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Taylor Swift – Speak Now

I wish I’d had a Taylor Swift when I was 15 years old. Somebody smart, talented, poised, level-headed and classy who nonetheless makes very human mistakes and isn’t afraid to explore them openly and eloquently.

When you have the likes of Ke$ha and Katy Perry soiling the airwaves, it’s comforting to see Swift outshine them all, selling more than a million copies of her latest album, Speak Now, in a week.

Speak Now is the first Taylor Swift album I’ve owned (though I do have a CD full of her songs hand-picked by my niece, a huge fan every bit as poised, smart and talented as her idol). And after just a few listens, it has impressed me as a fine addition to a year in music that has been full of great surprises.

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Song of the Day #855: ‘Free Man in Paris’ – Joni Mitchell

I have to admit, I feel a little bit guilty about this one. Joni Mitchell is a legend by any definition who has inspired countless artists over the years, including many I hold near and dear. She is a gifted poet and a peerless songwriter, nothing less than an American treasure.

But I just can’t stand listening to her. Both her voice and her manner of singing are off-putting to the point of annoyance.

I want to get past that, because lord knows I’ve scoffed at that argument for disliking Bob Dylan over the years. It seems like such a silly reason to avoid such a talent. But we’re talking about music here… you have to listen to it. And if the actual listening isn’t any fun, it kind of defeats the purpose.

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Song of the Day #844: ‘John Wayne Gacy, Jr.’ – Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens is another celebrated indie rocker who has never clicked with me. Admittedly, I haven’t heard much of his music but that’s because what I have heard just annoys me.

My issue with Stevens is that he tries too damn hard. The album of his I own is 2005’s orgasmically-received Come On Feel the Illinoise!, which was the second entry in his “Fifty State Project,” a plan to write and record an album about each U.S. state. He started with 2003’s Michigan and abandoned the project after Illinois.

Now, I actually think that’s a pretty cool idea, whether he ever actually intended it or not. And I’m not knocking him for his ambition.

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Song of the Day #843: ‘Nude’ – Radiohead

I have a love/hate relationship with Radiohead.

They are an iffy selection for this week’s theme because I do treasure some of their work — specifically, everything on The Bends and about three quarters of OK Computer. If we’re talking about that stuff, believe the hype.

But following OK Computer, Radiohead either decided to perpetrate some sort of elaborate hoax on music critics, or they got so caught up in their own good press that their heads became permanently lodged inside their asses.

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Song of the Day #842: ‘White Winter Hymnal’ – Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes’ 2008 debut likely represents the largest gap in this week’s lineup between the critical reception and my own. This album was praised as the second coming of the Messiah by countless magazines and websites.

Reading those reviews, I got the impression Fleet Foxes could solve the Middle East conflict if you could just get those leaders to share a set of earbuds.

So I suppose a letdown was inevitable when I purchased the CD with extremely high hopes. I mean, I’m always looking for the next wonderful thing and this looked like as good a candidate as any. Even the album’s artwork was fascinating, with its Renaissance festival fresco feel. The music promised to be a resonant mixture of the classic and the contemporary.

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