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Overview
Alone among her peers, Taylor Swift appears genuine. Which isn't to say she's without affectation or that she avoids artifice. She uses both when it suits her, as any real pop star would -- and if her 2012 album Red intends to do anything, it's to prove Taylor is a genuine superstar, the kind who transcends genre, the kind who can be referred to by a single name. Uneven as it is -- and it is, running just a shade too long as it sprints along in its quest to be everything to everyone -- Red accomplishes this goal with ease, establishing Taylor Swift as perhaps the only genuine cross-platform superstar of her time. Naturally, in order to accomplish this transition from country ingénue to pop star, Swift takes her country bona fides for granted, ignoring Nashville conventions as she rushes to collaborate with Britney Spears hitmaker Max Martin and Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody. Red isn't sequenced like a proper album, it's a buffet, offering every kind of sound or identity a Swift fan could possibly want. Taylor deftly shifts styles, adapting well to the insistent pulse of Martin, easing into a shimmering melancholy reminiscent of Mazzy Star ("Sad Beautiful Tragic") and coolly riding a chilly new wave pulse ("The Lucky One"). Combined with the unabashed arena rock fanfare of "State of Grace" and the dance-pop of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and the dubstep feint "I Knew You Were Trouble" -- not to mention the ludicrous club-filler "22" -- Red barely winks at country, and it's a better album for it. It is, as all pop albums should be, recognizable primarily as the work of Taylor Swift alone: her girlish persona is at its center, allowing her to try on the latest fashions while always sounding like herself. Although she can still seem a little gangly in her lyrical details -- her relationship songs are too on the nose and she has an odd obsession about her perceived persecution by the cool kids -- these details hardly undermine the pristine pop confections surrounding them. If anything, these ungainly, awkward phrasings humanizes this mammoth pop monolith: she's constructed something so precise its success seems preordained, but underneath it all, Taylor is still twitchy, which makes Red not just catchy but compelling.
Product Details
| Release Date: | 10/22/2012 |
|---|---|
| Label: | Big Machine Records |
| UPC: | 0843930007073 |
| catalogNumber: | 310400 |
| Rank: | 4100 |
Tracks
Album Credits
Performance Credits
Taylor Swift Primary Artist,Acoustic Guitar,Background VocalsEric Darken Percussion
Richard Dodd Cello
Paul Franklin Steel Guitar
Dann Huff Bouzouki,Electric Guitar,Hi String
Gina Kronstadt Violin
Jamie Muhoberac Piano
Simeon Pillich Contrabass (Vocal)
Bill Rieflin Drums
Butch Walker Guitar,Percussion,Drums,Keyboards,Background Vocals
Dan Wilson Bass,Piano,Electric Guitar,Background Vocals
Jonathan Yudkin Fiddle,Violin
Marcia Dickstein Harp
Andy Thompson Guitar,Electric Piano
Max Martin Keyboards
Peggy Baldwin Cello
John Krovoza Cello
Eric Gorfain Violin,Concert Master
Tom Bukovac Electric Guitar
Daphne Chen Violin
Gary Lightbody Background Vocals
Neli Nikolaeva Violin
Caitlin Evanson Background Vocals
Rodney Wirtz Viola
Marisa Kuney Violin
Owen Pallett Conductor
Jeff Bhasker Bass,Piano,Keyboards,Background Vocals
Amy Wickman Violin
Lauren Chipman Viola
Aaron Sterling Drums
Radu Pieptea Violin
Tyler Johnson Background Vocals
Jacknife Lee Bass,Guitar,Keyboards
Nathan Chapman Synthesizer,Acoustic Guitar,Bass,Mandolin,Percussion,Piano,Drums,Electric Guitar,Keyboards,Background Vocals,Soloist
J. Bonilla Percussion,Drums
Wes Precourt Violin
Shellback Acoustic Guitar,Bass,Electric Guitar,Keyboards
Brett Banducci Viola
Jake Sinclair Bass,Background Vocals
Nick Buda Drums
Jimmie Sloas Bass
Charlie Judge Synthesizer,Piano,Strings,Accordion,Synthaxe,Piano (Upright),Hammond B3
Ilya Toshinskiy Mandolin
Anders Mouridsen Guitar
Jeff Takiguchi Contrabass (Vocal)
Technical Credits
Dann Huff ProducerSteve Marcantonio Engineer
Butch Walker Producer
Patrick Warren Composer,String Arrangements
Dan Wilson Composer,Producer
Brian David Willis Engineer
Sam Bell Engineer
Andy Thompson Engineer
Max Martin Composer,Producer
Michael Ilbert Engineer
Gary Lightbody Composer
Bethany Newman Art Direction
Scott Borchetta Executive Producer
Josh Newman Art Direction
Owen Pallett Orchestration
Pawel Sek Engineer
Jeff Bhasker Programming,Producer
Chad Carlson Engineer
Tyler Johnson Guitar Engineer
Jacknife Lee Composer,Programming,Producer,Engineer
Taylor Swift Composer,Producer
Nathan Chapman Producer,Engineer
Matt Bishop Engineer
J. Bonilla Programming
Liz Rose Composer
Shellback Composer,Programming,Producer
Sam Holland Engineer
Jake Sinclair Engineer
Eric Robinson Engineer
Matt Rausch Engineer
Ed Sheeran Composer
John Rausch Engineer
Videos
