Taylor Swift "reputation" Album Review

Alright, guys, it’s finally here: you guys have waited for this, it’s finally time for my review of Taylor Swift’s extremely-hyped, highly-anticipated, much-ballyhooed new album “reputation.” Sorry that it took so long to get here, but apparently someone has a very extreme hatred for streaming services, and her music is also heavily copyrighted on YouTube. Always fun. Anyway, Taylor Swift, major country singer turned pop singer that hardly needs an introduction: she’s seen incredible success ever since she first came into the music world with her self-titled first album. That album established her as a country star, and her next two albums “Fearless” and “Speak Now” expanded nicely on the “country pop” style. And, while I’ve never been a huge fan of her music, I did enjoy a few of her older tracks, like “Mine,” “Back to December,” “If This Was A Movie,” and “Superman,” all tracks I found to be light, pretty, and overall quite nice. However, in 2012, Taylor released “Red,” an album that took the country out of her, with songs like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “22,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” becoming huge successes. And while her next album “1989” brought more pop hits like “Shake It Off,” “Bad Blood,” “Style” and “Blank Space,” among others, I was generally pretty indifferent towards these records. They weren’t bad, but I can’t really say I loved them. However, this new album has been getting hyped up ever since the release of its hit single “Look What You Made Me Do.” So, let’s look to see if it lives up to that hype, yes?

…Ready For It?: I like the really loud and booming instrumental on this song, the hook is pretty solid, and while it does sound pretty familiar for Taylor, there is a pretty solid, dark edge on this track, and her performance is pretty solid overall. Good start to the album.

End Game (ft. Future and Ed Sheeran): I really like Future’s verse on this track, and I LOVE Ed Sheeran’s performance on this track, and while I initially found Taylor's "BIG REPUTATION" moments to be a little cheesy, I think she sounds pretty nice overall, especially on the hook, and the song as a whole is really fun and energetic. Definitely has grown on me with repeat listens, I like this one a lot.

I Did Something Bad: Once again, I like the darker sound on this track, and Taylor’s performance is pretty interesting, but the song just bores me. I can’t help but feel like, even with her going for a different sound, the whole “middle finger to the haters” thing she is doing already feels contrived, and we’re only three songs in.

Don’t Blame Me: Even with all of the energy on this track, it’s enough to put me to sleep. Sure, Taylor’s performance is kind of seductive, and the production is really grand, but I can’t help but feel like this “different sound” that Taylor is going for has been done by so many other artists, and far better.

Delicate: A much lighter, more-EDM inspired track that’s actually really enjoyable. Taylor reveals some insecurities on this track, and she does that well with some really interesting lyrics and a much lighter vocal performance. in what I think is one of the stronger songs on this album.

Look What You Made Me Do: Of all the songs that have reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this year, this song is the worst of them. I do like the kind of darker edge that Taylor is trying to go for on this track, and some of the lyrics on the verses are pretty interesting, but the song is pretty much completely ruined by the clunky, bland, and overall awful hook. As I was listening to the track, I couldn’t help but wonder if Taylor had fallen asleep while recording the hook, because it sounds like even she is bored on it. It’s a track that had plenty of potential, but unfortunately, it’s less than stellar.

So It Goes…: Yeah, already, this darker “trap” sound she is trying to go for just feels boring and repetitive. Taylor’s more filtered vocals are not nearly as strong as some of her better songs, her performance as a whole is really boring, and the instrumental is, again, sleep-inducing. So adds another weak track to this album.

Gorgeous: While this song has some nice lyrics, I can’t help but feel like the song sounds like a bunch of other EDM-inspired songs we hear these days. Still, there is some charm here, a nice instrumental, and a really sweet, fun hook, so this one might grow on me in the future.

Getaway Car: I really like Taylor’s vocals on this track, and her flow is pretty interesting as well. The instrumental melody is also one of the album’s best, and the lyrical comparisons to a speeding vehicle are pretty interesting. Can’t lie, I do like this track quite a bit.

King of My Heart: I gotta say, this is another track I really like. I like the really bright instrumental, Taylor’s vocals are quite strong, the hook is a lot of fun, and I like the lyrical references to her new “kingdom” (her new sound) and the new lover that will take the crown to this kingdom. Definitely like this one a lot.

Dancing with Our Hands Tied: Unfortunately, we take a step backward on this one. While I once again appreciate the different sounds on this track, it’s again just really boring to me. Her vocals are pretty good on this track, and the production is not bad, but the song as a whole is just really boring and lacking in the usual charm that we’ve come to expect from her.

Dress: I’m not even gonna lie, as I hear this, I feel like it’s just “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever Pt. 2” without Zayn. That said, I do like that song, so by that logic, this track isn’t too bad: Taylor’s vocals remain really strong, the sexually-charged lyrics are pretty interesting, and the instrumental melody, like “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” is pretty good. Not an amazing song and the track it tries to be a sequel to is still better, but it’s not bad overall.

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: This is definitely Taylor’s most glaringly obvious call-out to Kanye and Kim, and it’s, again, really boring. The hook is nothing memorable, and I’m honestly laughing really hard at her extreme lack of subtlety on this track. While I do like the ad-lib where she laughs and says “I can’t even say that with a straight face,” that’s really the only memorable part of this very weak track.

Call It What You Want: Another sleep-inducing track. Taylor’s performance is nothing special, and the trap, EDM, whatever you want to call it, instrumental on this thing just feels really generic and bland. Sorry, Taylor, but you can do better than this.

New Year’s Day: Fortunately, Taylor ends off the album excellently, with a track that feels much rawer and subdued than many of the others on here. I love the really pretty instrumental on this, Taylor’s vocals are probably the best on this album, and this honestly feels like the best possible compromise between her new sound and her old sound. Easily my favorite track on this album.

Overall, though there are a few good tracks on this album, and “New Year’s Day” damn near changed my opinion on this thing, Taylor Swift’s “reputation” is a pretty disappointing new record. Taylor takes on a new sound with this album, and while I can appreciate an artist going through a natural change, this doesn’t feel natural at all: it feels like change for the sake of change, and while I appreciate that she’s trying to call out her critics and her haters, it starts to feel really forced after a while. And while there were a few good highlights on this record, as a whole, there was too much rough around the edges for me to enjoy it. I know Taylor said that she wished to be excluded from this narrative, but this only feels like a forced attempt at further including herself in a narrative that didn’t really need to be continued.

Here’s hoping I don’t get destroyed in the comments for this one.

Favorite tracks: …Ready For It?, End Game*, Delicate, Getaway Car, King of My Heart, New Year’s Day

Least favorite tracks: I Did Something Bad, Don’t Blame Me, Look What You Made Me Do, So It Goes…, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, Call It What You Want

Rating: Bad

(*An asterisk next to a “favorite track” indicates that the track wasn’t initially one of my “favorite tracks” when I first wrote the review. If a track has an asterisk next to it, it means the song wasn’t initially a favorite of mine, but it grew on me, and the text for the song may have been edited to more properly reflect that.)