Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” marks her 12th album release, and it’s had a less-than-kind reception from fans and critics. Despite this, it’s by far my favorite album of the year, and I doubt that will change.
Compared to Swift’s other discography entries, “The Life of a Showgirl” is significantly shorter. The 12 songs have a great mix of “1989”-era production on top of lyrics that embrace a more positive side of the pop singer that fans haven’t seen since her earlier work. Those who go into the album expecting a new “The Tortured Poets Department” will be sorely disappointed. This is a new era in her life, and she doesn’t care how palatable it is.
Going into the album, I expected a hybrid of past sounds. Instead, I was met with something totally different.
When I initially listened, I wasn’t the biggest fan — it’s a project that requires a second listen. But that doesn’t make it “bad” in the slightest. Audiences now just have a problem separating expectations and reality; if it isn’t exactly what they pictured, then it isn’t right.
Longtime producer for Swift, Max Martin, brings a fresh and summery sound when needed without taking away from the more emotional tracks. It’s a production style that elevates vocals and calls attention to the lyrics and backing instruments all at once. The production stands out majorly on tracks like “Wood” or “Opalite,” balancing beat and sound effects for two extremely catchy hits.
Swift’s albums have always been known for poetry-like lyrics, but this not being her most lyric focused work does not make it poorly written. If anything, it’s a return to long-gone pop roots. Songs like “Ruin the Friendship” and “The Fate of Ophelia” balance the fun of the album while not taking away from her usage of storytelling. Lyrics like “But I whispered at the grave, should’ve kissed you anyway” and “No longer drowning and deceived, all because you came for me” have a good story, a fun beat and maintain a higher level of writing within the genre.
My personal standouts were the songs “Father Figure” and “Actually Romantic.” They provide a unique tonal change compared to the rest of the record that they’ve stuck with me throughout my already large amount of listen-throughs. Both songs show a sardonic side of Swift that I can’t get enough of. It’s alright to be bitter sometimes, and she’s no longer afraid to point that out.
Despite comments on the new albums’ complete tonal shift, Swift chooses a “Reputation”-like sound for the songs “Elizabeth Taylor” and “CANCELLED!” just to prove that she’s still got her old sound within her. No matter how many songs are on an album of hers, there will always be something for everyone willing to give it a listen. The stories told within manage to be upbeat and sometimes sinister without losing a unique type of sound quality.
The constant balance that’s maintained within this album is something I love. It’s the type of consistency that could be praised on albums like “folklore” with “betty” or “evermore” with “no body, no crime.” The same level of storytelling is present, the quality of which is going unacknowledged in recent reviews. The album is by no means my favorite of hers, but it’s clear she knows how to create a good time.
People claim all her songs sound the same, and at the same time, the internet also complains that it doesn’t sound close enough to other albums. Sure, some of the lyrics veer hard into millennial territory, but at the end of the day, “The Life of a Showgirl” promises a good time, and that’s exactly what audiences will get. To quote her previous work, “I’d rather burn my whole life down, than listen to one more second of all this griping and moaning,” and I couldn’t agree more.
