What recently released album is filled with heartbreak, revenge, and tears? You guessed it, Taylor Swift’s fourth studio album, Red. The highly anticipated Red was released on Oct. 22. Most people would think that as she gets older, Swift would write about more mature types of love and relationships, but Red is a 16 track album full of the same petty heartbreak apparent in her last three albums. Don’t get me wrong, I like Taylor Swift as much as the next teenage girl; she is known to have relatable lyrics, catchy tunes, and writes, generally, just great sing-a-long songs. But I was disappointed with Red for a few reasons

The reason I fell in love with Taylor Swift was because she was bringing a revival to country music. I was born and raised a country fan, and I was excited that country music industry was becoming more popular because of the young and fresh talent that was Taylor Swift. Being a middle school girl when Taylor Swift’s freshman album was at its’ height, I related to songs like “The Outside” and “Tied Together With a Smile.” I enjoyed her acoustic and definitively country sound on songs like “Tim McGraw” and “Teardrops on My Guitar.” Red isn’t country.  I laughed when my iTunes account claimed the genre of the new album as “Country & Folk.” Swift incorporated the highly modern musical tactics of what is known as dub-step into her songs “Red” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” I felt like these added musical components didn’t fit with the lyrics or the meaning of the song. It just seemed that Swift was trying too hard to become like pop artists, while straying from her country roots. While Swift was criticized for her lack of country sound in her third album, Speak Now, you could still feel hints of it in songs like “Mean.” In Red, I didn’t hear a single song that I thought could be classified as country music, which I thought was disappointing. I feel like she shouldn’t even be considered for award shows like the Country Music Association Awards (CMA’s) or the American Country Music Awards (ACM’s) because of her lack of country sound in her album.

Also, in Red, the subjects she wrote songs about seemed juvenile. The first single released from the album, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” was obnoxious. I don’t think a twenty-two-year-old woman, should act so immaturely about a breakup. Her childish lyrics made her sound like she was in middle school, not like she was young woman. I don’t even know students in high school who act so immaturely about a breakup, that’s how bad it is. When I bought the album, I bought the deluxe edition that came with a bonus CD with 3 extra songs and 3 remixes of songs already on the album. One of the songs on the deluxe edition, “The Moment I Knew,” has to be one of the worst songs I have ever heard. The song is about an boyfriend of Swift’s who didn’t show up to her birthday party and the lyrics are just an account of what she did that night, including walking into the bathroom, talking to her friends, and looking at the door. Sadly, the song is boring and melodically un-unique, so it really didn’t have any redeeming qualities.

With that being said, I did enjoy the slower songs she included on the album. “All Too Well” is an emotionally charged song about remembering someone so strongly after a breakup and “Treacherous” is about a love that might be a little dangerous, but it is enticing and addicting.

Overall, I can say that I enjoy the album Red. I think this album is terribly catchy and will grow on the hesitant listeners. My first impression of the album was negative, and although I miss the country Swift, it has grown on me and I can admit that I already have every song memorized. I definitely think the slower songs “All Too Well,” “Treacherous,” and “Begin Again” are the artistic treasures of the album.