Red

It's Taylor Swift.....what on earth can go wrong. Perfection.

I can't get over how amazing this album is, as a very big fan of Taylor Swift, I was hesitant at her exploration into different genres of music. "We are Never ever getting back together" was a little bit of a disappointment for me in terms of the lead single because I felt it lacked the deepness and emotion that other lead singles like "Love Story" and "Mine" had. Due to this I had no hope for the rest of the album, but believe me, once it was released I regretted this thought straight away. I have been a fan of Taylor Swift since her debut in in 2006, I was 10 years old at that time. Her music captivated me with its meaning and appeal. "Fearless" and "Speak Now" left me just as satisfied at the ages of 12 and 14. I am now 16, and I thought her change of genre thought would make me lose interest in her music. As genre change has previously made me lose interest in artists such as Avril Lavigne and Lady Gaga. But believe me it didn't, she hasn't just changed the genre, she has adjusted it to fit and appeal the audience as they grow older, like me. Sticking with the same country-pop would not last forever, so making her music more mature is successful for the audience and for herself. This album conveys much more meaning and depth than any of her other albums, and this is what draws me to it, I can relate to this a lot. As for the album itself, particular favourites of mine are "I Almost Do", "The Lucky One" and her outstanding duet with another favourite artist of mine, British musician Ed Sheeran, ("Everything has changed"). Songs like the opening track "State of Grace" convey a U2 style opening while "22" and "Begin Again" go back to Taylor's roots of country. Another standout song is one of the bonus tracks "Come Back, Be here", this brought me to tears due to the sheer beauty of it. The only negative I can give for this album is that I don't think the best song off the album was released as the lead single, "WANEGBD" was a fun song but it did not convey enough promise for me and it certainly didn't do the rest of the album justice. If I were to chose the lead single for the album it would have been "Starlight" due to the anthem style of it as well as it conveying similar promise and depth as previous songs on "Fearless" and "Speak Now" like "Change" and "Long Live". Overall, the pure versatility of this album is what makes it refreshing and yet successful for Taylor. The deep maturity of this album creates a new image for Taylor completely, while keeping her in a positive light as she is a the best songwriter of her generation and a fantastic role model for teenage girls like me. Even if you weren't a fan of Taylor's music in the past, I recommend you give this a listen as it may change your opinion of her music. This album is one of the best of the year for me and I rate it 5*'s. No doubt I will be getting tickets for the RED Tour 2013! Go out and buy this now! You will not be disappointed I guarantee you :) Louise

Nice CD

This is a really good album with plenty of good/great songs. I didn't give it 5 stars because it's not perfect, and there are some songs I'm not too keen on, but overall definitely worth it! State of Grace - fantastic, great opener, instantly puts me in a good mood Red - alright, not one of my favourites, but it has grown on me a lot Treacherous - possibly my favourite on the album, it's simply beautiful I Knew You Were Trouble - once again, not great, but simply because I generally prefer her more country-ish songs All Too Well - grown on me a lot, now one I look forward to listening to 22 - a great song, makes me want to dance the second I hear it! I Almost Do - probably my least favourite on the album, I just find it a bit boring We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - good song, and great fun to sing along to Stay Stay Stay - another of my favourites, it's so sweet and simple and charming and I love it! The Last Time - another alright one, not my favourite, but not bad by any means Holy Ground - great song, it's fantastically upbeat and sparky Sad Beautiful Tragic - a bit like Treacherous, but not as good The Lucky One - good song, and the message isn't overly preachy Everything Has Changed - a sweet duet with Ed Sheeran, lovely song Starlight - another particular favourite, it's simply a wonderful song! Begin Again - a strange choice to end on I thought, but a good song anyway The Moment I Knew - the whole reason I bought the deluxe album, a fantastic song! Come Back ... Be Here - alright, not great Girl at Home - ditto

This album is just brilliant. If you were not a fan of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", don't let it put you off this album. There is something for everyone on here. You can in no way base this album off one song. There are only a couple of "pop" songs on here, if that matters to you. Half of the album is slow, "country" and beautiful, really pushing your emotions. Also, in my opinion, "Red" sports some of Taylor Swift best lyrics to date. My favourite songs are ones that have beautiful lyrics. So, this is why these are some of my favourites.: State of Grace Treacherous All Too Well Holy Ground Sad,Beautiful,Tragic BUT I do like them all. My least favourites are probably "I Knew Yo Were Trouble" and "The Last Time", but, I don't completely hate them. This album is spectacular and in the future will be one of the great masterpieces of 2012. Clever lyrics, good melody's, something for everyone. Best Lyrics: State of Grace: "Love is a ruthless game, unless you play it good and right" "We learn to live with the pain, Mosaic Broken Hearts" All Too Well: "You call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest" Treacherous: "And all we are is skin and bone, trained to get along" There are also many more incredible lyrics on this album and I'd also like to note that she writes or at least co-writes every song. I was most blown away with the fact the she wrote the whole of "State of Grace" by her self, which in my opinion is one of the absolute best songs she has ever sung. Five Stars.

Having recently discovered Taylor's music with 1989 I decided to investigate her back catalogue. Having heard that she had been a Country and Western singer who had gone mainstream, I wasn't sure I would like her earlier music, but listened to the short extracts and decided to give Red a try - I'm glad I did. This is not a Country and Western album. There are elements of C&W in some of the songs (e.g. steel guitar) but it is at most crossover. Strangely enough, despite my not being a fan of Country and Western, my list of highlights includes some of the more country songs. The album starts well with State Of Grace, a rocky song that I consider to be a highlight. This is followed by the title track, another rocky song and another highlight - although I should point out that the backing vocals on Red are the main appeal for this listener. One listen to that song and those backing vocals are stuck in my head! Things go a little more country after this, but that isn't a bad thing. Stay Stay Stay is one of the most country songs on the album and is another highlight. This is followed by The Last Time. This song starts with a dreamy ethereal feel before becoming rocky. Holy Ground is another C&W influenced song that is, for this listener, a highlight (I'm going to have to stop denying that I like C&W!). Sad Beautiful Tragic is a beautiful soft song and another highlight. The final highlight is Starlight, another rocky song. All the other songs count as good with only one minor criticism. At times during The Lucky One I thought that Taylor's voice seemed a little strained. Seven highlights out of sixteen songs makes for a five-star review and a recommendation.

Fantastic album

Actually i pre-ordered the Red cd from the United States Amazon, and after listening to a couple of songs that were pre-released, like "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" i was a bit disappointed (yes, i know it is a hit). Not because i don't like pop, on the contrary- i grew up in the 80's. It is just because there are better pop songs by, let's say, Kelly Clarkson. Then i noticed that the deluxe version was released and listened to a sample online. I really liked some songs on the second cd (they represent Taylor much better than the ones in the first cd), so i bought it as well even before the first cd arrived. I didn't regret it at all. The second disk is great. Especially "Come Back... Be Here", which is now a favorite of mine. You can really feel Dan Wilson's touch in it, and obviously cooperating with him was an excellent choice. So i have to recall my statement that Taylor should have written everything by herself. Working with other people actually had a great result, in some cases. Overall. Great album, well worth the money! If you liked "Speak Now" and, especially, "Fearless"; definitely go for the Deluxe Edition. P.S. About performance: Taylor is perfect, as always!!!