Taylor Swift ... Speak Now.

Taylor Swift ... Speak Now.

Reviewer rating:

Rating: 30 out of 5 stars

Reader rating:

Rating: 45 out of 5 stars (23 votes)

Genre
Pop
Performer
Taylor Swift
Record Label
Universal
Year
2010

THERE'S the one about the dude from Glee. The one about the Jonas brother. The one about the kid from Twilight. And if Taylor Swift had waited until, say, last weekend to finish writing her surprisingly caustic third album, Speak Now, there would be one about her (alleged) new beau Jake Gylenhaal. (Yeah, we thought he knew better, too).

Yet of all of the unambiguous kiss-offs to ex's that litter this ludicrously ambitious — and delightfully ego-centric — LP, it's the one about John Mayer that neatly sums up everything you need to know about Taylor Swift at (almost) 21. The extraordinary 6½ minute track Dear John ranks as one of the most stunningly self-aware/self-absorbed song based on a kiss-off in recent pop history. It's either utter genius or an egomaniacal nightmare. I can't quite decide. Think of the Dixie Chicks' Not Ready to Make Nice, except it's about her.

Most of her critics, including me, suggested earlier this year that Swift needs to move on from twangy pop songs about high school. And for much of this album — aside from the ostentatious and OTT prom anthem Long Live — she certainly has. These are twangy pop songs about those who have aggrieved her. Be it Kanye West, ex-boyfriends or pop-music critics. Swift has been frequently criticised for her live vocal performances, particularly those broadcast on TV. Turns on stage at the Country Music Awards and that rocky duet with Stevie Nicks at the Grammys last year had EW describing her singing as "wobbly as a newborn colt". Her reply is Mean, a surprisingly amusing but startlingly biting rejoinder. Mr West gets the similarly incisive Innocent.

Yet even if you can find a lot to dislike about Swift, there is also much to admire. Few artists her age (or any age in this genre) are able to co-produce and write all of their own material, which she does here again. And while her delivery can sometimes be unpleasant, damn if there's not some earnest belief behind it. And melodrama? Few do it better. In fact, paired with her pop smarts and hit-making ability, and stacked against her peers, Ms Swift is in a class of her own.