Is Taylor Swift really 22 already? It seems like just yesterday she was singing angsty, melodramatic teen pop hits about breaking up with her boyfriend (well, it kind of was just yesterday, but weâll get to that later). Red is her fourth album, and over the course of her 6-year career, her fans of the 14-22 age group have grown up alongside her. Thatâs not to say that Swiftâs songwriting has grown up as well. Sure, sheâs tried â âThe Lucky Oneâ tackles the downside of fame, âStarlightâ hits on the relationship between Bobby and Ethel Kennedy â but overall, the lyrical matter could have been lifted straight from a 15-year-old girlâs diary. Swift has essentially made a career out of alternating between songs that say âI love my boyfriend! My life is perfect!â and âWe broke up! My life sucks!â with some variations. Why should she stop now, right? On âTreacherous,â she sings, âThis slope is treacherous, this path is reckless, this slope is treacherous, and I, I, I like it;â on âHoly Ground,â she sings, âTonight Iâm gonna dance for all that weâve been through, but I donât wanna dance if Iâm not dancing with you;â and on âSad Beautiful Tragic,â itâs âWe had a beautiful magic love there, what a sad beautiful tragic love affair.â Her vocal performance isnât exactly spectacular either. Though sheâs never been a strong singer, Swift is most tolerable when she lets her voice flow naturally alongside drifting acoustic guitars, as she does on Red âs closer, âBegin Again.â What ruins her overall performance is that, on many songs, she tries too hard and winds up sounding silly, like on â22,â where she states that âTonight would be a good night to dress up like hipsters and make fun of our exesâ in a tilted teenage girl voice that comes across more as mocking and immature than it does catchy. Guest vocal spots are also lent in a pair of forgettable duets. Snow Patrolâs Gary Lightbody trades lines with Swift on âThe Last Time,â which, were it not for the fact that itâs a duet with that guy from Snow Patrol, probably would have been the most forgettable track on the album. Similarly, âEverything Has Changedâ features harmonies from British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, about whom all I know is that he covered âWish You Were Hereâ at the Olympics and fangirls thought it was a new Ed Sheeran song. Blegh. All that stuff makes Red sound like a horrible album (unless youâre a Taylor Swift fan, in which case Iâm sure it sounds excellent), but it has its good qualities, too. The album actually starts on a high note, metaphorically, with thumping drums and low-mixed, distorted guitars on âState of Grace,â although the title track follows with typical banjo plucks, trite similes, and muddled color metaphors (âOur love was red,â really?). Sheâs also branched out musically, ditching much of the country twang from her earlier work and replacing it with dance-beat driven tunes like â22,â âStarlight,â and the incessantly annoying hit single âWe Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.â Most importantly, though, Swift has at least a co-writing credit on every single song on Red . With charts ruled by pop hit-makers and torch-bearers who would rather flush thousands of dollars down the toilet than write a song, itâs refreshing to see an artist who actually puts pen to paper for her own music, even if sheâs not very good at it. Co-writing credits also go to Sheeran, Lightbody, and pop guru Max Martin, who has written and produced countless horrendous hits for Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Pink, Usher, Adam Lambert, and Maroon 5. As a whole, Red is actually a pleasant surprise. Tracks like âState of Grace,â âStay Stay Stayâ (which has a hook begging for a spot in a phone commercial), and âBegin Againâ are somewhat enjoyable, and although there isnât a great deal of deep, mature songwriting, itâs a big step up for a girl who, just a few years ago, didnât seem to know the ending of Romeo & Juliet . Overall rating: 5/10 Jack H. Evans is the entertainment editor for The Bark. Follow The Bark on Twitter @BeardenBARK and like The Bark (Bearden High School) on Facebook.