By BRIDGETTE NORRIS
After receiving her second Entertainer of the Year award at the Country Music Awards, Taylor Swift released six singles to iTunes, Nov. 8.
Half of the singles released at the time were altered versions of songs that were already on Swift’s album, Speak Now, on Oct. 25, 2010. Each single costs $1.29.
Swift alters previously released songs into acoustic versions and releases them for a second time, like her singles “Back to December” and “Haunted”. The acoustic versions of these songs are a pleasant surprise for a listener. Without the instruments, Swift’s vocals are enhanced.
As for Swift’s never before heard singles, “If this was a movie”, “Ours” and “Superman”, sound as if they have been heard before. The three singles not only sound similar to another and convey a similar message, relating to love or a male, they are similar to singles on past albums as well.
Although Swift’s vocals sound as if they have improved, Swift’s voice alone could not make up for the lack of creativity.
In the single, “If this was a movie”, Swift sings of wanting a past boyfriend to come back to her and that if her situation was a movie, the past boyfriend would have come back to her by now. The sound and mood of the song is decent, but lyrics and melody are predictable and lack the extra-ordinary aspect.
On a more upbeat note, the single “Ours” is enjoyable for a listener. Swift positively sings of the love she has with another while blaming life for making love appear hard. The mood of the song is cheerful and carefree; it is easy to sing along too.
Swift avoids the cliché and typical prince charming in the single “Superman”. She sings of watching her superman fly away and waiting on the ground for him while he goes to work, yet remaining hopeful as she claims she will be with him someday.
Each single individually has a catchy melody and tone to the tracks. The singles are even easy to sing along with, yet the songs do not surprise a listener with anything unusual. 2 of 4 stars.
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