’s ‘Speak Now’, an album that combines the angst of our teenage years with the whimsy of acoustic arrangements.
As with the other re-recordings of her previous releases, Swift remains faithful to the source material on ‘Speak Now’. The lyrics, arrangements and instrumentation are largely the same throughout, yet there is one thing that brings the album to a whole new level – maturity. Swift’s voice has clearly developed in the 13 years since the original was released and brings a sense of stability to fan-favorite tracks like ‘Mine’ and ‘The Story of Us’.
She is so evidently not the naïve and pure young adult she was at the time of writing most of these tracks. Though she still seems to uphold the perky entertainer mask that she was branded with at the beginning of her career, the songs carry a whole new meaning of heartache and escapism with the loss of this naivety. The departure of teenage angst and introduction of an established adulthood means that some songs lose their angry edge, yet we are presented with a new performance that is tamer yet shrouded in a mellow energy.
It’s no shock that ‘Dear John’ remains the most emotionally taxing track on the album. It feels as though the other songs exist because of this focal point that details mistreatment from a much older ex. We are all well aware now that this track is about musician John Mayer, who was 32 when he dated 19-year-old Swift. Swift is now the same age that Mayer was then at the time of this release, making this particular track more powerful than anything else we are offered. The wailing guitar intro paired with the weight of the lyrics and a more dynamic voice that easily switches from her low register to belting the title during the chorus shows just how much Swift has grown in an artist in the time since this track’s original release.
Like the other re-recordings of the last few years, ‘Speak Now’ features tracks “from the vault”, that were previously unreleased. Speak Now gives us collaborations with Fall Out Boy and Paramore’s Hayley Williams – both two entirely different tracks but they complement both respective artists and after hearing these collaborations, it is hard to imagine anyone else jumping on to provide guest vocals.
There is a serious worry surrounding ‘Taylor Swift fatigue’ right now; she is one of the most publicized music artists in the world with music in nearly every top 10 chart and features on every social media feed, whether asked for or not. This release may not have the benefit of originality that ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ had when it was announced – it almost feels as though the novelty of re-recording and the message behind it has worn off for many, but die-hard fans are still racked with excitement at the prospect of these new releases.
‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ is about reconnecting with who Swift was 13 years ago. Though it may swap the teenage angst for muted disdain in places, ‘Speak Now’ still stands the test of time. Swift’s rich vocals give the entire album a new lease of life that makes her sound more in control and less like the sometimes nasally country voice we are so used to hearing sing these tracks. The entire album is an opportunity for those who didn’t listen to its original release to rediscover what made everyone around them fall in love with Taylor Swift.
Rating: 4/5
