Taylor Swift [ENHANCED]

Taylor Swift

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2006)
• Original Release Date: October 24, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Big Machine Records
• ASIN: B000I5YCCO
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,788 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Three years ago, a 13-year old Taylor Swift set out to be a star and moved from Reading, Pennsylvania, to Nashville. By 14, she had a publishing deal, and by 15, a recording contract. In these days of Bianca Ryan (and before her, Tanya Tucker and LeAnn Rimes), many are called, but few are chosen. Swift, it appears, is one of the chosen ones. Her vocal talent is modest, though sweetly affecting, her style seemingly influenced by the radio hits of early Sheryl Crow and Michelle Branch, and perhaps Cyndi Thomson. And at times, her youthfulness shows--she encoded messages in the lyrics of her CD booklet, starting with the name of the boy who cheated on her from "Should've Said No" (the album's strongest offering). But in writing or co-writing all 11 songs on this debut, Swift demonstrates remarkable maturity, particularly in crafting a hooky, radio-ready chorus. Though she sounds ridiculous looking back from the perspective of an 87-year old woman on "Mary's Song," to her credit she mostly writes about what she knows--unrequited high-school crushes ("Teardrops on My Guitar"), teenage angst ("Tied Together with a Smile"), and complete immersion in starry-eyed romance (her breakout hit "Tim McGraw"). Swift has such wistful charm and tunefulness that only a curmudgeon could dismiss her, and in fact, more than 60,000 fans lined up to grab this CD the first month of release. No wonder Rascal Flatts and George Strait added her to their tours. Look out, Carrie Underwood--there's a new kid in town. --Alanna Nash

Product Description
Deluxe CD/DVD! New lenticular cover, 3 new studio tracks, Tim McGraw & Taylor's first phone call, behind the scenes footage from video shoots and personal behind the scenes footage edited by Taylor, all three videos, and performance and interview footage. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A strong debut album, November 2, 2006

By	Pen Name (Fairbanks, Alaska) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

If I had to describe Taylor Swift's self-titled debut, I would say it sounds a lot like a cross between Lila McCann and Leann Rimes. She has a very powerful voice, and exhibits a lot of range in her songs. Most of the songs on the album are very lighthearted and deal with typical high school issues - boys, falling in love, bad relationships, etc. Even though the themes are simple, the songs (all of which Taylor wrote or co-wrote) have some impressive lyrics and musical arrangement, which really gives her the ability to show off her voice. I bought the CD for "Tim McGraw," but as others have said, it is a mediocre song when compared to the rest of the album and I found myself moving it to the back of my play list to make room for new favorites such as "Picture to Burn," "May's Song," and "Our Song." Despite what you might expect from the song titles, most of the album is fast-paced and filled with catchy tunes, but still makes room for two or three "slower" songs like "Tim McGraw" and "Teardrops on my Guitar."

The album also comes with some disappointing "bonus media" in the form of the "Tim McGraw" video and Taylor's first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry singing the same song. The clips are quicktime and small resolution, and the Opry video doesn't even show her actual performance, but a few minutes of her arriving to the theater and getting ready. For anyone who's a fan of younger country female talent, I'd definitely recommend picking up "Taylor Swift."

31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I unexpectedly LOVE IT!!!, August 31, 2007

By	[e-mail] - See all my reviews

WOW what a talent Taylor Swift is! Ironically, the things that the other reviewers here consider "faults" are the things that make me love this CD. I LOVE that this CD isn't overprocessed with so many studio tricks that make you wonder how much raw talent the person actually has. I LOVE the fact that Taylor wrote/co-wrote ALL of the songs. I LOVE the fact that Taylor isn't yet another "woo-hoo I won ... (insert American Idol, Nashville Star, America's Got Talent, etc etc here)". She did it the old-fashioned way, by pounding the pavement of Music Row and singing at country fairs. I LOVE the fact that she is so humble and sweet-natured. If you don't fall in love with her from her lyrics, just read the liner notes! I just plain LOVE this CD!

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A special debut, October 24, 2006

By	Parkin (PA) - See all my reviews

You can tell that Taylor Swift cares about the integrity of the music, and not just making money with the Nashville machine. Her voice has a wistfulness that reminds me of Deana Carter (though not with as much range on the higher notes yet,) and the arrangements avoid overproduction. Lyrically, "Tim McGraw" isn't even one of the better songs. This is a thoroughly charming debut - with youthful fun combined with a sophistication not expected.