Taylor Swift has released the first of her re-recorded albums after the first six of hers had their rights sold to her old record label and manager, Scooter Braun. Fearless was Swift’s second studio album and won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2010.

Three singles welcomed Taylor’s version of the album. The first was “Love Story”, “You All Over Me” featuring Maren Morris, and “Mr. Perfectly Fine.” The song “White Horse” was also teased through a TikTok with singers Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray.

“I really did want this to be very true to what I initially thought of and what I had initially written, but better, obviously,” Swift said.

Upon a first listen to this album, it seems to be too long. The record comes in with a run time of an hour and forty-six minutes, including tracks from her platinum album and ‘vault.’ The vault is six songs that Swift didn’t pick for the 2008 release of Fearless. In my opinion, these vault songs could have been added to a different EP since they are still owned by Swift. This would have made it easier to listen to the album in full.

There also isn’t anything starkly different with the production on the record. Some songs do sound fuller with subtly added instruments, and her voice is much more mature now at 31. This isn’t too surprising since it is only a re-recording and not a remake.

“In terms of production, I really wanted to stay very loyal to the initial melodies that I had thought of for these songs. But if there was any way that we could improve upon the sonic quality of it, we did,” Swift told People magazine.

This version of “Fearless” shouldn’t be attracting new fans; rather it should be honoring the original recording. The original might still be the album that attracts more listens due to its nostalgia, but Swift now owning this album might make listening to this recording more appealing.

Ultimately, after listening to this album, the best thing about it is seeing Swift taking ownership of her music again. Throughout her career, we’ve seen her switch from country, to pop, to a bit of folk music. Swift was able to pick up on her vocal tendencies from when she was 18 and originally recorded “Fearless.” This shows how skilled of a singer she truly is.

Swifties are already suspecting what album might be re-recorded next, through easter eggs that Swift has dropped in recent interviews. Fans suspect that her 2014 album, 1989, is the next project we’ll see from her. I’d give this album re-recording a nine out of ten and recommend old Swftie fans to most definitely listen to it.