by Hannah Cron | May 2, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Unless you have been off the internet for the past month, you have probably heard a lot about Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the first release of Taylor Swift’s re-recorded first six studio albums. If you are unfamiliar with the situation, in 2019, Taylor Swift’s original record label, Big Machine Records, sold her masters – original completed recordings used to make physical copies and digital files of music to be distributed – without her permission or knowledge. Essentially, this means that she has no control over what the original recordings of her songs are used for and will see only a small fraction of the profits from their sales. Due to the loss of her masters, Swift has planned to re-record each of her first six albums — 2006’s Taylor Swift, 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, 2012’s RED, 2014’s 1989 and 2017’s reputation. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the first of Swift’s re-recorded albums to be released. In addition to all 13 of the tracks included on the original record, the re-recorded album also includes six songs from the platinum version of Fearless, “Today Was A Fairytale” off the soundtrack to the 2010 film Valentine’s Day as well as six “From The Vault” songs written around the recording of Fearless that didn’t make it on to the original album. I don’t think it is a reach to assume that I’ll probably be doing quite a few of these “Taylor’s Version” album reviews in the foreseeable future, so I’m going to plan on giving out a few superlatives of sorts for each. For each, I will select a song that was a single...
by Hannah Cron | Dec 30, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News, News Slider
They say lightning never strikes the same place twice, but for Taylor Swift, it most certainly does. A mere five months after releasing her critically acclaimed surprise album folklore, Taylor Swift returned with another surprise album, evermore. Much like folklore, evermore was created in collaboration with Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner of the band The National and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Additional writing on both albums is credited to William Bowery, which was revealed to be a pseudonym for Swift’s boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn. The album is a continuation of many of the themes and musical styles featured prominently on folklore. Standout Tracks: “champagne problems” Like many of the songs on evermore, “champagne problems” sees Swift craft an intricate fictional narrative rather than recount a personal experience. This piano-driven track takes on the perspective of a character who has just rejected a proposal and laments all of the hurt this has inevitably caused their former partner, despite believing it best in the long run. I love the way that the lyrics of the last chorus change to explain all of the ways that someone else will succeed in all of the places the narrator failed. Taylor Swift’s writing is often most effective in the simplest form, led by just guitar or piano, and “champagne problems” is no exception. I have seen others compare this song to Swift’s fan-favorite track “All Too Well,” but it reminds me more of the piano ballad “New Year’s Day” off of her 2017 album reputation. Regardless, “champagne problems” is simultaneously modern and classic, further ensuring that Swift’s work will last the test...
by Hannah Cron | Oct 28, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
For my first review, I selected Taylor Swift’s surprise eighth album, folklore. It was announced less than 24 hours before its release on July 24. The album features 16 tracks plus one bonus on the deluxe edition. On folklore, Swift ventures into new genres such as indie, alt-rock and folk and even calls back to her country past. Upon its release, folklore received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, longtime fans and newcomers alike. Stand-Out Tracks “the 1” – This is not your typical breakup song. Rather than looking back with sadness or anger, “the 1” reminisces fondly about how enjoyable it might have been if things had been different and there had never been a breakup. It offers a refreshingly different perspective, one that is mature but still lighthearted and fun. “exile (feat. Bon Iver)” – Swift’s duet with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is her best duet since Red (by the way, I am referring to “The Last Time” because I have taste). Swift and Vernon trade verses about how they feel betrayed and misunderstood in a failing relationship. The piano on this song is absolutely gorgeous, and Swift’s and Vernon’s voices combine beautifully despite being very different. “invisible string” – One of the brighter songs on a generally dreary album, “invisible string” sees Swift muse about all of the little moments in her life that brought her to where she is today in the context of her relationships. The song is mature and sweet. Thanks to her Nashville namedrop, I will now always remember Centennial Park not as the park with the fake Parthenon, but the park Taylor Swift sang about. J Overall Thoughts I am a...
by Tyler Harvey | Apr 26, 2019 | Galleries
The NFL Draft is being held in Nashville this week for the first time ever. An estimated crowd of over 200,000 people attended the first round of the draft on Thursday. The NFL has taken over almost every inch of downtown. The main stage where the picks are announced is on lower Broadway, but the NFL is also holding a free festival across the Cumberland river in the parking lot of Nissan Stadium, called the NFL Draft Experience. The festival has photo opportunities with NFL memorabilia and trophies, chances to meet NFL players and free tours of the Titans locker room. On Thursday, the “NFL Draft Experience” had Titans players Marcus Mariota, Derrick Henry and Corey Davis along with several other NFL players. The full list of player appearances for Friday and Saturday’s festival can be found on the Fan Mobile Pass app. Attendees for the festival will need to download the Fan Mobile Pass app to be able to get access to many things. Nashville has become the epicenter for many national media outlets this week including ESPN and the NFL Network. ESPN’s popular show “College Gameday” broadcasted Thursday night from Broadway. Once the draft started on lower Broadway, the Arizona Cardinals selected Kyler Murray as the first overall selection. The hometown Titans picked later in the draft and selected Jeffery Simmons. The following six rounds of the NFL draft along with the NFL Draft Experience festival will continue through Friday and Saturday this week. « ‹ of 3 › »...
by Erin Turner | Apr 9, 2015 | News Slider
After several firsts, singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini visited the place where her country roots were nurtured. This former Lipscomb student headlined Student Government Association’s 2015 Spring Concert to a very familiar crowd Wednesday night in Shamblin Theater. “I always dreamed about being an artist and songwriter and doing it for a living, but did not know how to do it,” Ballerini said. But it didn’t take her long to figure out how, as she recently cracked the charts with her song “Love Me Like You Mean It” that debuted in November 2014. This Knoxville, Tennessee native moved to Music City to kick off her career when she was 15 years old, and she landed at Lipscomb several years later. “[Being at Lipscomb] was two of my favorite years of my entire life,” she said. “The whole time I would just go to school and then go to the writer’s round to co-write. I kept trying to do both at the same time until I found the right opportunity.” Just halfway through her sophomore year at Lipscomb, Ballerini signed a deal with Black River Publishing. Her career took off from there, as she debuted on one of country music’s most famous stages — the Grand Ole Opry. Ballerini said the last few months have been nothing but firsts. After hearing her own song on the radio, her music got in the hands of some of her biggest inspirations. “One of the craziest things that’s happening is people that I’m fans of are becoming friends and reaching out, and kind of speaking into my life and helping me,” she said. Most recently, this rising star...
