Taylor Swift’s new album “Lover” was released Friday, and it’s not exactly what I expected.
Now, it’s no secret at all that I’m a big fan of Swift and all the records she’s produced over the years. She’s arguably the most elite talent in the game over the past decade.
I fully expected “Lover” to bang right up there with the best of her music. That was apparently a mistake because it simply doesn’t. (RELATED: Taylor Swift Releases New Song ‘Lover’ From Her Upcoming Album)
I ripped through the whole thing this morning, and found myself kind of disappointed. I want to make it clear that this album isn’t bad.
It’s not bad at all. Compared to what else you can get out there, it’s very solid. It’s just far from her best. She promised us this emotional rollercoaster, but it seems like she really dialed it back.
In fact, I’m struggling to find a whole lot of songs on the record that really pop to me. “Lover” might honestly be the best song, and that single has been out for a week.
All the songs are good, but nothing really jumped off of the page as great. It’s kind of this weird situation we find ourselves in.
It’s like when a running back who averages 150 yards and two touchdowns a game only goes off for 120 yards and one touchdown.
It’s still a really good performance, it’s better than just about everybody else but it’s not what we were expecting.
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Now, maybe part of that’s on us as fans. Maybe, after how great she’s been in the past, we put expectations too high.
I honestly don’t know. “Lover,” “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” “Daylight” and “Soon You’ll Get Better” will likely be the songs that stand out the most to your average Swift fan. However, I’m not sure any of them other than “Lover” will rank high when we look back and compare them to her older stuff.
When it’s all said and done, this really wasn’t much of a rollercoaster at all of an album. It was a record where we drove 70 miles per hour on safe roads and then occasionally took a turn a shade too fast. Was it exciting? Sure, but we were never really pushing the limits.
Overall, I give “Lover” a 6.5/10. Maybe, with time, I’ll change my thoughts. Right now, I’m a shade disappointed.