Red

In the six years since her debut album, Taylor Swift has come across as a country Cinderella with the wrath of a Southern belle and the humor of a liberal-arts geek. Over time, we’ve seen some of the honeysuckle twang drip away, but Swift continues to honor both the glass slipper and the Sharpie’d Converse sides of her personality. Red begins with “State of Grace,” a perfect stadium-show opener that pumps you up but doesn’t leave you exhausted for what’s to come. Heading down home, “Sad Beautiful Tragic” seems born from the creative saviors that are moonlight, a half-empty bottle, and raindrops on the window. While “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” acts as the album’s big breakup song, it fulfills a more critical role—one it shares with “22”—as the unselfconsciously silly song you belt out only among friends who really know you. More important, these songs humanize a wonderful album and serve as reminders that Swift earned the fulfillment of her dream and wasn’t born with a silver guitar in her hands. The album opens with the pop princess and closes with the country girl-next-door’s “Begin Again,” a song about the hope and promise of letting your guard down to love again—a softly inspiring reminder we all need to hear from time to time.