It only took eight years, but Taylor Swift has finally become the pop star we always knew she could be. Well, at least that's what she would like you to believe. In actuality, one could argue she was a pop artist the moment her debut album sold 11 million copies around the globe, followed by three more profoundly successful records that brought in massive sales, several top ten hits, as well as recurring criticism for Swift's not-subtle-at-all references to her ex-boyfriends. This honesty, though, is what made her fans stick around, despite all of the negative press she generated elsewhere. It also didn't hurt that her music relied so heavily on widely accessible, poppy melodies, that she transcended beyond country and brought it into the pop realm. That was her calling card: Shania-esque country-fied pop that laid her whole life in front of our eyes, while at once offering guidance through the young adults' messy transitionary life.
So, what happens when an artist decides to abandon their signature, and instead start fresh with a new look, a new sound, and a new outlook on life? That's supposedly the principal idea Swift is going for with "1989", her "first documented pop album". Of course, that claim has little effect on the initial perception of this record, because let's face it: Swift went pop long before lead single "Shake it Off" traded in the banjos for a bari sax riff. Like Sheryl Crow before her, Swift is not changing her style altogether, she's simply coming into her own, and finally settling into the brand she's been pensively avoiding. To assist in her modern pop makeover (well, maybe not a full on makeover, but more like highlights and a trim), Taylor makes the right movies, bringing previous collaborator Max Martin to helm six songs, while tapping the essential 2010s hitmaker Ryan Tedder to produce two others. Additionally, indie darlings Jack Antonoff and Imogen Heap are recruited to polish things up. The only remnant of Swift's past is Nathan Chapman, who produces one of the album's best tracks, the solely Swift-written "This Love". All the star power is here, and with Swift's uncanny songwriting abilities, "1989" has all the pieces it needs to be a pop masterwork that defines the era in which it was created.
Only one problem, the end result turns out to be a pretty mixed bag. Sometimes, Swift pulls off her indie/modern pop fusion in songs like the closer "Clean", while other tracks, namely "Out of the Woods" and "Blank Space" rely a bit too much on their slick, mechanical production. Whenever "1989" strays back into classic-Swift territory, the results are stunning ("How You Get the Girl"), while those tracks pandering to 80s pop clichés are less than stellar (this including both of the cold, calculated Ryan Tedder productions "Welcome to New York" and "I Know Places"). Individually, the songs themselves aren't necessarily bad or below the modern pop standard, but they also don't lead to a fully satisfying whole either. But, what's perhaps the most telling is when the blindingly shiny sheen of the production subsides, and the country-pop Taylor pops through the gloss, that's when "1989" shows her progression as an artist and pop craftsman. Those moments are slim, and rarely spread over an entire song, but nonetheless, they do show that she's willing to branch out beyond her usual ex-boyfriend kiss off template. Taken as it is, "1989" is definitely a good pop record, definitely more cohesive and focused than its predecessor, but five albums in, one can't help but wish that Taylor had aimed beyond 'good'. She's changed her sound, yes, but all of the stereotypical Swift lyric clichés are still here ("Looking at it now", "You got that James Dean look in your eye" to name two) and while irresistible pop bangers like "Bad Blood" are certainly fun to listen to, it still plays off the recurring "scorned lover" template that's been Taylor's tried and true practice. And that's the issue with "1989" overall, because while Swift may be at the height of her popularity, you can't help but wonder if she's starting to run out of ideas.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Welcome to New York 2. Blank Space 3. Style
4. Out of the Woods 5. All You Had to Do Was Stay
6. Shake It Off 7. I Wish You Would 8. Bad Blood
9. Wildest Dreams 10. How You Get the Girl
11. This Love 12. I Know Places 13. Clean
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