Taylor Swift: Fearless Platinum Edition Review

It seems like Taylor Swift has been on fire for the past year after she released her original Fearless album back in 2008. Fans just can't get enough of her. So why has Taylor Swift come out so strong for the past year? (She's probably one of the most talked celebrity aside from Tiger Woods and his affairs in 2009.)

If you have been around listening to music for the past few years, there's almost no denying that Taylor Swift is a talented singer. By looking at the reaction from the music scene it seems to me that people who aren't into country love her voice. It seems like Taylor has found herself accidentally creating the perfect storm. I bet right now Disney is cringing that they didn't sign her onto their Hollywood Records roster while Big Machine Records has been basically laughing their way to the bank looking at how successful Swift has been. Ok, fine, what I just said is a lil' harsh by calling her a cash cow, but it's true, her success is launching her to a new level of fame and at the same time Big Machine Records is loving every minute of it.

(Image Courtesy of TaylorSwift.com. Click image to enlarge.)

First off, I would have to say that this is my first Taylor Swift album and I should note that I don't really listen to country either (only other country artist I do listen to is Shania Twain but that's long ago). Since I bought her album so late (bought it this year after the new year), I felt that the Platinum Edition was a better deal and let me tell you it really is because some of my favourite songs out of this album are tracks that are exclusive to the Platinum Edition. Furthermore, there are some pretty good behind-the-scenes videos of how she created her music videos. The iTunes version also comes with an exclusive 20 minute interview with Taylor about her influences and how she became a songwriter and singer.

What makes Taylor so popular among her fans is the fact that her songs speaks to people. She doesn't use pop or rock, but a new twist of country that is country-pop (not to the point that it sounds like Miley Cyrus. Her songs are pop with a tinge of country style). It appeals to the younger generation that grew up with pop music like me. I believe that another thing that makes her songs speak to her audience and fans alike is the fact that her songs are really personal. It digs deep into her feelings towards a person or her experiences in general. This is something that I don't think any recent artists have accomplished lately and this is why I think it's working really great for her. Her popularity is generally in the soulful music that can literally induce mood-swings. At one point you can be really happy because of a song, or wanting to cry because of another.

Some notable songs that I love on this album include: Jump Then Fall, Forever & Always, The Other Side of the Door, Fearless, Love Story, White Horse, You Belong With Me, Best Day and Change. I think out of these favourite picks Forever & Always is the best track out of the entire album. More specifically it's the piano version that's the tear jerker in this album. It is rich with emotions and really speaks to you. You can actually feel Swift's pain with the power of her words.

I think this album is definitely successful, especially considering how many singles Taylor was able to produce including: Change, Fearless, White Horse, You Belong With Me, Fifteen, Best Day and Hey Stephen. Swift also included the joke that she pulled during the CMT Country Music Awards with her gig with T-Pain in Thug Story (More on this here). My all time favourite single is the one that won Taylor Swift the Best Female Music Video Award, "You Belong with Me".

(Video copyright: ©2009 Big Machine Records)

The past year has been very interesting especially at the Much Music Video Awards with the Kanye West incident and a lot of great music videos and albums being published. I think this album was probably the best one from all the albums released lately surpassing any albums Disney has churned out including my favourite Disney artist, Demi Lovato. Taylor Swift has truly shown what it takes to captivate her audience and the results shows. This album is a prime example of her being a successful musician. She may actually be a great actor as she is debuting her acting career in the 2010 romantic comedy Valentine's Day.

I can see that Taylor will enjoy what I hope is decades of success, her power to captivate young audiences and that she is able to surpass any of the other Disney recording artists. Her award for being the best selling digital artist in history in itself is a great sign that Taylor Swift is definitely here to stay. This album is absolutely fantastic and it is the best album I've heard so far, hopefully a lot more will come from Taylor Swift. The extra price for the platinum edition is an exceptional value, especially for late comers like me. However, for existing Swift fans who already bought the original, they can complete the album on iTunes and get the content for a few bucks more and I don't believe they need to buy another copy of the album to get the special features. One can say Taylor Swift is truly fearless.

Rating: 9/10

I'm going to let you finish Kanye, but Taylor Swift has one of the best albums of all time!