1989
by Taylor Swift
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
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  1. NOW Magazine
    Nov 6, 2014
    60
    What stands out more than the production is how consistently solid the album is, and how effective the lyrics and songwriting.
  2. The 405
    Nov 6, 2014
    60
    1989 is full of cliches, but the truth is that we wouldn't expect them to not be present anyway.
  3. Clash Music
    Nov 4, 2014
    60
    Swift’s vocals are triumphant, soaring, wild throughout--she is a fantastic singer, and 1989 does showcase her ability to attack a track of any style and claim it as her own, even if the ultimate results feel like a compromise had to be found to make the final cut.
  5. AllMusic
    Oct 27, 2014
    60
    Undoubtedly, she has the charisma and chops to be convincing on both bubblegum and ballads but 1989 is something else entirely: a cold, somewhat distant celebration of all the transient transparencies of modern pop, undercut by its own desperate desire to be nothing but a sparkling soundtrack to an aspirational lifestyle.
  6. The Independent (UK)
    Oct 23, 2014
    60
    Produced mostly by Max Martin and Shellback, the settings blend twitchy electro riffs with skeletal, scudding beats and understated guitar parts, with occasional details hinting at 1980s influences.
  7. New York Daily News (Jim Faber)
    Oct 23, 2014
    60
    The new wave sound--anchored on brisk claps, cracks and booms--gives Swift’s new songs a certain breezy appeal. But her choruses tend to rest on a songwriter’s laziest fall-back: the repetitive, arena-mongering chant.
  8. Boston Globe
    Oct 28, 2014
    50
    The music is a bright, shiny, and bland pastiche of electronic pop and faint nods to new wave and R&B. And the songwriting feels generic, a departure from the personable details that have made her a unique voice.
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Oct 27, 2014
    50
    1989 is a deeply catchy, sleekly-produced pop record with the slightly juiceless quality of an authorized biography, a would-be tell-all bleached of the detailed insight she’s trained us to expect from her.

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed Album of 2014
1
#1 Most Shared Album of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 3333 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,779 out of 3333
  2. Mixed: 119 out of 3333
  3. Negative: 435 out of 3333
  1. valgreen
    Oct 27, 2014
    10
    I absolutely loved this album. I was already expecting to be good, but not on this level. This is a pop masterpiece. She not only brings a popI absolutely loved this album. I was already expecting to be good, but not on this level. This is a pop masterpiece. She not only brings a pop original, that has nothing to do with this mainstream pop out there, she brings ferocity in her work. The lyrics for this album are good, and it gets even better when you realize that this is a pop record and it's not full of **** lyrics. And it's perfectly produced as well. Her best work ever. Album of the year.

    Best ones: Style, Bad Blood, I Know Places, This Love, You Are In Love and New Romantics.    … Full Review »
  2. calljohno
    Oct 27, 2014
    0
    Some albums are grossly overrated. Thus why I am giving this album a 0 although I believe it deserves about a 7. The albums is beingSome albums are grossly overrated. Thus why I am giving this album a 0 although I believe it deserves about a 7. The albums is being overrated, so I am going to underrate it. I know Taylor Swift fans are either excited about this release, or are upset by the genre transition that is evident in this release. Frankly, I'm not too concerned with the genre of the album, but the timeless value it presents. Every pop album released in the last decade has had several catchy hooks peppered throughout; so to simply have catchy hooks is not enough to call this album great. 1989 presents nothing new. It provides nothing for its listeners other than catchy hooks and new songs to bump with your girlfriends(or metro-sexual friends, as the case may be). The songs are nice and all; but its nothing ground breaking. I would like to see the critic score in the 60s and the user score around 7. Taylor just simply isn't an "artist," she's a singer--if you can even call her that.… Full Review »
  3. Remmyatrl
    Oct 27, 2014
    1
    So after hearing about how amazing this album was I decided to listen to it myself and boy was I surprised. Not only was it boring it wasSo after hearing about how amazing this album was I decided to listen to it myself and boy was I surprised. Not only was it boring it was bloated with pointless filler that felt like a chore to get through. I was just waiting to be impressed yet I wasn’t, Taylor obviously needs to work on creating better pop music. She brought nothing new to the table, even Prism had more depth, she should stick to her own lane. We already have enough half-baked pop albums coming out like clockwork, please Taylor don’t make us suffer more. Your lyrical content suffered massively while you attempted to be inspired by the dull and insipid beats supplied to you by pop music’s most generic producer. Don’t expect much from this album otherwise you’ll be sorely disappointed, but I’m sure her army of fans called the “swifties” will try to convince everyone this failed attempt was actually decent.… Full Review »
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