Swift shares her affection for special guys, limiting physical longings to impulsive kisses (“Fearless,” “Hey Stephen”). Disrespectful boyfriends run out of second chances on “Tell Me Why,” “White Horse” and “You’re Not Sorry.” “The Best Day” sweetly recalls special times with Mom and Dad that put Band-Aids on daily strife (“I have an excellent father/ His strength is making me stronger/ God smiles on my little brother/Inside and out, he’s better than I am”). Any girl drawn to a boy who only has eyes for a cheerleader will feel better knowing that Swift feels her pain (“You Belong With Me”). Tired of losing in life, the singer leads a triumphant rallying cry, convinced that “Change” is coming. The autobiographical “Fifteen” empathizes with anxious freshmen girls desperate to be noticed and loved. That track morphs into a tactful cautionary tale about a friend’s sexual regrets (“Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind, and we both cried”). The angsty “Love Story” describes a forbidden romance of Shakespearean proportions that ends happily with a wedding and Daddy’s blessing.
Photos include a plunging neckline or two.
An improvement over her last disc. Swift handles romantic love well, but really excels when focusing on the deep bonds of family and friendship.
