REVIEW: Red Taylor’s Version

Almost a decade ago, Taylor Swift captured the world with her fourth album “Red.” Now, she’s done it again with “Red (Taylor’s Version),” the fourth album she’s released in a mere 18 months. Featuring 30 songs and more than two hours of musical masterpieces, Swift both re-captures the “Red” classics like “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “22” and releases all new, never-been-heard songs like “Babe” and “Nothing New.” Not to mention the most anticipated song “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” 

What I love about Swift’s re-recordings is that she doesn’t change anything about the original tracks except for older vocals and clearer sound. By leaving everything the same, she manages to keep the heart of each song, despite being nine years from the events she wrote about. Because I treasured the album in 2012, I relived my initial love by listening to “Red (Taylor’s Version).”

Not only are the original songs spectacular, but so are her newly released ones. Every one of them is well written and catchy; even better, some feature other artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Ed Sheeran. “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” stuns with vocals and especially songwriting. As a lover of the original, normal-length song, I was both delighted and emotionally wrecked by Swift. The new lyrics contain some of the best emotional imagery and diction I’ve ever heard, leaving me heartbroken by Jake Gyllenhaal. Of course, this is just a snippet of Swift’s genius; to fully grasp it, I absolutely recommend listening and taking the time to digest the full album (and all her records).

Swift successfully remakes a classic record while simultaneously including songs that are instant classics. I remembered enjoying the release of “Red” nine years ago as a seven-year-old, and I think it’s safe to say my younger self would be satisfied with “Red (Taylor’s Version).”