Speak Now

by

Taylor Swift

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With "Speak Now" Taylor Swift ups the singer/songwriter aspect of her art and turns down the radio-ready emphasis a notch. It is a little less calculated and a little more comfortable than her last two, especially 2008's non-stop hit factory "Fearless."

It is also less focused and tight, but since this is Swift's debut effort without any co-writers, her melodies and lyrics composed independently, this was inevitable. The result is akin to comfort food - unpretentious, honest and warm. She has the natural talent and flair for catchy song craft to make a less precious recording - which "Speak Now" certainly is - work especially well.

Because Swift was clearly given more leeway to do as she pleases both her strengths and excesses are more prominently on display than previously. A few of her melodies sound simple and similar to one another, and she is often bursting with lyrics, with every other tune or so a bit overwritten. However, this is also one of the strengths of "Speak Now." It shows that Swift is the real deal - an artist from whom strong songs flow naturally.

Much has been made of the men whom Swift has written songs about, and that transparency shows her age, but "Speak Now" proves she does not need the controversy to validate the music. From the inventive, shrewd, near power-pop of "The Story of Us" and "Enchanted" to the elegant, apologetic "Back to December," these songs stand on their own.

Accents of country remain, but Swift is transitioning into pop/rock territory, and she cannot be blamed for it - at 20, she is, in spite of her major success, still finding her voice. "Mean" with its cheeky, smartly executed humor, is the only outright country tune.

"Someday I'll be living in a big old city and all you're ever gonna be is mean," she forecasts.

Her eye for detail and sense of levity are prominent. In the classy, tuneful title song she paints the picture of a wedding - which she hopes to put a stop to - in delightful detail:

"...and she is yelling at a bridesmaid somewhere back inside her room wearing a gown shaped like a pastry."

She also plays the role of big sister on "Innocent" and "Never Grow Up," affectionate odes to the importance of childhood. The latter especially demonstrates her depth as she sings of the importance of love, family and innocence.

"But don't make her drop you off around the block," she affectionately sings to her younger listeners about their mothers. "Remember that she's getting older too, and don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJs getting ready for school."

In an industry with plenty of flesh and flash and little substance, Taylor Swift remains refreshing and real, and "Speak Now" is just the right record for her to be releasing now - a collection of songs that proves the validity - and sincerity - of her still-burgeoning talent.

I've been playing this over and over really wanting to like it, but with the exception of a couple of songs, something's missing. I haven't been able to put a finger on it yet, but after going back and listening to Fearless, I'm starting to get some ideas about why Speak Now isn't striking a chord with me.

I'm not finding a "Love Story" here...or a "Fifteen"...or a number of other great songs from that album, but the reason is those songs have a lot of dynamic range, stronger melodies, and overall better production. A lot of songs on this new record are loud, from beginning to end.

I do think the lyrics are very good...very real. I listen to a variety of styles of music, and the appeal of Taylor Swift for me is that she writes real songs without the need for gimmicks. The lyrics mean something to her, and they are easy to relate to, whether you're 16 or 45. But the vehicle for the lyrics is the music, and that's where things fall flat for me here.

Yes, there's more variety in styles, from a decidedly country song with banjos ("Mean") to an Avril Lavigne-type rock song ("Better Than Revenge"), and everything in between. But when she leans too much towards country, it feels a little forced, and "Mean" has no originality to it whatsoever. A lot of the songs suffer from a lack of originality musically...they've been written hundreds of times before by many different artists. What saves them from total disaster are Swift's personal lyrics, so I'm not overly surprised with the positive reviews from fans and critics alike.

Thankfully, there are exceptions to the drop-off in music, melodies and production. Everyone seems to be talking about "Dear John", and it is good, mainly because of a passionate vocal performance. Still, it drags on and doesn't go anywhere musically. My heart starts to beat a little faster once I get to "Enchanted", and even though producers use a little auto-tune to spice up the vocal (which normally I would abhor), it works to perfection and the song builds in intensity and has a great melody. "Innocent" has a dark, eerie mood with some edge to it...something we haven't heard from Taylor before but suits her vocal tone perfectly. And on "Last Kiss", producers finally push the right buttons to help create a ballad that invokes goose bumps.

Overall, this is still a solid album...just not one I'm going to like from start to finish. I applaud her for writing all of the songs herself, but next time, I hope she gets a little help from her friends.