Taylor Swift Debut Review

Taylor Swift Taylor Swift Originally Released October 24, 2006

Taylor Swift’s debut album is unapologetically country. Swift was 17 when she released her debut album, a self titled collection of tracks she’d been crafting since she was barely a teen. Reaching deep into the country music she loved at the time there’s little here to indicate the juggernaut Swift would become when she began to crossover into the mainstream and eventually covert to pop and eventually indie rock. (And back to pop again!) However what is here is Swift’s ability to craft perfectly catchy songs that are authentic and real. From the sappy but earnest ballad Tim McGraw which introduced Swift to the world to the revenge scorcher Picture to Burn to the twangy mid tempo Our Song, Taylor is full on country - banjos, twangy vocals, and references to pickup trucks remind the listener where this album belongs.

There are glimpses of what’s to come. A Place In This World and Should’ve Said No demonstrate the pop sensibilities that would eventually dominate Taylor’s approach to songwriting. They are endlessly catchy, easy to sing along with and get stuck somewhere between your heart and your head an impossible location from which to dislodge an ear worm.

I’m a sucker for 90’s pop country Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and of course Garth Brooks, the type of country songwriters that crafted songs that seeped into the mainstream and obviously influenced young Taylor Swift as she was learning to write songs.

Taylor Swift is my least favorite Taylor Swift album. Not that it’s bad, it’s pretty great but it wasn’t until Speak Now that I became a causal fan and Red for me to become a full on Swiftie  it’s just that mid 2000s country from a 17 year old girl wasn’t on my radar. A fun listen for sure and important to see the building blocks of what’s to come next. 7/10. Highlights: Tim McGraw, Should’ve Said No, I’m Only Me When I’m With You, Teardrops On My Guitar.