Irish Daily Mail

Swift swoops into the past

In a bid to regain control of her early work, Taylor revamps the album that made her a superstar

- Adrian Thrills

by TAYLOR SWIFT: Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (Universal) Verdict: Polished revamp ★★★★☆ LONDON GRAMMAR: California­n Soil (Ministry Of Sound)

Verdict: Hits the ground running ★★★★☆

WHEN Taylor Swift released her second album, Fearless, in 2008, she used it to articulate the hopes and fears of her female fans with songs about teenage crushes, cheerleade­rs and the mean girls in school.

She also turned herself, at 18, into a superstar: Fearless sold 12 million copies and scooped album of the year at the Grammys.

Now, 13 years on, she’s revisiting the songs of her youth with a note-for-note re-recording of the whole LP. The move was prompted by the sale of her master tapes — and with them the rights to her early catalogue — to music mogul Scooter Braun against her wishes. In a bid to regain ownership, she’s remaking six old albums, with Fearless the opening shot.

Revamping an existing studio album isn’t a new phenomenon. Paul McCartney remixed The Beatles’ Let It Be in an attempt to give the LP a harder, rock and roll edge. And Kate Bush replaced synthetic percussion with softer, soulful sounds when she redid the music from two previous albums on 2011’s Director’s Cut.

But, as musicians find themselves with more time on their hands in lockdown, it’s a trend that’s gathering pace, with Dua Lipa restyling her Future Nostalgia album to sound even more like a Friday-night disco and Macca getting in on the act — again — by bringing in his A-list pals to add pizzazz to his back-to-basics solo effort McCartney III.

AS FOR Taylor, it’s not the first time she has revisited Fearless. In 2009, she issued a ‘platinum’ edition with five extra songs and a piano interpreta­tion of the track Forever & Always.

Her latest attempt is even more ambitious: its 26 tracks contain re-recorded versions of every song from both earlier releases, plus six new numbers — and a tune from the film Valentine’s Day.

It’s a bold career move but also slightly baffling, given that she has stuck so faithfully to the original arrangemen­ts and a similar fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar backing.

Her voice is now more rounded and the production is a touch brighter and more polished. But it’s hard to spot any major difference­s between old and new . . . and sometimes bizarre to hear a 30somethin­g woman singing of her teenage concerns.

Still, the songs themselves stand up well. Fearless was anchored in the Nashville storytelli­ng tradition, but it was also a coming of age for Taylor, an artist with the vision and emotional clout to ultimately transcend her country roots.

Among the tracks that still resonate are Fifteen, a touching song about ‘life before you know who you’re gonna be’, and Swift’s breakthrou­gh single Love Story.

The six bonus tracks have been culled from a huge stockpile from her formative years. She’s a prolific writer, and the ‘new’ material is of a high standard. These songs from the vaults also chime more readily with her more recent output, with The National’s Aaron Dessner and country star Maren Morris guesting on You All Over Me. Keith Urban assists on That’s When.

Regular collaborat­or Jack Antonoff crops up on Mr. Perfectly Fine, a whipsmart retort to an unreliable old flame that reiterates Taylor’s ear for a memorable pop hook. If she goes through with her plan to redo five more albums, we’ll be hearing a lot more of them.

▪ LONDON GRAMMAR singer Hannah Reid turned to a famous friend for help when she began questionin­g her role in the charttoppi­ng band after a tour.

Dismayed by a suspicion that her male colleagues Dan Rothman and Dot Major were being taken more seriously than she was, she thought about quitting — until a pep talk from Chris Martin set her straight. The Coldplay frontman told her that groups are like violins — ‘without tension, they don’t play’ — giving her the confidence to put her shyness aside and be more assertive.

She does just that on California­n Soil, an album that puts the onus on the trio’s pop credential­s, as well as their skill as moody balladeers.

At the centre of it all is Reid, 31, who formed the band with guitarist Rothman and keyboardis­t Major at Nottingham University.

Her vocals mix graceful femininity with vaulting power. There are vibrato ballads that reflect her classical training.

On other numbers, her tone is more reminiscen­t of Dido in its command of folk harmonies and an ability to glide alongside an electronic groove.

The album is bookended by two songs about the US. The title track is a pun on California Soul, a 1960s R&B hit.

Closing song America uses the States as a metaphor for both Hannah’s insecuriti­es and her ambition. The rest of the album is a classic two-parter.

The first half is dominated by dance and pop. Lord It’s A Feeling tackles infidelity, and the upbeat How Does It Feel suggests an album of pop bangers isn’t beyond the trio’s capabiliti­es.

The ballad-heavy second part showcases Reid’s impressive range. It drifts a little at first, but the stunning choral piece All My Love restores the initial momentum.

Her doubts seemingly banished, she has blossomed into a formidable bandleader.

 ??  ?? Just the start: Swift plans to re-record five more of her old titles
Just the start: Swift plans to re-record five more of her old titles

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