Sealed With Wax

 

In Abhorrent Albums, I do my best to give a track-by-track account of an album I never wanted to listen to.

This time, it’s ‘Country’ pop idol Taylor Swift’s second album Fearless, which according to Allmusic.com, is her best, receiving a 4.5 star rating. Since I like Country music, I thought this would be a good AA to start with, even though she’s about as Country as Jay Z’s sneakers. Here’s a Spotify link if you want to listen along…

Jump Then Fall

Straight up simple, mid-fast paced acoustic rhythm. Quite a nice melody. Swift’s vocals are strong and confident (boltstered by some handy Autotune, of course). The lyrics are simple – about taking the risks to be together. I’m taking risks here for you, Taylor. I could listen to this track again without my ears bleeding.

Untouchable

Slowing things down already. Tender and forgettable, like overcooked carrots. I’ve just realised I’m listening to the Platinum Edition of the album which includes an extra six tracks!

Come In With The Rain

Fairly catchy/annoying pop ballad. Vocals are full of angst that seems forced and false.

SuperStar

A bit of nylon string (I think) gives this one another dimension. Pretty good upbeat ballad. Pleasant without being irritating.

The Other Side Of The Door

Certainly don’t mind this one. It’s actually close to Country Pop, though much more on the Pop side of things. I found my physically moving to this track, so I guess that’s a good thing.

Fearless

One of those songs that’s so melodramatic, you can visualise the film clip even when you’ve never seen it. It’s supposed to be catchy but I don’t find it very much so. Next.

Fifteen

Boy, these lyrics take me back to when I was fifteen. All that talk of senior boys who wink at you… Decent, if slightly melodramatic again. I’m sure it was a hit.

Love Story

Original title. Lyrics make me feel ill. Not much melody to speak of. Skipped this one.

Hey Stephen

*NB: Not about Stephen Fry.

Starts with “Hey Stephen, I know looks can be deceivin’.”. Catchy and a bit of a singalong, if one was inclined.

White Horse

Seems to be the lyrical opposite of Love Story. Apparently, they’re not the prince and princess anymore. Bland.

You Belong With Me

Yeehaw. Begins sounding a bit Country with some banjos, but turns into a hyper pop tune. I’m assuming this was a single. This is the kind of track I expect to hear when I walk into a dodgy modernised pub.

Breathe

Vocals are relaxed and sound good. Simple track but that works in its favour. Happy to listen to this one.

Tell Me Why

I don’t like Mondays? No, why you’re such a bastard, basically. Upbeat. Generic Taylor Swift.

You’re Not Sorry

At least she’s using her apostrophes correctly. Or does Autotune fix that now too? Wow, there’s a lot of angst in this one. It’s alright.

The Way I Loved You

Oh, is it the next track? They’re all beginning to sound the same. This sounds like another crap pop song that I can’t put my finger on.

Forever & Always

Continuing the vibe of the last few tracks. It’s pretty good though. Again, probably another single.

The Best Day

I seem to like her acoustic ballads where her voice is allowed to relax and shine. This is one of them.

Change

All I can say is that I’m glad it’s the end and I’m not really paying a lot of attention to this track because it’s not particularly good and sounds a lot like half the album.

Verdict: this album is as bad as:

 OR

Okay, so there are about 5 tracks on this that I think are good. Not bad out of, uh, 18 tracks. The point is, it’s not as bad as I had assumed.