Red review: so casually cruel in the name

of being honest

By Mallory Keenan, Reporter

SING. Taylor Swift poses on the album of "Red (Taylors Version)", which was released November 12, 2021.

Taylor Swift’s new album “Red (Taylor’s Version)” is breaking the internet. The album was released on November 12th, almost 10 years after the original “Red” album came out. Is it the backstory, or is it the outstanding lyrics Swift has crafted this time that has made this album such a raging success?

Swift’s music career started when she signed a contract with Big Machine Records (BMR) in 2004. The controlling contract with BMR is the reason for her re-recording her albums. In this contract Swift agreed that BMR could have the ownership rights of her first 6 albums, meaning Swift could only earn a percentage of the revenue made off of the songs, and she needed permission from BMR to use the music in any type of movie, tv show, commercial, etc. The only way for Swift to own the rights to her old music is to re-record the albums.

On November 12th Swift released a re-recorded version of her “Red” album from 2012, featuring nine new songs. She calls these songs “From The Vault” because they have never been heard before.

When comparing the new and old versions of “Red,” you can hear how Swift’s new version is more emotional, and it is obvious her vocals have grown and matured in the past 10 years. The opening track on the 30 song album is “State Of Grace.” In this song, Swift sings about how she feels about love after she was heartbroken.

“Red” is the 2nd song on the album, and the song the album is named after. In “Red,” Swift expresses her side of the love story between herself and her ex-boyfriend. She shares all the different aspects of the problems in their relationship. “Red” is a well-known classic from the album.

“All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” has been a fan favorite song on the new album, and quickly made its way to the top of the Apple Music and Spotify charts. In 2012, when the original “Red” album was released, Swift wrote a 10 minute version of “All Too Well,”, but her contract with BMR meant she could only release a shortened version. In “Red (Taylor’s Version)” Swift was able to release the original “All Too Well.” “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” is definitely my favorite song from this album, I really love the lyrics.

Another song that the fans were raving about before the album’s release was “Nothing New'' featuring Phoebe Bridgers. Swift and Bridgers collaborated to create a beautiful song. Both voices harmonize incredibly well together, and Swift and Bridgers have excellent chemistry when singing with each other. “Nothing New'' is one of the new songs “From The Vault” on this album.

For Swift, re-recording her old albums is a way for her music to live on. She is passionate about spreading awareness to young and upcoming artists about being careful with the contracts they sign with record companies. Swift has created, yet again, another internet-breaking album that is blowing fans’ minds. The world cannot wait for what Swift has in store for her next re-recording.

Rating: 9/10