Taylor Swift, “Speak Now” (Big Machine)
In the CD booklet for Taylor Swift’s third album, “Speak Now,” she poses for a photo tied to railroad tracks, looking like a mock damsel-in-distress with an old-fashioned dastardly villain hovering over her. The scene pokes fun at Swift’s image and songs, which often portray her as a victim to scheming fellows.
In “Speak Now,” Swift extends that role, but she also expands and deepens it, as her songs engagingly explore how a romantically obsessed young woman can survive manipulative paramours and continue to seek a love that is untainted and sturdy.
Reporters now examine Swift’s lyrics for clues about celebrity dates: Is the brutally honest “Dear John” about rocker John Mayer? Is the apologetic “Back to December” about actor Taylor Lautner? But what matters the most is the substance in these personal tales. Like a country-pop Jane Austen, Swift excels at revealing the inner thoughts and travails of a quixotic young woman who refuses to settle for less than true, abiding love.
“Speak Now” expands Swift’s palette. The 20-year- old now writes about the purity of a younger friend (“Never Grow Up”), about critics and bullies (“Mean”), about that infamous Kanye West moment (“Innocent”) and about virtue giving way to passion (“Mine”). Musically, she also maintains a wide sweep, from lush strings to acoustic balladry to crunching rockers, sounding most comfortable on the tender songs, straining a bit the harder she rocks.
As Swift ages, her songs cling to a perception that she, and young adults like her, can maintain fairy-tale dreams about romance, destiny and family. More determinedly than ever, her songs concede that the real world may cast clouds on these fantasies, but she’s not giving in to cynicism or pessimism yet. Michael McCall, Associated Press
Kermit Ruffins, “Happy Talk” (Basin Street Records)
Go ahead, just try to listen to New Orleans trumpeter Kermit Ruffins’ latest release without moving — no foot tapping, finger snapping or head nodding. A plate of red beans and rice says you can’t do it.
“Happy Talk” cheerfully marches, swings and bops listeners through classic covers and original tunes, led all the way by Ruffins’ distinctively brassy bravado.
It’s the first release for the co-founder of the Rebirth Brass Band since his appearance on the HBO series “Treme,” and he gives a nod to the neighborhood of the same name with the swingy and sometimes silly “I Got a Treme Woman.” “If I Only Had a Brain” gets a smartly Latin-infused treatment, Ruffins seems to channel Louis Armstrong with the appropriately sweet “Sugar,” and even the sometimes mournful “La Vie En Rose” gets an upbeat makeover with vocals from Ruffins.
Rapid-fire percussion and piano lend a dancy urgency to “Shine” and a full-bodied brass section helps make “More Today Than Yesterday” deliver.
During a musical era when Auto-Tune seems to reign, Ruffins offers a refreshing return to a simpler time of raw vocals, in-your-face instrumentation and clever composition. Karen Hawkins, Associated Press
