Taylor Swift

Suburban Pennsylvania isn't exactly known for being a country music hotbed or a watershed for the genre. Unless, of course, we're referring to Western Pennsylvania, which is often dubbed, "Pennsyltucky," for its mix of Midwestern and Southern attitudes and culture. Regardless, the fact that the eastern portion of the state and Philadelphia suburbs are far from "country" doesn't deter songbgird, Taylor Swift, a country singer with a huge voice who was discovered after belting out the national anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game. (Swift also sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at one of this year's World Series games, as well, cementing her place as a Philly celeb!) Swift's latest, Fearless, is a pop album flecked with a countrified twang that certainly asserts itself as authentic. While Swift isn't taking tons of chances, as the title may suggest, she is carving out her place in the country music scene.

The initial single "Love Story" is pretty and punches with the backing guitars. It's a vehicle that more than supports Swift's dreamy vocal style. She may only be 18-years-old, but she has a set of pipes and a squeaky clean image that all the tweeners can relate to when they're sick and tired of the frivolous dance music that's offered up by Disney Channel upstarts like Miley Cyrus. With songs like the airy title track, the jumpy "Change," the ballady "White Horse" and the melancholy "You're Not Sorry," Swift demonstrates deftness of mood and a firm grasp of dynamics. Doing so, she pretty much secures her future in the country music business. "Tell Me Why" is another romp that isn't quite honky tonk, but it's full of those infectious licks that encourage a little bit of line dancing at weddings, parties and anniversary celebrations.

All in all, Fearless builds upon the foundation of a carefully crafted career that had a successful, runaway start with the singer's debut, self-titled debut. Swift proves that she's here to stay and that she's got a viable combination of chops, moxie and talent. That will ensure a lengthy stay in a business that chews teenagers up and spits them out when they demonstrate the first sign of aging or attitude. With a voice like Swift's, there's nowhere to go but up.

— Amy Sciarretto
11.14.08

Taylor Swift abandons any pretense that she's a teen on her second album, Fearless -- which isn't to say that she suddenly tarts herself up, running away from her youth in a manner that's all too familiar to many teen stars. Swift's maturation is deliberate and careful, styled after the crossover country-pop of Shania Twain and Faith Hill before they turned into divas. Despite the success of her self-titled 2006 debut, there's nothing at all diva-like about Swift on 2008's Fearless: she's soft-spoken and considerate, a big sister instead of a big star. Nowhere is this truer than on "Fifteen," a kind warning for a teen to watch her heart sung from the perspective of a woman who's perhaps twice that age -- a sly trick for the 18-year-old Swift. There may be a hint of youthfulness to her singing but that's the only hint of girlishness here; her writing -- and she had a hand in penning all 13 tracks here, with six of them bearing her solitary credit -- is sharply, subtly crafted and the music is softly assured, never pushing its hooks too hard and settling into a warm bed of guitars and keyboards. Like many country-pop albums of the 2000s, the pop heavily outweighs the country -- there aren't fiddles here, there are violins -- yet Fearless never feels garish, a crass attempt at a crossover success. It's small-scale and sweetly tuneful, always seeming humble even when the power ballads build to a big close. Swift's gentle touch is as enduring as her songcraft, and this musical maturity may not quite jibe with her age but it does help make Fearless one of the best mainstream pop albums of 2008. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide