Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) definitely revives old Taylor circa 2009. The 2021 re-record of her 2008 album also includes bonus tracks – the artist has disclosed that these were tracks she wrote before but never finished, or never released. We’ve been blessed! A really strong comeback for Swift, considering her Reputation phase was definitely the central conflict in her fame-arc… and I’ve felt lost wondering what she was trying to achieve with that? Though, since Swift’s moved from that to Lover, we see that the arc slowly resolves itself. With the release of folklore, it’s clear that her career has come full circle, since it’s the album that’s won Swift her third Album of the Year Grammy (which, has never been done by any other female artist).
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) exists more as bait for already established swifties. The album has a whopping 26 tracks, including seven new songs. With songs like “Fearless” and “The Way I Loved You”, she adds a drumbeat that makes the songs more inviting. In “Breathe”, you can really tell how much her vocals have grown. The real delight is truly the nostalgia in her tone. She’s come a long way since the original release, with folklore and evermore featuring tracks that drew from her experiences as well as more mature language – yes, swearing, but metaphysical poetic touches too! This album is independent of her whole narrative-arc, like a sweet treat to those who never left her side through the entire decade of her stardom.
“In “Breathe”, you can really tell how much her vocals have grown.”
