I've listened to all of Taylor Swift's albums so you don't have to

We share our impressions of 11 shades of snake hissing, rank albums in the order of the stages of my acceptance, dig out hidden gems in the career of the main singer of the planet.

The author is neither a fan nor a spiteful admirer of the singer, and does not take into account her personal attitude to her character and personal life. The author is not as interested in the lyrics of the tracks as musical creativity and performance, coupled with the concept and artistic solutions.

Let's go!

11th place — "The Torture Poets Department"

Rather, the department of tortured listeners. After "Midnights" I had absolutely no expectations. I launched this album and started listening... and I fell asleep on the sixth track. Then I thought, well, it's not a bad album for falling asleep. When I turned it on again, I wanted to put matches in my eyes.

Taylor Swift's gigantomania has reached its peak here. More than an hour of material — and so voluminous for a pop album. But to emphasize the importance of every line ever written, here's an addition in the form of a second hour of the same stuffiness on the b-side. And it seems that the production is strong, the sound design is in place, but they forgot to compose the music. The singer is chewing through all the same breakup stories that would be better left in her diary, while the same synth is playing against the background for five minutes in a row — and so on each track. I don't know how those poets were tortured, but they say the experience of listening to this album is comparable to Chinese waterboarding.

Favorite tracks: So Long London, Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me.
Rating: 3/10.

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10th place — "Reputation"

He is loved, hated, and respected, but to this day he remains the most controversial album in the singer's catalog. Before I met him, all the criticism seemed unjustified to me, because I really liked the idea of the album and the two tracks that I had listened to earlier. It was a loud warm-up, a bold image step, an ingenious cover design and the first big concept in Taylor's career. What is the result?

As a result, we have a collection of gossip and pretentious attacks towards seven evil exes. It would be fine if it was implemented correctly, but the entire instrumental of the album is rough dubstep, which has doubtfully aged in just seven years. No beautiful verses, no melodiousness, no lines that I would like to sing along to. Even the main banger of the record, the track "Look What You Made Me Do", only puzzles with the sound pit in the chorus. The question is: why compose such a loud bridge to immediately fall into an annoying recitative. There is overclocking, but no drop.

What are the two tracks that I liked? "Don't Blame Me" and "I Did Something Bad" are just as pretentious and with the same abrasive arrangement, but... they are beautifully composed. Only these two tracks have a good melodic line, in conjunction with which even a strange dubstep sounds harmoniously.

I feel sorry for this album and the potential it wanted to be. This is a great promotion, a competent commercial investment - anything but good music.

Favorite tracks: Actually, Don't Blame Me, I Did Something Bad.
Rating: 4/10.

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9th place — "Midnights"

The saddest thing about this album is that I really had expectations for it. Warmed up by the wonderful "folklore" and "evermore", I thought that Taylor had grasped the principle of how albums with a concept and a solid sound, close to pure art, are written. There is indeed an intriguing concept on "Midnights", the same thoughtful production is not without a sense of style, even a strong level of lyrics. It would be fine, but there are no songs on "Midnights".

I noticed this problem back on Grande's "Positions" — I wanted to listen to this album, listen to its beautiful mix. But it was worth taking a break from the glossy design, and attention immediately dissolved into these boring vocal lines and monotonous beats. I'll say the same here. It's probably an important album for Taylor Swift's mythology, if you're a fan. But the world music culture will not lose anything if all other listeners ignore this album.

Favorite tracks: Karma, Snow On The Beach.
Rating: 4/10.

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8th place — "Taylor Swift"

Very, very solid coursework. Thanks to her, the singer became a phenomenon twenty years ago, when she promoted the country genre to the masses, in which ordinary people used to see bearded rednecks with hoarse voices. Now country is an accessible blue-eyed pop rock about teenage experiences, infatuations and seven evil exes, which would later become a classic Swift motif.

The album often lacks catchy verses. The singer resorts to the most typical pop-rock cliches a la Avril Lavigne, which makes the tracks sound like screensavers from a show on Disney+. Nevertheless, for all the immaturity of songwriting, we have good arrangements on banjo and harmonica. Even though it sounds like a naive village disco... I'd go for one.

Favorite Tracks: Should've Said No, Picture To Burn.
Rating: 5/10.

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7th place — "Lover"

Taylor Swift is a disgrace. I don't know how much this applies to an already pop artist, but this is the appropriate definition here. It was the safest possible solution after the scandalous "Reputation". Is it justified? Well, partly.

Here we have a standard set of pop songs of the most radio format. Glossy production, glass beats and sugary vocal parts. I'll give "Lover" its due, it doesn't sound tasteless. It has volume, an airy mix, sometimes catchy arrangements and rhythmic patterns. But at best it's music for a summer trip out of town, at worst it's just a playlist for studying.

The main contradiction of "Lover" is the absence of any kind of development. Up to this point, Taylor had always taken a step forward. Even "Reputation" was quite a statement. Now the singer calmed down and decided to just sing songs. Conceptually— it is a pale copy of "1989", in atmosphere it is a return to the carelessness of country albums, in sound it is not the most expressive imitation of "Pure Heroine". But the cover is gorgeous.

Favorite tracks: London Boy, Cruel Summer.
Rating: 5/10.

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6th place — "Red"

Whatever you want, but I don't think "Red" is a good album. From an artistic point of view, it really was a decisive departure from country roots into the merciless abode of pop music. Alas, to my ears, the album does not provide enough original material to make the image of the new Taylor firmly entrenched in the minds. Lyrically, it's still a mature work, but the bland arrangements in the spirit of a school disco make me yawn by the third track.

I can't say that the remaster of Taylor's Version has greatly improved the situation. The new recording brings life and breath to the verified production of the original. The problem is that the album is supposedly composed by boring. The new sound design of the tracks "Red" or "22" is head and shoulders better than the 2012 version, but... It was these songs that were listened to quite well there.

Not banjos anymore, not radio bangers yet. This is a strong middle man, who will become the basis for all Taylor's creativity for the next 6-7 years.

Favorite Tracks: I Knew You Were Trouble, 22, Red.
Rating: 5/10.

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5th place — "Fearless"

Even though stylistically it's still the same debut album, I'm pleased with how much Taylor has worked through the new material while staying in the same vein. I call it great work and mistakes. "Fearless" is a more concentrated album. The relational storytelling in the verses became more mature, the arrangements did not lose their taste and stopped mimicking Disney rock, becoming more calm and thoughtful.

The album does not enrich Taylor's artistic mythology, but it says one important thing about her: she is really hardworking and ready to painstakingly hone the material. I like that the ballads of the "Hey Stephen" level, which could have become the most stifling skips, turned out to be the same hits, just more balanced and minimalistic. Even if it's not without platitudes like kissing in the rain, but let's put it down to teenage standards.

Favorite Tracks: You're Not Sorry, Hey Stephen.
Rating: 6/10.

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4th place — "evermore"

In fact, of course, "folklore 2.0". And it says a lot of good things about "folklore" if the collection of its b-sides becomes one of the best entries in the catalog. Conceptually, it's all the same wandering through the autumn forest. A minimum of time has passed between releases, and they were recorded, most likely, in one session, so for me the "evermore" tracklist sags a little. That's where my stuffiness ends, because otherwise the album takes over all the advantages of "folklore".

This is thoughtful lyrics, the most mature songwriting in his career, and a touching performance. The album became a little less whispering, a little more focused on singing along, and the spread between bright hits and just average songs became much more noticeable. Nevertheless, qualitatively it is still one of the best recordings, which is nice to include in cool windy weather, and the song "willow" once in a solo made the atmosphere of my new year.

Favorite tracks: willow, no body no crime, ivy, champagne problems.
Rating: 6/10.

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3rd place — "Speak Now"

Alas, there was not the same impressive progression between him and "Fearless" as there was between "Fearless" and the debut album. Nevertheless, she was, and this album absorbed all the best that was in the early Taylor. The singer returned to loud pop-rock hits and significantly enriched the production. "Speak Now" has become more diverse: here is the sunny country ballad "Mean", and here is the incendiary "Better Than Revenge". Something more serious? Please — an emotional "Haunted" with dramatic cellos and bells. The album does not fall apart, the guitar base acts as a common denominator in each track.

This is not a revelation for the genre. "Speak Now" did not give a new round of creative thought, but it is a solid collection of big hits, in which the quality of songwriting finally reached Taylor's ambitions. Tap anywhere on the album, and the selected song is almost guaranteed to stick in your head for the rest of the day.

Favorite tracks: Enchanted, Mean, Long Live, Haunted.
Rating: 6/10.

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2nd place — "1989"

I have a concept of a summer pop. A good summer pop album is a glossy production of the highest quality, a simple concept without art, and most importantly, you can always turn it on at any party and have a good time without a single skip. "The Fame", "In The Zone", "Future Nostalgia" and, of course, "1989".

If before this album Taylor Swift could be perceived as a singer from Europe Plus, now it has become clear that she is an independent world—class artist. Because every star of the first magnitude can and should have such an album. "Bad Blood", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space" — wherever you click, you know each of these songs, and by heart, even without being a regular listener of the singer.

Wavy beats, high—quality bass lines, beautiful samples - all this weaves into the atmosphere of a pulsating metropolis. Each beat fraction is so delicately inscribed into the composition that even the remaster version could not spoil the original mix.

What's important: this is never a calculated pop song. Taylor's performance here is one of the best and most expressive in the catalog. The vocal lines beautifully beat each line and set the dynamics to the uncomplicated beats. In fact, if the country albums had all the salt in the instrumental, then this is a benefit for Taylor herself and her voice. This is pop in the best sense of the word and the most canonical album for Taylor as a great singer.

Favorite tracks: I Know Places (Taylor's favorite), Wonderland, Wildest Dreams, New Romantics.
Rating: 7/10.

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1st place — "folklore"

By far, Taylor Swift's best album. The best concept, the best lyrics, the best production. Jack Antonoff has long been synonymous with tedium, but let's not belittle his talent for working with minimalistic sound. This does not suit someone, for example, the instrumental "Dance Fever" does not reveal the volume of Florence's voice at all. But Taylor's vocals feel best when accompanied by a calm guitar and piano, as if you were sitting together by a campfire or playing chords by the fireplace.

"folklore" became a renaissance of country style in Taylor's catalog. But now, instead of clockwork banjo dancing, there are walks in the autumn forest. The album sounds like a return to the parental home after a long journey. The singer calmed down lyrically. There are no disses for seven evil exes here. Instead, they reflect on music, time, nature, reflection on love and nostalgia through a kaleidoscope of tangible images, like walks in the park and hands running under a lover's T-shirt. The album itself is like that cardigan woven from invisible threads.

And these are not some subjective impressions of the lyrics - the album sounds exactly like that. Tremulous guitar overdubs envelop you, the keys with a dull echo evoke a painful feeling of light sadness, Taylor's voice whispers in your ear. It might have sounded hilariously boring if it hadn't been so well written, performed and mixed. Taylor and Jack created magic out of nothing. An album that gives you the creeps.

Favorite tracks: invisible string, seven, mad woman, hoax, exile, the last great American dynasty.
Rating: 8/10.