My original review of Taylor Swift’s Speak Now ended with this: “[It’s] an album that finds Swift getting a lot of difficult stuff right, and it makes it clear what she still needs to develop in order to refine her craft even further. That every song on the album sounds like a viable radio single should buy Swift another couple of years to develop an even more mature, less me-first-all-the-time perspective and, hopefully, to work with a vocal coach.”
Ultimately, it’s the broadening of Swift’s POV as a songwriter and the refinements in her vocal technique that have made each of her subsequent albums so essential, and the same is true of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). The previously unreleased “from the vault” tracks expand the album’s narrative scope, and her more mature voice elevates most of its original songs.
Speak Now was most noteworthy for Swift having written all of the songs on her own, a direct rebuttal to unfair speculation that Liz Rose had done all of the heavy lifting as her co-writer on her first two albums. But while writing alone showcased the singer’s unrivaled gifts for song structure and indelible hooks, it also resulted in an album limited by Main Character Syndrome.
“Innocent” and “Speak Now” still center Swift’s narrators in other people’s stories in a way that her more recent songs do not. But the addition of vault tracks like “Castles Crumbling,” a collaboration with Hayley Williams, and the spectacular “When Emma Falls In Love” bring in some much-needed outside perspectives to the project. There’s a greater sense of empathy on the re-recorded version of Speak Now, and it makes for a far more compelling listen.
That’s also a testament to Swift’s growth as a singer. The newfound warmth to her vocal tone makes “Ours” one of her finest moments on record, and she now sings with the power and conviction that the bridge of “Enchanted” always demanded. At this point in her career, no one should still be “grumbling on about how [she] can’t sing,” as Swift chides on “Mean.”
It’s worth noting, too, that a drive for self-improvement is behind a lyric change on “Better Than Revenge.” To the consternation of some of Swifties, Swift revised a problematic, slut-shaming line on the track—from “She’s an actress/But she’s better known for the things she does on the mattress” to “He was a moth to a flame/She was holding the matches.” As a more mature and more empathetic songwriter, Swift made the right call.
Ultimately, this project is another instance in which Swift’s maturity as an artist has elevated her formative work. “Back to December,” “Dear John,” and “Enchanted” were always tremendous songs, and the thoughtful new arrangements and Swift’s more nuanced vocal phrasing now put them fully on par with the best recordings in her catalog. “Sparks Fly,” given a more sluggish pace, is the only track that isn’t improved upon here. If the original Speak Now highlighted what Swift needed to do to refine her artistry, Taylor’s Version proves that she’s actually done it.
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