Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is back and she is right on time with Red, her fourth studio album, which does wonders to paint a whole new portrait of the artist.

Swift’s previous three efforts have seen her progress from country darling to borderline pop princess. Red sees Swift continue in this fashion as she delivers the most poppy tracks of her short career, such as “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “22,” while still managing to deliver some softer country ballads like “I Almost Do.”

Red starts off right with the catchy yet fresh “State Of Grace,” a song based around a full band sound and driven by heavy toms and an impressive vocal performance from Swift that clearly demonstrates her evolution as a singer.

“I Knew You Were Trouble,” the fourth track and one of many singles, gives the first taste of a whole new artist, one who sounds much like an improved incarnation of Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry, even offering up a dubstep-esque drop. This sound only pops up on a couple more songs, while the rest tend to stay well in Swift’s comfort zone.

The downfall of Red is in fact one of Swift’s greatest attributes. The album sounds as though it isn’t sure of itself. As soon as it seems to understand what genre it wants to belong to, a wrench is thrown in to mix things up. While Swift effortlessly pulls off each song she attempts, the schizophrenic nature of Red prevents the record from truly shining.