Speak now (Taylor's version)

"Taylor Swift's catalog re-recording campaign continues with a thoughtful version of 2010's Speak Now that tempers teen angst with the ageless quality of lullabies and folk songs ... On the new recordings of old Speak Now songs, her maturity is revealed not through the words themselves, but how she chooses to deliver them. The angry songs are presented with a sigh rather than a vindictive grin. The songs about heartache are sung carefully and patiently. It feels less like she's sending a message to any particular ex than she is conveying a generalized weariness about how draining young adulthood can be".

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"'Speak Now' shines even brighter in hindsight ... Swift is not just a hitmaker, she's a cultural purveyor who has made her name by finding a direct line to her fans' souls ... She's been a guiding force in their lives since they were teens learning to find their voice through the lens of Swift finding hers on Speak Now. That is the "point" of this re-recording. It's as much Swift's album as it is her fans'. Everyone who listened to the original version of Speak Now is a little older and a little wiser. That matured, time-honed voice coming out of Swift in her latest re-recording is a mirror image of a fan base who has weathered the storm and come out the other end with her".

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"Maturation has brought a hint of a grain to her voice, and she's gained control as a vocalist, two elements that give Speak Now (Taylor's Version) an appealing sense of distance; she sings as an observer, commenting on the emotions of the songs instead of inhabiting them ... Swift brings in Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and Paramore's Hayley Williams to duet on two separate [new] songs, cameos that help push the album as a whole closer to pop than country, a shift that the ballad "When Emma Falls in Love," the sprightly radio-ready "I Can See You," and bubbling adult contemporary tune "Foolish One" underscore. This understated makeover casts Speak Now not as the final Taylor country record but as the first pop album from the singer/songwriter, a revision that offers its own gentle revisions".

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"Maturation has brought a hint of a grain to her voice, and she's gained control as a vocalist, two elements that give Speak Now (Taylor's Version) an appealing sense of distance; she sings as an observer, commenting on the emotions of the songs instead of inhabiting them ... Swift brings in Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and Paramore's Hayley Williams to duet on two separate [new] songs, cameos that help push the album as a whole closer to pop than country, a shift that the ballad "When Emma Falls in Love," the sprightly radio-ready "I Can See You," and bubbling adult contemporary tune "Foolish One" underscore. This understated makeover casts Speak Now not as the final Taylor country record but as the first pop album from the singer/songwriter, a revision that offers its own gentle revisions".

Read review

"Taylor Swift's catalog re-recording campaign continues with a thoughtful version of 2010's Speak Now that tempers teen angst with the ageless quality of lullabies and folk songs ... On the new recordings of old Speak Now songs, her maturity is revealed not through the words themselves, but how she chooses to deliver them. The angry songs are presented with a sigh rather than a vindictive grin. The songs about heartache are sung carefully and patiently. It feels less like she's sending a message to any particular ex than she is conveying a generalized weariness about how draining young adulthood can be".

Read review

"'Speak Now' shines even brighter in hindsight ... Swift is not just a hitmaker, she's a cultural purveyor who has made her name by finding a direct line to her fans' souls ... She's been a guiding force in their lives since they were teens learning to find their voice through the lens of Swift finding hers on Speak Now. That is the "point" of this re-recording. It's as much Swift's album as it is her fans'. Everyone who listened to the original version of Speak Now is a little older and a little wiser. That matured, time-honed voice coming out of Swift in her latest re-recording is a mirror image of a fan base who has weathered the storm and come out the other end with her".

Read review