Album Review: Taylor Swift – “Red”

With the release of her pensive new album, “Red,” Taylor Swift  shows off a more mature version of herself.  The record’s only anti–boy rant is the cutely cranky “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Everything else — such as the dubstep–esque “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “The Last Time,” a surging duet with Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody — is adult.  Both “22” and “Starlight” are about the timelessness of youth.  The perky “Stay Stay Stay” mentions groceries and settling down.  And “Everything Has Changed,” a raw duet with Ed Sheerhan, is a graduation into the indie coffeehouse jams of the thoughtful twentysomething.  She’s still wholesome, lively, and genuine, but she’s older — and she’s seeing anything but red.

3/5 Stars