Okay, it's already September 23rd of 2015, and I still have yet to listen to Taylor Swift's pop smash 1989. I've heard the singles "Shake It Off" and the "Bad Blood" remix featuring Kendrick Lamar, but I somehow have avoided the other eleven tracks... until today. I realized I was in a pretty good position to compare Swift's album, and Ryan Adams' cover version, which was released two days ago. I listened to Adams' first, so most of my thoughts on Swift's album will be compared to the cover version.
Ryan Adams - 1989
I feel like a lot of this album could be distilled into a line from "Shake It Off", which Adams softly croons.
Heartbreakers gonna break/
I have heard of Ryan Adams before today, but was totally unfamiliar with his work. I do know he is popular and prolific, and I definitely understand the appeal. Adams' album may have the same lyrics, but his take is so different than Swift's. 1989 is a tragic, mournful album. Even in the seemingly bombastic sounding "Welcome to New York", Adams has something else on his mind other than entertaining the listener. Standing apart from Taylor Swift is 1989's smallest accomplishment. It's a great album; a fantastic and original spin on pop anthems. It really goes to show how the lines between different genres can be blurred so easily with the right talent.
8/10
Taylor Swift - 1989
Okay so this is pure pop. How did Taylor Swift go from that country singer everyone loved to hate to the biggest mainstream artist of today. 1989 is good, maybe the best example of Swift's signature themes of heartache and heartbreak. What makes 1989 so fun is that she handles her past with a smile (whereas Adams' version is much more somber). Really all the tracks are enjoyable, but "Bad Blood" has got the strongest backbone out of all thirteen tracks. Swift does stick to a pop formula of verse-hook-verse-bridge-hook, but when it's all this fun, who's complaining?
7.5/10
Somehow, the cover version is better than the original. But both albums are benefited by each other's presence. Both 1989's take the same story but flip it on its head. How can something like the past be so awesome yet so melancholy? 1989 answers that question. Together the albums are primo for their respective genres, and they show both Swift and Adams at the top of their game.
7.5/10
Somehow, the cover version is better than the original. But both albums are benefited by each other's presence. Both 1989's take the same story but flip it on its head. How can something like the past be so awesome yet so melancholy? 1989 answers that question. Together the albums are primo for their respective genres, and they show both Swift and Adams at the top of their game.
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