Taylor Swift -
Self-Titled Debut
By: George
Peden, CSO Staff Journalist
Taylor
Swift. She’s new. She’s exciting. And you may not have to
write her name down to remember it. For if the breaks fall the
right way, and they have so far, this talented singer and
songwriter from Tennessee could become a known name before
much longer. Now at a wholesome 16, the karaoke veteran, for
that’s where she got her start at 10, is making some
splashes in Nashville’s musical pond.
Her ambitious
history shows music has always been a childhood passion. She
tinkered with tune writing at 12, the same year she taught
herself the guitar, the same year she fronted a crowd of
30,000, opening for Charlie Daniels. All valued training, as
she recently opened for the chartbusting Rascal Flatts.
It’s not a
bad effort. And when you line that up with her Billboard
current charting top 20 breakthrough "Tim McGraw",
the future is looking bright for the teenager who maintains
fan friendships through her Myspace web site, and who
defiantly leaves an album liner message telling, "To all
the boys who thought they were cool to break my heart, guess
what? Here are 11 songs written about you."
"Tim
McGraw" opens the album. And, yes, it’s a bad boy
hurtin’ and leavin’ affair. The tune is one of seven
written with "songwriting soul mate", Liz Rose.
"McGraw", rather than being a mournful dirge, is a
lyrical infection that once it bites stays with you. It’s a
hooky tune lamenting a romance gone and over, but remembers
the good times with a summer boyfriend who liked McGraw’s
tunes. Carried well with Swift’s persuasive vocals, the tune
is a creditable written piece first up, and a tune that if it
scores enough radio should chart climb.
"Picture
To Burn" and "Teardrops On My Guitar" are vivid
pieces that return to heartache. But rather than obsess, the
teenage Swift brings gritty strength –young she may be, but
her lyrical heroes come determined and resilient. As she tells
us in the revealing "A Place In The World", she’s
just a girl trying to find her place.
And there’s
no doubting that. With the aid of producer and
multi-instrumentalist Nathan Chapman –he plays something on
just about every cut –the duo mine thoughtful teenage angst,
while wrapping Swift’s energies into tunes that offer broad
and lasting appeal. The more I listen, the more I read of this
young woman, the more I’m convinced – her time in the neon
is coming.
Swift hasn’t
cornered herself into delivering snappy pop-country. She’s
liberated, she’s clear, and she voices her personal truth
honestly and tunefully. "Cold As You" is proof. The
track cuts with an emotional sting, as does the adult honesty
of fractured love and the consequences of cheating on
"Should’ve Said No". Good songs and a great voice:
it all makes for a knockout debut.
As an album
bonus, there’s the "McGraw" video and Swift’s
debut at the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry video tracks Swift on
the hallowed turf. It shows the jitters, the awe, and the
eventual triumph. It’s a great watch.
The album is out now on Big
Machine Records.
Click on the CD cover to order yours!
1. Tim McGraw
2. Picture To Burn
3. Teardrops On My Guitar
4. A Place In This World
5. Cold As You
6. The Outside
7. Tied Together With A Smile
8. Stay Beautiful
9. Should've Said No
10. Mary's Song (Oh My My My)
11. Our Song
My name is Erika. I love
Taylor Swift's CD, it is a great CD. She is going to become a great star an with a great debut at # 3 on billboard that proved she has what it takes.
We, her fans, love her a lot. I give the CD a 10 out of 10, it's the best
CD of the year.
~ Erika
Taylor
Swift. She’s new. She’s exciting. And you may not have to
write her name down to remember it. For if the breaks fall the
right way, and they have so far, this talented singer and
songwriter from Tennessee could become a known name before
much longer. Now at a wholesome 16, the karaoke veteran, for
that’s where she got her start at 10, is making some
splashes in Nashville’s musical pond.