With features from Phoebe Bridgers, Ed Sheeran and Chris Stapleton, these never-before-heard songs not only fill in holes from her 2012 release but also demonstrate the rich relationships she has with fellow artists in the industry. From melancholy ballads like “Forever Winter” to pop-infused anthems like “Message In A Bottle,” the vault tracks embody the soaring highs and the deep lows that define Red. In addition to the 20 re-recordings from her 2012 Red release, Swift also included nine additional tracks “from the vault,” songs she wrote for the initial project that never made it to the album’s final cut. Taylor Swift’s mission to re-record her masters is more than simply reclaiming the rights to her music - the process also entails revisiting unreleased music that never made it onto the original record. Unlocking the vault: Unreleased tracks and a new take on ‘All Too Well ’ With that, Swift has truly taken ownership of Red, and she has done it flawlessly.ĭaily Arts Writer Gigi Ciulla can be reached at. The new version sounds mature, fresh and exciting, whereas the original sounded like a song we had heard a million times before. Taylor didn’t just re-record these tracks to legally own her music she re-recorded them so they sounded the way she always wanted them to. In the re-recording, Swift genre-switches, turning the simple country tune into a 1989-esque pop song, completely changing the feel of the track. The most flagrant example of this is the track “Girl at Home,” a song many Swift fans disliked off the original album. The old songs sound new and improved, making for a new listening experience. On the other hand, Red frequently straddles the line between country and pop, allowing Swift to be more creative on Red (Taylor’s Version). Fearless had to stick to the script, as it was Taylor’s first defining album, and to change songs like “Love Story” would’ve received critical backlash. The difference between Fearless and Red was that the lack of cohesion and genre-fitting of the latter allowed Swift to experiment in her re-recording. That being said, Red (Taylor’s Version) is the original album reworked to perfection, along with 10 original and exceptional new releases. Red is the album that gets you through severe changes in your life.īut what makes Red (Taylor’s Version) so special? Many wonder if it’s just the same album as before, and if so, why is everyone so excited? When Fearless (Taylor’s Version) came out, fans were excited and proud of Swift, but the hype that came along both before and after the release was half of what Red (Taylor’s Version) has garnered. She was a young woman going through heartbreak and identity changes. To others, it was a perfect representation of Swift’s life at the moment.

There were poppy hit songs, slow ballads and country tracks all in a single album.

It was Swift’s first attempt at switching genres, and to many, the album seemed all over the place.

Taylor swift red album cover