Taylor Swift, evermore | Album Review 💿

Taylor Swift continues a dominant 2020 with her second surprise album, and another undisputed, alternative/folk gem, Evermore. 

What have we as fans done to deserve this that has happened in 2020? Cutting straight to the chase, 💿 Evermore arrives as the SECOND surprise album from the ever-dominant, 🏆 Grammy-winning musician, 🎙 Taylor Swift.  WOW! Evermore serves as the companion piece to 💿 folklore, among the very best albums of 2020 without question.  Similarly, Evermore lacks no shortage of musical gems, closing out 2020 with a surefire bang. For music enthusiasts, this is the best gift we could receive during this unprecedented, pandemic-dominated year. 

“Willow”

“Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind.” An awesome lyric from an awesome song!  ✅ 🎵 “Willow” initiates Evermore brilliantly, ranking among the best of Evermore.  The production by 🎙 Aaron Dessner is gorgeous, featuring both standard instrumentation (piano/keyboards, guitar, bass, drums), as well as adding wind and string instruments.  Swift sings with ease, never getting too high, yet packing a punch, nonetheless.  Much like the aforementioned lyric, the song is incredibly well-written, including a memorable, tuneful chorus.

✅ 🎵 “Champagne problems” may have a tough act to follow, but it keeps Evermore on the ‘up and up’ with no drop off.  Once more, Taylor Swift delivers lovely vocals, that perfectly fit this folksy style and don’t require big vocals chocked-full of elaborate runs and such.  Here, we get some delicious, harmonized vocals, with piano serving as the key accompaniment within the background.  Once again, the songwriting speaks for itself, with a relatively familiar, relatable topic, while Swift is definitely ‘loose’ (“‘She would’ve made such a lovely bride / What a shame she’s fucked in the head,’ they said”). 🎵 “Gold rush” continues the glorious vibes established early on.  I love the rhythmic nature of the verses and the refrain sections, while the chorus is incredibly catchy, as we’ve come to expect from the singer/songwriter.  Adding to the radiance is the outro, which features delightful, lush vocals (“Gleaming, twinkling / Eyes like sinking ships on waters”).

“‘Tis the damn season” 

🎵 “‘Tis the damn season” – now that’s a title with some attitude.  Additionally, the backdrop has some attitude as well – the ripe tone of guitars, and later, the punchy snare.  Still, like much of Evermore, Swift, as well as her background, never gets overblown or overwrought.  There’s always this cool energy that cooks but never scorches.  Once again, the chorus is a huge selling point, with Swift providing just the right amount of juice. 🎵 “Tolerate it” commences with another warm piano backdrop that’s utterly sublime.  The song doesn’t rely solely on the keys. There’s also light, rhythmic drum programming, strings, and angelic vocal production.  One more, Swift’s performance ascends when it feels right, but it’s always balanced – non troppo if you will.  

Taylor Swift and 🎙 HAIM? Yes please! That’s what happens on the adult alternative gem, ✅ 🎵 “No body, no crime,” which has a strong case as the very best of Evermore. All parties feel totally locked in – totally in their element.  From the jump, with HAIM’s assertion, “He did it,” “No body, no crime” feels totally elite.  Swift confirms the elite nature of this minor-key, criminal cut on the first verse (“Her husband’s actin’ different, and it smells like infidelity”). The centerpiece, of course is none other than the chorus, where Swift and HAIM join forces on the chorus:

“She says, ‘I think he did it, but I just can’t prove it’
I think he did it, but I just can’t prove it
...No, no body, no crime
But I ain’t lettin’ up until the day I die.”

“Happiness” 

Woo – it’s tough to follow-up the likes of “No body, no crime!” The lengthy, but colorful 🎵 “Happiness” does a pretty bang-up job by all means.  A slow moving, five-minute-plus joint, I love the way that it naturally builds up – sort of simmers.  There are some nice harmonic elements in play, and I like the expressiveness of Swift’s lead vocals.  At times, she’s more restrained, while a lyric like “Every goddamn night, now I get fake niceties” naturally gets more bite. We all know that Swift does well with songs named after people.  Therefore, it’s not surprising that she has incredible success with ✅ 🎵 “Dorothea.” If “Happiness” had more experimentation, “Dorothea” is more straightforward and also, more likely to be a crowd pleaser.  The simplicity, with the consistent rhythmic groove is pretty sweet.  Or, to quote Swift, “‘TIS THE DAMN SEASON!” 

It should come as no surprise that 🎙 The National ends up on Evermore at some point, with Aaron Dessner handling production duties.  That moment finally comes on ✅ 🎵 “Coney Island,” where listeners are treated to the sweet baritone of The National front man, 🎙 Matt Berninger.  The contrast between his and Swift’s vocals is stark and quite alluring.  The calming, peaceful nature of “Coney Island” is part of the appeal.  Of course, Dessner’s production chops continue to stand tall as well.

“Ivy”

“Oh, goddamn / My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand / Taking mine, but it’s been promised to another.” Wow! On the 10^th track, ✅ 🎵 “Ivy,” Swift certainly doesn’t miss a beat, particularly on the aforementioned, utterly awesome chorus.  “Ivy” finds Swift among her most assertive of Evermore, made even more obvious by her more profane moments.  Besides her inspired, energetic vocals, we get more of that incredible rhythm that Aaron Dessner is so excellent at bringing out.

Fittingly, 🎵 “Cowboy Like Me” slackens the pace, opting for balladry.  Worth noting, she assisted by 🎙 Marcus Mumford on background vocals, though he goes uncredited as a featured guest. Regardless, like all of the duets on Evermore, the results are strong. Contrast continues to be the name of the game as follow-up 🎵 “Long Story Short” picks up the pace and features more electronic elements.  It’s more of an adult alternative sound as opposed to folk, and certainly sounds like something that might appear on a The National LP. Like the majority of Evermore, those catchy TS choruses are still a go.

“Marjorie”

Entering homestretch, Taylor Swift gives us another name song with ✅ 🎵 “Marjorie.”  You know what that means – ANOTHER HIT! Much like the aforementioned “Dorothea,” Swift captivates us with memorable writing (“If I didn’t know better…”) and sweet vocals.  She doesn’t do too much, mind you, giving us just the right amount of oomph.  Penultimately, we get ✅ 🎵 “Closure,” which features some of the most experimental musical touches of the album.  This is starkly different from anything we’ve heard Swift release up to this point, yet, again, in line with the music of Dessner/The National.  The result is a bold, ear catching number. 

🎵 “Evermore” reunites Swift with 🎙 Bon Iver.  For some context, Bon Iver appeared on arguably the best cut from folklore, “Exile”, which graced my top-five of the 100 Best Songs of 2020.  While 🎙 Justin Vernon’s appearance on the title track isn’t quite as special as “Exile” was, it marks another winning moment from the album and definitely an appropriate closer 

Final Thoughts 💭

Once again, Taylor Swift has thoroughly impressed on Evermore.  This marks her second epic album of 2020 – quarantine has been good too her – and her third-straight critically-acclaimed effort in my eyes (including 💿Lover from 2019).  With this alternative, folk lane, Swift has truly been able to show her musicianship at its best.  She’s not a powerhouse vocalist, but stylistically, she’s truly able to shine vocally.  Her best attribute, her songwriting, is on full display here, as it was on folklore.  You can debate which album of the two is the best – I know I personally have – but the big takeaway is the two gifts Swift has bestowed upon us during a hellish year.  Bravo Taylor, bravo! 

✅ Gems 💎: “Willow,” “Champagne Problems,” “‘Tis the damn Season,” “No body, no crime,” “Dorothea,” “Coney Island,” “Ivy,” “Marjorie” & “Closure” 

🎙 Taylor Swift • 💿 Evermore • 🏷 Taylor Swift • 🗓 11.11.20

[📷: Taylor Swift]