November 1, 2023 by Eliza Howenstein (‘24)
This past Friday, 12-time grammy winner Taylor Swift released her 13th studio album. This album was her re-recorded version of her 2014 album, 1989. Swift began the journey to re-record her albums in 2021 after her masters were bought out from under her in 2019. Swift has been a vocal advocate for artists having the right to own their own work. She releases these re-recorded albums with the only additional factor being the presence of “Taylor’s Version” beside the album title.
Swift re-records the same songs that were featured on the old album and additionally releases six never before heard songs entitled “The Vault Tracks” to keep listeners engaged. 1989 Taylor’s Version marks the fourth re-recorded album Swift has released and arguably the most anticipated re-recording. 1989 Taylor’s Version is a breath of fresh air with Swift’s mature vocal range that has expanded greatly in the last 10 years.
The songs follow the same production as the original versions to avoid being sonically incohesive. In my opinion, this is the best of Swift’s re-recorded albums. The combination of the Vault Tracks and vocal maturity makes this album stand alone. In my opinion, the best vault tracks are “Is It Over Now?” and “Say Don’t Go.”
Although all the vault tracks are worth a listen, not all compare to the impact of some of the main album tracks. Both “I Wish You Would” and “Out of The Woods” are elevated listens in my opinion. The album is defined by pop hits such as “Shake it Off” and “Blank Space,” but with one listen you can see how much deeper and more impactful this album really is.