“Red (Taylor’s Version)”: Track-by-Track Review
On November 12th, Taylor Swift released her fifth new album in the last 27 months — sort of. Red (Taylor’s Version) is the second of Swift’s re-recordings of her first six albums, a virtually unheard of endeavor that she embarked upon after being blocked from purchasing the master recordings of them. The album features 30 tracks and is an impeccably crafted masterwork that is capped by a brilliant 10-minute elaboration of her greatest song — “All Too Well.”
Red: A Turning Point in Taylor Swift’s Career
Red was a major turning point in Taylor Swift’s career. By the time of its release on October 22, 2012, she had already released three multiplatinum albums (2006’s self-titled debut, 2008’s Fearless, and 2010’s Speak Now) and won 7 Grammys (including being the youngest person ever to win Album of the Year, a feat recently surpassed by Billie Eilish). Despite this astronomical success, she was still seen by many as a country music ingenue; a genre-bound novelty that would soon wear off.
Her fourth album, Red, marked her bid for crossover success into pop and rock music. The album’s lead single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” had virtually no country music trappings and its catchy chorus, frothy lyrics, and glitzy music video were far more befitting a young pop star than a country singer-songwriter. It…
