Speak Now
, the third of
Taylor Swift
's albums she's re-recorded in their entirety, belongs among her earliest work -- the last of the three albums
Swift
made while still in her teens, her last to be aimed primarily at a country audience. These distinctions are lost, or at least softened, on
Speak Now (Taylor's Version)
, which pairs a re-recording of the original 14-track album with two re-cut bonus tracks and six new tunes excavated "From the Vault." Much of the shift is due to
revisiting these songs when she's a woman in her early thirties. Maturation has brought a hint of a grain to her voice, and she's gained control as a vocalist, two elements that give
an appealing sense of distance; she sings as an observer, commenting on the emotions of the songs instead of inhabiting them. It's a subtle difference but it's especially notable on such songs as "Mine," "The Story of Us," and "Dear John," which benefit from the slight sense of increased gravity. Apart from a lyrical change on "Better Than Revenge," the primary change on the 2023 version of
is
's vocals -- the arrangements are generally the same -- which means the main attraction is the six new songs added to the end.
brings in
Fall Out Boy
's
Patrick Stump
and
Paramore
Hayley Williams
to duet on two separate songs, cameos that help push the album as a whole closer to pop than country, a shift that the ballad "When Emma Falls in Love," the sprightly radio-ready "I Can See You," and bubbling adult contemporary tune "Foolish One" underscore. This understated makeover casts
not as the final
Taylor
country record but as the first pop album from the singer/songwriter, a revision that offers its own gentle revisions. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine