On Thursday, Nov. 9, just before midnight, pop artist Taylor Swift released her sixth album, “Reputation,” to an extremely eager fan base.
I can imagine that a lot of people lean one of three ways when it comes to Taylor Swift. There are those of us who adore and support her in a vocal manner (myself included), there are those who can’t stand her music with every fiber of their being, and there are those who know her popular songs and jam to them secretly from time to time. Whether you love or hate Taylor Swift and her music, there is no denying that this album has made waves in the music world.
There was a lot of anticipation for this album. It had been three years since Swift has released anything, and no one was completely sure what to expect from the female artist when she first announced the release date for “Reputation.” Before its release Swift released four singles, but no one could have expected what the album was actually about from the four songs.
Swift’s new album is absolutely unlike anything she has released thus far. As many may recall, Swift first started her career as a country singer in 2006 with her release of the album “Taylor Swift.” Since then, she has manipulated and changed her sound so she now stands as one of the most prominent female pop musicians our generation has seen. Musically, the album is very in line with current pop songs. Her songs include steady beats, heavy bass drops, and simple, catchy choruses. The album includes a collaborative song with American rapper, Future, and English singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran, called “End Game.”
Where the album differs from previous albums she has released is in the content of her songs. Historically, Swift has taken to looking outward and pinning her somewhat questionable reputation on others. Aside from the album’s sixth track, “Look What You Made Me Do,” the album focuses on Swift looking inward. She examines what happens to her identity when she stops defining herself by how strangers see her.
A review of the album in Rolling Stone magazine gave Swift’s new album four out of five stars and called it “excellent” and her “most intimate LP yet.” In a similar review, the LA Times labeled the album as Swift’s “most focused, most cohesive album yet.” Conclusion from the music world? This album is worth paying attention to.
Swift’s album is much more grown up than a lot of her previous music. She describes rather adult relationships, mentions drinking on multiple occasions, and even curses in one of her songs (shocking, I know). To listeners, it seems that Swift has moved on from a lot of the drama surrounding her love life and is singing about much more mature content.
Devout Taylor Swift fans will be happy to know that the old Taylor Swift is in fact not dead as the lyrics in one of her songs might suggest. The last song on the album, “New Year’s Day,” is the only acoustic and ballad-like song on the entire album. It is packed with contemplative lyrics and is hard to listen to without thinking about some of her more emotional songs off of her “Red” and “Speak Now” albums.
Unsurprisingly, Swift’s album rocketed to the top of the most popular album chart on iTunes within minutes after release. The album is still unavailable on streaming services, but will no doubt be available on them soon. Until then, find a friend who bought the album and give it a listen. I think you’ll be surprised.
Sonja is a sophomore double majoring in Global Studies and English Writing. Aside from writing, she enjoys singing in the Concordia Chapel Choir and spending time with her two golden retrievers. This is her first year writing for the Concordian and she hopes to continue in the years to come!
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