An album that defined 2010s’ pop, and was nominated for 10 Grammys was recently revamped, refreshed, and re-released. On Oct. 27, the re-recording of Taylor Swift’s “1989” album was released. It didn’t seem possible to make this fan-favorite album any better than it was, but Swift found a way. “1989 ‘Taylor’s Version’” is an outstanding album.

Swift’s old record label owns the masters to her first six albums, and recording “Taylor’s Versions” of articles is a way for Swift to reclaim the rights to her music. She is currently in the process of re-recording the albums in order to truly own her music. Swift has already rerecorded the albums: “Fearless,” “Speak Now,” and “Red.” The “1989” album was the most recent addition to the re-records. 

With each of these releases, she has dropped four to six additional songs called “vault tracks.” These are tracks that were recorded with the original albums, but never released. There are five vault tracks on “1989 ‘Taylor’s Version’”. These tracks are always one of the best parts of each re-release, and that was no different with the “1989” album.

The vault tracks released with “1989” are titled “Sl*t!,” “Say Don’t go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Suburban Legends,” and “Is it Over Now?” My personal favorite, and the vault track that has gained the most attention and popularity is “Is it Over Now?” One of the reasons that this track has gained so much attention is due to the context, which surrounds Swift’s relationship with Harry Styles. It is definitely a call out of Styles, and his relationships following his breakup with Swift. Aside from the pop culture context, this song is amazing. It is catchy, emotional, and upbeat. It is the kind of song that you can listen to over and over, and not get sick of it. Fans of Swift know that the best part of her songs tend to be the bridges. This song is certainly no exception, it has the kind of bridge that should play on full volume, and be sung just as loudly.

Additionally, the re-recordings of certain songs on the album were equal to, or even better than the originals. Ironically, Taylor’s Version of “Clean” is definitely cleaner than the original. The song is the same way that it used to be, but Swift’s voice is clearer and more mature in the update. Taylor’s Version of “I Know Places” is also a very elevated version of the original song. Her voice is deeper, stronger, and more powerful on the new version of the track.

I wish that I could say that I like all of the rerecordings of the album tracks better than the originals, but that isn’t exactly true. Specifically Taylor’s version of the song “Style” fell short for me. It sounds different from simply being an elevated version of the original track. The instrumentals sound very electronic rather than real. Mostly, the song just lacks the sass and emotion that it originally had. It sounds more rehearsed and prepared than emotional. 

Overall, “1989 ‘Taylors Version’” is a stellar album. It is the album we all know and love, but with a newer, fresher twist. As Swift gets older, her music only gets better, and this album is no exception. The surprise songs are catchy, fun, and fit perfectly in with the album. It is a perfectly executed pop album.

5/5 paws