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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Fearless
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 14 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 67 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Big Machine
Release Date: 11 November 2008
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Country
Summary
Taylor Swift's follow-up to her triple-platinum debut album was produced with Nathan Chapman and features a duet with Colbie Calliat.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
I'm moved nevertheless by what can pass for a concept album about the romantic life of an uncommonly-to-impossibly strong and gifted teenage girl, starting on the first day of high school and gradually shedding naiveté without approaching misery or neurosis.
Read Full Review >Observer Music Monthly
She writes everything, and has a feel for timeless songwriting that means she can cover Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' live, and it works.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Swift's gentle touch is as enduring as her songcraft, and this musical maturity may not quite jibe with her age but it does help make Fearless one of the best mainstream pop albums of 2008.
Read Full Review >Billboard
Though they're written by a teenager, Swift's songs have broad appeal, and therein lies the genius and accessibility of her second effort.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe
She's 18--wide-eyed, naive, hopeful--and that's how she sounds on Fearless, her superb new album.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Her music mixes an almost impersonal professionalism--it's so rigorously crafted it sounds like it has been scientifically engineered in a hit factory--with confessions that are squirmingly intimate and true.
Read Full Review >Blender
Swift has the personality and poise to make these songs hit as hard as gems like 'Tim McGraw' and 'Our Song' from her smash debut, and, once again, she wrote or cowrote them all.
Read Full Review >Hartford Courant
The Pennsylvania native delivers another pleasant assortment of precocious pop country on Fearless, a set that keeps her natural polish in the middle of the mainstream road, and sports uncommon refinements for a singer her age.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
Swift may not possess the vocal power to fully sell her more lyrically generic material (Underwood's great gift), but for the most part, this remarkably self-aware adolescent's words don't falter, masterfully avoiding the typical diarist's pitfalls of trite banality and pseudo-profound bullshit.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
Her supple, lightly twangy vocals fit the album's lilting melodies (most of the slick, radio-friendly instrumentation here is purely functional), and her sentiments, though sometimes naive, are refreshingly age-appropriate.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Mixed feelings are very much par for the course listening to Fearless, a record that does something bland and uninventive but does it incredibly well.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
It's troubling that the album does not show significant refinements of the promise she demonstrated on her debut, but Swift's age still gives her ample time to hone her craft into something more substantial and more sophisticated.
Read Full Review >Uncut
The music is classifed as country, but it's really clinical pop, enlivened by Swift's confessional lyrics. [Apr 2009, p.101]
Q Magazine
Her giggly peers will find she speaks their language, while grown-ups will prefer her to keep quiet. [Apr 2009, p.110]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 67 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Angel S. gave it a10:
Very heartfelt. Taylor is a mature songwriter and she wears her heart on her sleeve. Very honest and pure music.
Zuzo T gave it a2:
Production: Songs are so polished and sterile, the record is almost unlistenable. It's also loud to the point of distortion - nothing new. Even given the massive production on Fearless, there are countless auto-tune slips. Simply embarrassing. Performance: The singing, guitars, and nearly everything on it is nauseatingly generic. Everything is digitally in time and in tune. Drums sound horrible. Songcraft: Poppy, but somehow not catchy. These songs sound like they were created in a laboratory; generic, repackaged pop forms completely devoid of any interesting changes or melodies. The lyrics are uninspired and mostly just sophomoric.
Pamela gave it a0:
Immature, boring album. Taylor is one of the worst singers I've ever heard.
Klark gave it an8:
One of the best albums sang by a teen in years, it is somewhat disappointing because it offers less than her promising debut nonetheless, it contains more potential hits.
AA AA gave it an8:
I admire how she can write, but I still prefer her 1st album. Im a teenage boy and I can relate, but seriously, at least 3-quarters are about boys.
Adam A gave it a3:
Her songs are amazing! Growth in vocals are lacking on this album.
Ty M gave it a10:
I love Taylor Swifts album Fearless. It's so calming and it's easy to relate to. It may not be for everyone but if your having a bad day and need something to cheer you up listen to Fearless.
