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Review Summary: Even though she’s arguably the greatest country-pop star this side of Shania Twain, that’s not saying much. Although not without its positives, Fearless is (hopefully) just a musical stepping stone that will lead someone down the path of someth I am unaware as to whether it’s a generation-based matter, and that I just missed the train to something great by a few years, or if it’s something else, but I never understood the frenzied, unrelenting and – in my opinion – undeserved lauding of Taylor Swift. Granted, she has the small-town girl innocence and the stunning beauty, but that’s just an image. Surely enough, people didn’t adore KISS just because they sported makeup and wild hair and donned leather boots and pants and spiked vests. There has to be something else. She’s a revolutionary of music in the sense that – like her fellow teen country-pop sensation Hannah Montana –she’s reviving a genre that’s largely lingered around quietly – with intermediate hot spots – for nearly four decades. Even though she’s arguably the greatest country-pop star this side of Shania Twain, that’s not saying too much.
If Hannah Montana represented the pop decadence of the crossover genre, then Taylor Swift is on the other end of the spectrum, steadfastly adhering to the country roots of it. A Tennessee girl at heart, Swift really only incorporates the pop sensibilities into the homegrown feel of country. She usually emblazons the bombastic, happy-go-lucky characteristics of pop choruses into her songs, but leads up to her hooks with emphasis on beautiful acoustics and/or soft electric guitars with tapping percussion, pretty strings, and subtle pianos serving to back the guitars. But, once the chorus arises, she unleashes the hounds upon the masses, amplifying the instrumentation, supercharging its sound, and exerting more passion into her voice.
Really, the sound of the music isn’t the problem on Fearless. Her only troubles manifest in her songwriting. Let’s be honest, her lyrics entail generic messages about teenage love that are blandly conveyed and targeted for sappy teenage girls and adults who have not yet outgrown the mainstream-phase. It isn’t emotionally engaging (like many claim it to be) for an educated adult who knows better. The pain she expresses at worst is mild soreness. For example, her confession that she’s not a princess doesn’t live a fairytale, but deserves better than some jerk on “White Horse” is at best perceived as more enjoyable honesty than legitimate sadness. Her happiness is, and I’m being generous here, a mere memory that would result in a smile (e.g. various small-town puppy love stories) and her stories are so blandly delivered it’s almost painful.
My disliking of this album is not sardonic; it’s rather a nonchalant dismissal. It is not at all a loathing hatred. I just feel as if it targets a certain audience that is somewhat uncultured in music. However, it’s not as if I don’t fathom how somebody could legitimately like this, or how it could be a guilty pleasure for adults (admittedly, I am rather partial to “You Belong With Me,”) but I am concerned with the lack of intricacy and depth of i Fearless. Although not without its positives, Fearless is (hopefully) just a musical stepping stone that will lead someone down the path of something greater.
| other reviews of this album |
Rudy K. EMERITUS (4)
Country-pop teen sensation proves that teenage romance still has a place at the top of the...
Knott- EMERITUS (4)
If you don't like it, why don't you go and write a better album?...
Sowing STAFF (4)
A dream come true for fans of pop and country music everywhere....
mattdwyer16 (4.5)
On Fearless, Taylor Swift took the first step to her inevitable pop crossover years later...
Eclectic (3.5)
“Fearless” isn’t flawless, but I’ll be fucked if it isn’t fantastic....
annibannani123 (4)
Taylor Swift's second album is amazing, and one of the best albums I have ever heard. He...
connor12 (3.5)
While these flaws prevent Fearless from being one of the outstanding pop/country records o...
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Album Rating: 2.5
Oh fuck, it's 4 AM. What the hell?
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"Let’s be honest, her lyrics entail generic messages about teenage love that are blandly conveyed
and targeted for sappy teenage girls and adults who have not yet outgrown the mainstream-phase. It
isn’t emotionally engaging (like many claim it to be) for an educated adult who knows better."
Well written and pos but your argument is not that great. You realize that any artist, wheher
musician or movie director has a targeted audience. To argue that a cartoon is not
good because it isn't engaging for adults like a late night Drama doesn't make much sense. Now
comparing that to this, Taylor's targeted audience are mostly young females. I think she succeeds in
engaging her targeted audience with subjects that they care about and speaks deeply and emotionally
to those people (I myself am not included). On top of this, I find your review a biased personal
opinion (which is perfectly fine) then an unbiased outside of the box review of her work because you
base most of your arguments off of personal attachment and connection. Otherwise, I did enjoy your
review and opinion and it was well written.
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Or maybe not, but at least it’s not rap.
Get rid of that line. I don't like rap either, but that sort of statement has no place in a review.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Thank you for the compliment dude. You have made some great points, though.
I do realize that all forms of entertainment and art have targeted audiences, I was simply noting that her targeted audience is, well, what it is, and hoped that it would be self-explanatory that the audience she targets has generally bad taste. I do believe she succeeds in presenting herself in an enjoyable way to her target audience. My mention of her listeners was really only a subtle, indirect reference to the general simplicity of her music and an itty-bitty point in the large spectrum of why I do not care for this album (I'm a 23 year old male attending college and majoring in a degree under the arts program.)
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Very well tiesthatbind. I will remove it, but I would just like to state for the record I loathe rap.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Fix up that summary please
iFearless
Just fix up that small error
It was a good review, so I'll pos, even though you don't seem to focus on what is good in this (i.e the vocals) and instead focus too much on what you hate (i.e the lyrics).
also:at least it’s not rap
Elaborate... please
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Thank you. I did note that the coding in the summary did not work, and touched that up. You're right though, I do like her vocals, and I'll make note of that in the review tomorrow. (I'm pretty tired right now, and wouldn't be able to make my detailing any good.)
As for my hatred of rap, I did take that comment out, as it was a bit misplaced and snide. I won't go so far as to say it's not music (because it is) I just feel as if its messages emphasize the wrong things, and are rooted in misogynistic, materialistic, violent values. I'm pretty sure that there's rap that's NOT like that out there, I just don't care to find it, as I'm not too keen on the type of instrumentation (as I know it to be) and I'm not partial to the vocal style inherent in rap.
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I think a better way you could convey your argument is that while she successfully amassed a cult following of teens and young adults, she still has much to prove if she wishes to be taken more seriously an reach a larger audience, which would include maturing her lyrics to be more then about HS stories and dating the QB on the HS team. Also, personally, I do find her themes and topics she chooses to sing about quickly become repetitive, stereotypical and very wall paper thin.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Thank you. I did note that the coding in the summary did not work, and touched that up. You're right though, I do like her vocals, and I'll make note of that in the review tomorrow. (I'm pretty tired right now, and wouldn't be able to make my detailing any good.)
Understandable
As for my hatred of rap, I did take that comment out, as it was a bit misplaced and snide. I won't go so far as to say it's not music (because it is) I just feel as if its messages emphasize the wrong things, and are rooted in misogynistic, materialistic, violent values. I'm pretty sure that there's rap that's NOT like that out there, I just don't care to find it, as I'm not too keen on the type of instrumentation (as I know it to be) and I'm not partial to the vocal style inherent in rap.
You're better then most of the haters out there then, thankfully that means I can respect your opinion.
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Who knows, maybe 4 am is the best time to post a review like this cause I'm sure at any other time this would've been spammed and hated on pretty fast...
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
I will comb through it tomorrow JWT155 and make some touch ups. Thank you for your constructive criticism.
eclectic - I have some friends who say rap isn't music, and I think it's stupid. Even though I dislike the genre, I fend for it when it's decried as "not music."
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
I think the main issue to be had with the review is MICHAEL WHERE THE FUCK IS GABRIELLA CILMI
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Yea, I made note of the two 4/5 reviews.
However, I'm not really awake.
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I used to be the biggest hater of Rap, more or less I realized it was the retards I hated who liked it and they ended up liking the shitty mainstream Rap that isn't even on par with some of the amazing stuff in the genre. Digging around and a a year or so later I'm not a hater anymore.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Yea, this album sort of enforces prolonged adolescence. Which surprises me, because, as a multi-platinum, mainstream album, that's uncommon. Many mainstream artists like Ke$ha and Lil Wayne sort of throw young teenage children (a.k.a. their target audience) into a world of innuendo and illicitness.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
I can honestly say I've never hated rap music. Even though my likes changed from, say, 50 Cent to stuff like Atmosphere and Nas.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
I have heard of the former, and the latter's name rings a bell, but I am quite unfamiliar with the middle one.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
[img]http://muziek-nieuws.nl/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gabriella-cilmi1.jpg[/img]
Dont worry she is here
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Is that Atmosphere? It would not appear to be Ke$ha, because I believe Ke$ha is a blonde.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
Oh man, you've never heard Atmosphere?
This song changed my life when I first heard it. Okay, I was fifteen, but it opened me up to a whole different style of hip-hop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gRKoyTJIRk
Just the song + lyrics in the vid, please take a look
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