It seems like it was just last year when I had listened to the Life of a Showgirl by Ms. Taylor Swift. It wasn’t my favorite album as I have phased out of my “Swiftie” phase. I had my hopes really high for any incoming albums and an apology for what I said about the last. However, I was met with the same dilemma as before: this new album is just plain awful.
I might be exaggerating when I say it’s plain awful, however, this album is not Swift’s best work. I think I should also speak lightly when I call it a new album; it’s more so a deluxe version of TLSOG with an additional 4 songs. Either way, I was hoping for more from any new addition to Swifts discography.
As I have stated in the past, I wasn’t a fan of the original album. I believed that some of the lyrics weren’t representative of who Swift may be and what true level of writing is. Unfortunately, I maintained the same gripes with songs “Patient Zero”, “Cleveland”, “Pink Clouding”, and “Babylon”.
I can’t go without saying that the intro of “Patient Zero” was decent enough. The production was okay and I enjoyed some of the orchestral elements, however, it still didn’t feel great. My latest problems with Swifts latest songs have been that some of them feel empty. Many of them lack the production that many new pop songs possess; it almost feels like a template.
By the time I made it to “Cleveland”, Swift had solidified my view of this “album”. “Cleveland”, I’m afraid to say, is a nothingburger. Swift doesn’t seem to be singing at all, but rather just speaking with a lifted tone that could be perceived as singing. It could be experimental, however, I don’t believe this does it for me. In addition to the songs musical elements, I didn’t favor some of the lyrics. I know Swift is trying to express how happy she is about being in love with Travis Kielce, but I’m not sure if Cleveland is the best place a multi-millionaire could’ve taken her. It’s almost like Swift is settling with her romantic expectations and music production.
As much as disliked the album, I really find it awful to hate Swifts projects this much. I understand that art changes with artists, but this is more of the dramatic changes. At some point some artists may enter the Khia Asylum, and maybe this is Swifts time. Surely she can’t be there for long, so I’ll be waiting for TS14 hoping that the next project will be better.