Although country pop hasn't necessarily been a long time coming, let us not forget that she's younger than most of us. In the midst of a recording-industry meltdown, Swift managed to sell three million physical copies of her 2006 self-titled debut at 16 years old.
But apparently, she's got it all. She writes her own songs, plays her own instrument and keeps her eyes forward. At a time of skin-deep Hannah Montana messiahs, Taylor remains confident and retains that thin voice along with plenty of spirit. Over the years, Swift has surrounded herself with good people and, more importantly, great musicians.
Swift's new album, "Fearless," is on shelves now and perhaps may be revitalizing hopes for the diminishing music industry -- yeah, believe it or not, the music industry is also in recession. Released by American independent record label Big Machine Records (a joint venture between DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith), "Fearless" is a literal and often naive narrative, mostly concerning the various repertoires of love.
But what can you expect? The songs are obviously directed toward teens and their whimsical roadblocks. Her primary fan base will remain the young ladies with whom she touches base with so well. Regardless, it's a breath of fresh air when compared to today's teen-friendly female stars. Although many of the factory-bred divas leave a sour taste in my mouth, all I can wonder is why these artists are so highly profiled when I sign onto Yahoo!
On the other hand, I understand that this new generation of defiant female artists is what shapes the teen-girl mold. I may scoff at the likes of Lily Allen, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, but I am forever grateful that we have somewhat shifted from cookie-cutter pop stars who sexed their way to the top, and refuse to move out of L.A. Bravo.
"You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset. She's going off about something that you said because she doesn't get your humor like I do. I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night, I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like and she'll never know your story like I do," Swift sings in "You Belong to Me."
While she rebelliously claims to wear T-shirts instead of short skirts, I can't really tell whether she stole this out of a suburban diary.
Swift teams up with surf pop MySpace mogul Colbie Caillat (the one with that god-awful "Bubbly" song) for "Breathe."
"And we know it's never simple, never easy," Taylor claims. "Never a clean break, no one here to save me, you're the only thing I know like the back of my hand and I can't breathe without you, but I have to breathe without you, but I have to."
Initially, the juvenility of it would make me cringe, but Swift's defiance and fearlessness keep me at bay. I do respect that she wrote the song herself, I'm just bitter it wasn't for me.
The record is extremely radio-friendly and represents Swift's peculiar charm. The hooks may sound as if they've been pressed in a factory just as her hair seems to be, but Swift claims to challenge that status quo of country pop.
Taylor has yet to blossom without someone breathing down her neck. Breaking the mold and standing the test of the time goes beyond being fearless. Beware, Taylor, of the corporate executives with their many leather-bound books, whose mansions reek of mahogany, toasting at your expense. It's hard to look into the tank when you're the fish.
music review, country music, taylor swift
