When I heard that Taylor Swift had re-recorded her Fearless album, I was pumped. The original album had been a pillar of my childhood, and having a new version revamped my love for Taylor and my obsession with “The Way I Loved You”.

On Fearless (Taylor’s Version), we have 26 tracks of redone classics from the Fearless Deluxe album along with six unreleased tracks from the same Taylor era. There are appearances from other big names, including Colbie Caillat, Maren Morris, and Keith Urban.

Swift decided to re-record this, along with five other of her original albums, as a way to take back control of her discography. The masters (original, official recordings of the albums) all belong to her old record label, Big Machine, who were against selling the masters unless Swift rejoined the label and produced an album for every masters she wanted back. 

Obviously, this deal was terrible, and Taylor decided to take the lyrics and music she did own and have rights to and make new masters for herself.

I am all for supporting women taking control of their lives and careers, so when I heard this story, I immediately deleted the original Fearless album from my mind and listened to Taylor’s Version. I was not disappointed at all.

This. Album. Slaps. 

I have always loved Fearless, but as I got closer and closer to the age Taylor was when she wrote the songs, I had a different experience than I did when I was younger. The songs used to feel like an older sister telling me about what high school would be like, but now they feel more like watching a friend go through life and heartbreak. However, hearing the songs I loved for so long from an older, more mature-sounding Taylor gave them that older sister feel again. 

All of my old favorites are still bops. “Hey Stephen”, “The Way I Loved You”, and “Forever and Always” have that twangy sweet sound that we all know and love from Swift’s early days. The “From the Vault” tracks are new to listeners, but they fit that same vibe. If you’ve been following Swift or this album, you’ve probably heard “Mr. Perfectly Fine” — also known as the best break up song to belt on a car ride ever. 

This album can do no wrong. Overall, I give it 4.5/5 stars. From the intent behind it to the actual music itself, I’ve loved everything about it, and I have a feeling you will too.