Taylor Swift - evermore

It's not as good as the Folklore album, but this surprising sequel shows just how well this new aesthetic suits Taylor Swift. Evermore is like a symbol of a flourishing artist who has drawn strong inspiration from 'folk', enabling her to offer a satisfying second album that same year. I don't know how long this phase will last, but Taylor Swift has found the magic formula she needs to take her career to the next level.

For someone who is not a fan, I would say that for me Taylor Swift sums it up in 3 significant acts: the single State of Grace and the albums 1989 and Folklore. To be honest, I never manage to appreciate the rest, even though there are many very interesting things that cannot be denied. In my review on Folklore, I had underlined the fact that she had managed to discreetly build up a charming album, showing a new face of an artistic approach that is to be congratulated, for one thing alone: conversion clearly successful. So on the one hand, why change when it works? Evermore is a logical continuation that has not escaped the rule. Certainly, it was voluntary, witnessing Taylor's deep blossoming in her new direction. You'll find a new catalogue of very introspective indie/pop folk songs fuelled by poetry from the heart, which speaks to everyone, even when it's indirectly intimate. Evermore strays very little from what Folklore concretely offers, it acts as a second wind. We find in it an album that takes its time to deliver itself, Evermore confirms as its predecessor a serious balance between solid songs and some scattered risk-taking that are actually rather controlled. Being of a rather curious nature, I'm still a bit disappointed to find a simple sequel to Folklore, especially when it's not as good. I'm willing to take this new work as a kind of end-of-year bonus, on top of the live album that makes a successful year, but I would have liked Folklore to have had a bit more time to live.

I can only respect Taylor's choice to continue where she feels good, but I find it hard to take this album as a significant work that will be remembered years later. Luckily Evermore has some fantastic songs, I am thinking of Marjorie or the association with The National on Coney Island for example, which allows it to exist in its own right. The album as a whole is really very pleasant, it even reveals little by little details that make it not light years away from the Folklore level either, on the contrary it is rather close to it. In addition to finding a Taylor in great shape, Evermore shows itself valiantly with its soft and meticulous production of high standing, to the point of showing that every note and every echo resounds perfectly as natural as possible. Not forgetting the invaluable help of all the staff, who have helped to make Evermore as sincere and beautiful as possible. In spite of its flaws, I liked this album and I'm amazed by it. It's nice to be able to travel through the landscapes that Taylor and her team have drawn for us, forests as far as the eye can see, a scent of calm and nature that is always accompanied by a beautiful story to tell.