'Evermore' review: Taylor Swift's lyrical sweetener helps catch your breath
New music in a disastrous year like 2020 felt like a miracle. So, when Taylor Swift released Evermore after the already resounding Folklore, listeners were overwhelmed. This newest release of the Grammy winner is perfect for your weekend playlist. The album leads with Willow, a rhythmic piece ruled by acoustic guitar arpeggios, and is a soothing take on a lady following her chosen man.
Swift's signature touch: Romance, heartbreak, and self-love blending nicely
Then comes the mellifluous Champagne Problems, which details the energy that fizzles out into reminiscing the reasons behind a failed relationship. Levitating from the low is Gold Rush, which feels a bit rushed with lyrics hurrying for rhythm with a click-bait mention of "folklore." Teen lovebirds would put the next, 'Tis the damn season, close to hearts, with its lyrics winning over the song.
Best song? 'No Body, No Crime' that totally thrills you
Tolerate It continues with the storytelling and a bar count unusual to Swift's. Then comes the most gripping song of the album No Body, No Crime, talking of infidelity and revenge, which Swift cracks with her voice. This one meanders through a crime plot and almost reminds you of Rihanna's Man down. Swift croons with a victim's vulnerability and poise of a sleuth equally.
A little too positive in the middle, monotony creeps in
Happiness returns to heartbreak with a positivity that starts getting boring. But Dorothea cancels that boredom. Coney Island has a relaxing, romantic feel making you wait for the remaining album. Ivy goes full bloom on romance, while Long story short revives the energy as Swift's lyrics stress more on keeping each other warm rather than keeping scores, thus starting the best quarter of the album.
Swift goes sentimental in a track dedicated to her grandma
Marjorie deserves applause for the sentimental lyrics and thoughts Swift weaved in memory of her grandma Marjorie Finlay, an opera singer who died in 2003. This is a song that stays with you. Closure doesn't sound like one, with its intricate drum patterns shaking dreariness away. Concluding the playlist is the moody and relatable Evermore, if you juxtapose the pandemic to the scene.
The 15-track album exudes an understated melancholy; Our verdict: 3/5
All in all, the album exudes a melancholy with cello, crotales, lap steel, violin outdoing synthesizers, as the album focuses more on original sounds. I'd give 8/10 on lyrics, 5/10 on musical diversity throughout the album, with Willow, Champagne Problems, No Body, No Crime, and Long Story Short joining my 2020 favorites. So, the 15-track album Evermore by Taylor Swift gets a 3/5.
