
Red (Taylor’s Version) is the second re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records. It is a re-recording of Swift’s fourth studio album, Red (2012), following her first re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), which was released in April 2021. The re-recording is Swift’s countermeasure against the changed ownership of the masters to her first six studio albums.
Consisting of 30 tracks, Red (Taylor’s Version) encompasses re-recorded versions of 20 songs from the deluxe edition of Red and Swift’s charity single “Ronan” (2012); six new “from the Vault” tracks that were intended for the 2012 album; the 10-minute-long, uncut version of the fan-favorite “All Too Well”; and Swift’s own versions of “Better Man” (2016) and “Babe” (2018), both of which she wrote but had been recorded and released by American country music bands Little Big Town and Sugarland, respectively.
Swift and Christopher Rowe produced most of Red (Taylor’s Version), with the rest handled by Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff, Paul Mirkovich, Espionage, Tim Blacksmith, Danny D, and Elvira Anderfjärd. Shellback, Dan Wilson, Jeff Bhasker, Jacknife Lee, and Butch Walker also returned to produce the re-recorded renditions of tracks they had previously worked on in 2012. Singers Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton contributed guest vocals on the album alongside original features from Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol and Ed Sheeran.
Upon release, Red (Taylor’s Version) was met with widespread acclaim from music critics, who admired Swift’s vocal performance, the “improved” production details and the new tracks. Reviews described the expanded album as a classic pop record that combines Swift’s country roots with electronic, synth-pop and rock flairs, chronicling various dynamics of love, life and heartache. Swift promoted Red (Taylor’s Version) with television appearances on NBC. Inspired by the premise of “All Too Well”, Swift wrote and directed All Too Well: The Short Film, which was released to YouTube on November 12 as well.
Tracklist:
01.State Of Grace (Taylor’s Version)
02.Red (Taylor’s Version)
03.Treacherous (Taylor’s Version)
04.I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version)
05.All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)
06.22 (Taylor’s Version)
07.I Almost Do (Taylor’s Version)
08.We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor’s Version)
09.Stay Stay Stay (Taylor’s Version)
10.The Last Time (Taylor’s Version) (feat. Gary Lightbody)
11.Holy Ground (Taylor’s Version)
12.Sad Beautiful Tragic (Taylor’s Version)
13.The Lucky One (Taylor’s Version)
14.Everything Has Changed (Taylor’s Version) (feat. Ed Sheeran)
15.Starlight (Taylor’s Version)
16.Begin Again (Taylor’s Version)
17.The Moment I Knew (Taylor’s Version)
18.Come Back…Be Here (Taylor’s Version)
19.Girl At Home (Taylor’s Version)
20.State Of Grace (Acoustic Version) (Taylor’s Version)
21.Ronan (Taylor’s Version)
22.Better Man (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
23.Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
24.Babe (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
25.Message In A Bottle (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
26.I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (feat. Chris Stapleton)
27. Forever Winter (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
28.Run (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (feat. Ed Sheeran)
29.The Very First Night (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
30.All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
OVERALL RATING: 5 stars