Taylor Swift kicked off her latest ‘Era’ when she released her new album The Life of a Showgirl on Friday, with critics praising her return to pop.
The singer’s 12th studio album marks a departure from her previous projects both visually and in the recording booth.
It is also her first album in over a decade that has not featured production by her go-to collaborator and co-songwriter, Jack Antonoff.
In a five-star rating from the Daily Mail’s Adrain Thrills, he describes it as return to her pop sound with ‘shimmering guitars and gauzy electronics.’
He added: ‘It’s a sharp, polished record of 12 hook-heavy tunes that clocks in at just less than 42 minutes, with Taylor playing a lot of piano and providing her own multi-tracked backing vocals.
Variety hails the album an ‘uncomplicated good time’ that offers a ‘nearly polar-opposite followup to her “Tortured” era.’
Taylor Swift kicked off her latest ‘Era’ when she released her new album The Life of a Showgirl on Friday with critics praising her return to pop
The singer’s 12th studio album marks a departure from her previous projects both visually and in the recording booth
The magazine adds: ‘It’s giddy, funny, touching, silly, haughty and moving in about equal measure, but most of all, it’s got a sunstruck kind of love that besottedly seeps through the orange LP grooves and might even make you believe in romance again, too.’
Likewise, Billboard says it’s a ‘mature spin on her classic pop sound’ with ‘wall-to-wall bangers,’ marking a clear departure from her previous ‘mournful’ albums.
The publication states: ‘The result is a collection of songs that are immediately engrossing and among the most affecting of Swift’s career, while also focusing on topics like Hamlet and suburban bliss. Call it Bangers for Adults.’
In a four star review from The Independent, Taylor is described as ‘the ringmaster and the circus all in one.’
‘Sonically, this is one of Swift’s most experimental albums, one where she flits between Stevie Nicks-indebted pop-rock, stuttery beats, cascading piano notes – and even Jackson 5 funk,’ writes Roisin O’Connor.
The Telegraph awards The Life of a Showgirl four stars, hailing it as the ‘sound of a megastar in love.’
The publication says: ‘It is essentially a companion piece to Reputation, but where that album railed against the vagaries of fame, this one accepts them, possibly because a fairy tale love story has made Swift a lot happier and more capable of handling it all. That’s why it is so much fun.’
However, in contrast Financial Times states the project ‘lacks sparkle’ in a two star rating.
In a five-star rating from the Daily Mail’s Adrain Thrills, he describes it as return to her pop sound with ‘shimmering guitars and gauzy electronics’
The Telegraph awards The Life of a Showgirl four stars, hailing it as the ‘sound of a megastar in love’
Ludovic Hunter-Tilney writes: ‘Her mellifluously conversational singing is as appealing as ever. But the promised bangers fail to materialise.
‘Chart history may again be made, such being Swift’s popularity, but this time inspiration has not struck.’
In keeping with her pattern of number sequencing, Swift announced the 12-track album at 12.12AM on August 12 before making an unprecedented podcast appearance on her fiance Travis Kelce’s New Heights to share the album’s cover art, rhinestones and all.
A record 5million fans pre-saved it on Spotify and a special vinyl edition, available online, sold out in under an hour.
Last month, Swift announced she was having a theatrical release party to celebrate her record, which will play across 540 AMC theaters this weekend.
Swift’s theatrical release party is expected to rake in around $30-$50million, per Deadline – and presale tickets reached $15 million over the span of 24 hours since the event’s announcement.
Ticket prices sit at $12 – which was decided by the award-winning performer herself.
The special theatrical release is slated to be 89 minutes long and will include the music video premiere of the track The Fate Of Ophelia.
Swift also sat down to open up about the songs on the album which will be shown as well as lyric videos.
‘I hereby invite you to a *dazzling* soirée, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl: Oct 3 – Oct 5 only in cinemas!’ Swift wrote on Instagram last month.
