Taylor Swift fulfills every girls fantasy in Speak Now

Speak Now

Taylor Swift

Big Machine Records

4 stars (out of 5 stars)

The wait for Taylor Swift's third album, Speak Now, is finally over.  This album sounds like another hit for Swift.

Her first single, "Mine," is another romantic and hopeful take on modern-day relationships.  Swift has a way of incorporating Disney-esque qualities (charming princes, happy endings, etc.) into her songs about life and love.  In the song, Taylor tells the story of a typical young couple that falls in love and decides to get married.  Reality sets in with bills to pay and domestic disputes, but ultimately the couple remembers how and why they fell in love, and they make their love last.  It's not a sweeping, epic love story, but, it's the tale of a modern-day young couple that just wants to make things work.

The song "Back to December" shows another side of Swift.  This is the first song in which she apologizes to a boy.  Most of her other songs have dealt with romance, or calling out a boy for being a failure or cheater.  However, "Back to December" is a good depiction of her maturing music.

On the other hand, we still get the same Taylor we know and love with the catchy song "Mean." This song is reminiscent of her earliest work and has a strong country feel to it.  It has a simple message that everyone can relate to, it poses the timeless question, "Why do you have to be so mean?"  It's pleasing to hear Taylor honoring her roots, yet still progressing as an artist.

Overall, Speak Now is a huge success.  Swift continues to send messages about not giving up on love, being a good person and believing in yourself.  These are reminders young girls can never get enough of.

—Caitlin McGinn, cmcginn@udel.