Search - Taylor Swift :: Fearless (Platinum Edition, CD & DVD)

Review of 'Fearless' Platinum Edition [RE-RELEASE]

Antoine D. Reid | Durham, NC United States | 10/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the success of Fearless, Taylor Swift and her label decided to re-release it. With some re-releases, you get shoddy remixes or re-toolings of the big hits, perhaps an acoustic version or two and a live track. Not so with the platinum edition. This is more of an extended version of the original album than the simple run-of-the-mill repackaged original version. The platinum edition has five entirely new tracks, plus a piano/acoustic version of the original release's "Forever and Always". What makes the new tracks and re-release worth purchasing is that you're definitely getting an improved and superior version of 'Fearless'; the new tracks are mixed in with the originals and you can't really tell that they were produced any differently than the original tracks. They are of the same quality and caliber, enhancing the experience of listening to Taylor Swift. They aren't much different from the originals; these new songs are mostly about young love, ambivalence, optimism (even in the face of heartache or tarnished relationships).



The Good: This isn't the typical 'country' music many are familiar with. Taylor Swift, having written most of the songs herself, brings a lot of her personal experiences and reflections into the music and the songs feel more authentic. While she's in the genre of country there's also a heavy presence of pop running throughout the tracks. 'Fearless' has a theme to it; songs about young experience and "fearlessness" in the face of many obstacles and new experience; on the track "Fifteen" she sings about school and not exactly fitting in, an experience everyone can relate to in some way. On "Hey Stephen" and "You Belong To Me" she sings of crushes and young love. "Jump Then Fall" is all about taking a chance on love. The mass appeal of Taylor Swift is probably how relatable her music and persona is. Unlike many artists her age who are singing about partying in clubs or trying to make 'country music' that's either too stereotypical or too dance-orientated, she's singing about life and things she and everyone experiences and goes through. Another good thing about this edition is that it comes with a DVD of the music videos from the singles released as well as some behind-the-scenes footage. For me, this enhances the experience because you're able to see and hear the creative process and witness how involved she is. It helps to also get the point across that there's a real person behind the music and lyrics and she's not just a puppet or product of her music label and the industry. Also, the video of her CMA performance of 'Thug Story' with T-Pain, a definite fan-favorite moment of the past year, is included and makes the DVD a true must-have. Sure, it's silly and definitely not country but it shows the versatility of Swift and her willingness to make fun of herself and have fun.



The Bad: There's not a lot to complain of. If there's a flaw to the album is that it can be a bit light and upbeat. The tone of the album, even when she sings of unpleasant feelings and of insecurities or unfulfilled loves, she never truly goes 'deep' or to a pure unhappy place. It gets a bit annoying that emotionally the album feels a little heavy on the positive and optimistic vibes, but again, that's a personal criticism. "You're Not Sorry" is probably the least 'happy' song with the new track "Untouchable" following close behind. Also, a minor nit-pick but the cover artwork doesn't reflect that this is really a new product. All that it looks like is the designer or label being lazy and short on time and sticking a black background behind the same photo from the first released. Perhaps the thought was that the black background and 'platinum edition' added in would give the impression of newness but the black background and her expression change the vibe or tone of the album from upbeat and optimistic to slightly moodier and depressing, which the album and music are not. Minor critique that doesn't detract much from the music. The new tracks are good but it would have been nice if the label also included many 'pop' versions of her singles that have been released through iTunes and other online venues over the course of the year. The pop versions "You're Not Sorry" and "Love Story" give both songs a different vibe and the variety would have made the release a bit more interesting.



In the end, if you haven't purchased 'Fearless' yet, this is the edition to get. Even so, the new tracks and the DVD with the music videos together account for a mini EP and is worth purchasing.



Listen to These: "Come In With the Rain", "Forever and Always" (Piano Version), "You're Not Sorry"

"

Time for Platinum!

Enrique Flores | Fairborn, Ohio | 11/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like her self-titled debut album Taylor has re-released Fearless in a Platinum Edition, due to the original 13 track 2008 release which has been certified 5 times Platinum. This re-release like her Deluxe Edition of her self-titled album features new songs and a DVD.



The CD contains 5 new songs and a piano version of Forever & Always (previously released on Fearless) & the original 13 tracks on the Fearless album. The new songs include, "Jump Then Fall", "Untouchable", "Come in With the Rain", "Superstar", & "The Other Side of the Door." "Untouchable" was performed prior to it's release on the Clear Channel Stripped site by Taylor as a big promotion for the 2008 release of Fearless. "Come in With the Rain" has been available as a digital download since 2007. I rate the new songs 5/5 because they are all very good and well done. "Jump Then Fall" is currently my favorite new song.



The DVD that comes with Fearless Platinum Edition contains the 5 music videos that have been released prior to it's release, this includes, "Change", "The Best Day", "Love Story", "White Horse", & "You Belong with Me", 3 "on the set" behind the scenes making of the music videos ("Love Story", "White Horse" & "You Belong with Me"), a photo gallery of the 2009 Fearless Tour, A behind the scenes of the first show of the Fearless Tour in Evansville, Indiana. and the parody video of "Thug Story" with T. Pain that Taylor did for the 2009 CMT Music Awards. There is also 2 different exclusives, one done by Wal-Mart and one done Target. The Wal-Mart exclusive version of Fearless Platinum Edition contains 2 DVD exclusive bonus content of the V-Fest UK: Live performances of "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" and the Target exclusive version also contains 2 DVD exclusive bonus content of the Clear Channel Stripped performances of "Untouchable" and "Fearless"



All together the album is great and you won't be disappointed. Please note that there is only 5 new songs, not 6 as advertised seeing as the "Forever & Always (Piano Version) is just that, a piano mix of it's previously release. So if you are a Taylor Swift fan, you don't wanna be without Fearless Platinum Edition"

~great new music, videos, pictures, and more~

Joey Sciarra | Connecticut | 10/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow...it's amazing how this girl can write so many awesome songs! This platinum edition CD/DVD is a great value and perfect if you haven't bought Taylor's "Fearless" album yet -- but it's still a nice add to your collection even if you already own the original album. The CD is packed full with 19 songs, 6 of which are new (5 brand new + 1 acoustic remix) plus the DVD has hours of fun music videos and entertainment!



The standout track to me is the piano version of "Forever And Always". It's such a nice and simple acoustic performance...but at the same time it's super powerful and awesome. All the songs are amazing, and the DVD is equally fun (it seriously has like 2 hours of music videos, tons of pictures, and exclusive behind the scenes clips!) I highly recommend getting this CD/DVD set as a gift for any Taylor Swift fan -- it's definitely worth your money!"