Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Taylor Swift, Universal Music Australia 2020.
There’s not much that Taylor Swift hasn’t achieved in her short life so writing and recording an entire album while in lockdown doesn’t seem something out of the ordinary, especially for her.
At 31 years of age she seems to have been around forever but that happens when you’re thrust into the spotlight as a young teenager (she was 14 when signed to Sony/ATV Publishing).
Her first, self-titled, album was the longest charting album of the 2000’s and her star has shone brightly ever since.
I try to limit the reviews I do for megastars but there are some people that you just can’t ignore and Taylor Swift is one of them.
The first two albums that Taylor released (Taylor Swift and Fearless) appealed directly to an audience of young girls but as time has passed her influence has spread to an ever widening group and this latest release is probably the most universal she has produced.
I feel that Folklore is her best album to date, and I’m not alone.
It clocked up an amazing 1.3 million sales in the first 24 hours of its release.
The album has a distinct indie, and less commercial, feel to it probably brought about by the circumstances of its recording.
It certainly takes her in a different direction which I find refreshing.
Taylor has always been a great storyteller but I’ve often felt that her lyrics have been partially lost in the infectious pop of the music.
That isn’t the case with Folklore.
As the name suggests the emphasis this time has been placed squarely on tradition and the pop influence has been pared back.
This may upset some of her fans, and some critics have labelled her a ‘try-hard or pretend’ folkie, but I think it’s a perfect musical reflection of the crazy times we’re living through.
These songs aren’t light pop songs, they’re thoughtful and the sparseness of the backing allows her wonderful voice to rise to the fore.
Isolation allows for introspection and re-evaluation; it also leads to nostalgia and flights of whimsy and all of this and more is woven into Folklore.
