Taylor Swift's Lover. Album reactions/reviews.

[thenewcomer]

Big week with the release of Taylor's seventh full length album. What are your thoughts on the initial listen?

Here we go:

I Forgot You Existed - 7. Different vibes from Tay here..
Cruel Summer - 10. 1989 with new vocals. Fantastic.
Lover - 10. Already love this one and one of her best across all albums.
The Man - 4. This is probably the most uninteresting song Taylor has ever made.
The Archer - 8. Expected a follow up track because of build up and got the less than stellar “I think he knows.”
I think he knows - 5. Taylor has made better songs with this subject matter.
Miss Americana - 10. Instant classic. Hovering synths/drones make this one top tier.
Paper Rings - 10. Punk Taylor I’m down for. Classic. Could be best track on the album if not for Lover title track. Red-type bridge. Really great.
Cornelia Street - 9. reputation vibes with 1989 lyrical content and harmonies.
Thousand cuts - 7. Decent track but feels...unfinished.
London Boy - 10. Classic Taylor. Highlight of the album.
Soon you’ll get better - 9. Speak now with more mature vocals. She’s a master at country music.
False God - 10. Taylor should make more bangers like this. Instrumentals are really great. Love the mix.
You Need To Calm Down - This is a solid track, but still so short and I've heard it quite a bit.
Afterglow - 10. Legit chills. Instant classic. Highlight of the album.
ME! - Heard before but is still a fun time.
It’s Nice To Have A Friend - 9. To me this isn’t experimental but for Tay it is and I really enjoyed it.
Daylight - 7. I need some time to grow with this one because it’s solid Taylor but she has went above and beyond what this track did before and for a closer, felt lackluster.

So Taylor has some really solid stuff on here but she really should have cut ‘I think he knows' and 'The Man.’ Taylor is allowed some duds every now and then but these two never should have left demo stage. I’m also not fully on board with ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts,’ but it may grow on me.

And like RED, this track arrangement is simply bonkers to me and because it’s so awkward, I’ll just create a playlist in the way I want. Easy enough.

The lack of shellback and Max Martin is felt here throughout the album and they brought dynamics I didn’t know I missed until they were gone.

All in all, once I bring this track list down to 16 total tracks, close to reputation, then I’m free of skips and the album is great. Don’t regret the purchase.

Here are some new stories featuring Taylor thanks to Lover's build up and release:

Era Erotica - Chapter 24 - Lover by Slyguy.
Taylor's Big British Bash - Chapter 22 by DarkSwordsman.
JukeBox Collection - We've Got Tonight by MaxwellLord.

More to come, I'm sure!

[Slyguy]

I need more time to process, but overall I am loving it.  The highlights for me right now are Paper Rings, Ms. Americana and The Heartbreak Prince, & I Think He Knows.  Of course, Lover, is the best (if not Taylor's best song ever).  Interested in hearing other people's thoughts!

[MaxwellLord]

Adore it. Red is my favorite album of hers but Lover gives it a run for its money.

Title track is juggernaut, can't be messed with.

Other favorites are:

The Archer, Cruel Summer, Afterglot, The Man.

[DanielO]

I sometimes think that The Powers That Be in the music business find the least compelling/interesting/representative advance singles, just so when the album finally drops we can be happily surprised at how much better it is than what we had been led to expect. Not that "ME!" and "You Need To Calm Down" are bad, but they're piffle compared to the rest of the album. "The Archer" is the Taylor song I was waiting for, where she casts off self-pity and confronts herself. "Lover," Daylight," "Cornelia Street," all classic Taylor ballads. I loved "False God," Cruel Summer," "Paper Rings." And "Soon You'll Get Better" is in a class by itself for emotional honesty and directness.

So much has been written (justifiably) about her talent as a songwriter, and (annoyingly) about how her songs reflect her personal life, that we don't seem to notice that she's become a marvelous singer. This is her best performance on another collection of great songs.

[thenewcomer]

Absolutely. Her singing is masterful. She really grew into it over the last two eras.