Fearless
by Taylor Swift
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Billboard
    80
    Though they're written by a teenager, Swift's songs have broad appeal, and therein lies the genius and accessibility of her second effort.
  2. Boston Globe
    80
    She's 18--wide-eyed, naive, hopeful--and that's how she sounds on Fearless, her superb new album.
  3. Blender
    80
    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.
  5. AllMusic
    80
    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.
  6. Rolling Stone
    80
    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.
  7. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    She writes everything, and has a feel for timeless songwriting that means she can cover Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' live, and it works.
  8. MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
    91
    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.
  9. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    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.
  10. Village Voice
    80
    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.
  11. Hartford Courant
    80
    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.

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Most Discussed Album of 2008
8
#8 Most Shared Album of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 1520 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,300 out of 1520
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 1520
  3. Negative: 174 out of 1520
  1. khutch
    Feb 16, 2013
    10
    Featuring the best album POP 2008, Taylor makes a nice set of lyrics, arrangements, voice, and beautiful golden curls. This album makes youFeaturing the best album POP 2008, Taylor makes a nice set of lyrics, arrangements, voice, and beautiful golden curls. This album makes you feel like a real fairytale.… Full Review »
  2. Kino
    May 18, 2011
    10
    Affecting lyrics, beautiful rhythm. And I can see that this album made of her heart, her true feellings, without affectation. Listening thisAffecting lyrics, beautiful rhythm. And I can see that this album made of her heart, her true feellings, without affectation. Listening this whole album make me feel fresh and happy.… Full Review »
  3. Yoshipie
    Nov 14, 2011
    8
    Beautiful album; she definitely is a gifted artist. The songs are sung brilliantly. Most songs were perfect, but some songs sounded tooBeautiful album; she definitely is a gifted artist. The songs are sung brilliantly. Most songs were perfect, but some songs sounded too similar to others. Songs that stood out to me the most were 'Love Story', 'You're Not Sorry' and 'Forever and Always'. Great job, keep it up.… Full Review »
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