It has almost been 13 years since Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’ album was released and on April 9, fans were ecstatic to welcome ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ into the world.

   In summary, after a losing battle to win back the rights to her old music, Swift decided to take it upon her own hands to re-record and release those older albums so that she would get the profits for them instead of someone else (check out Debra Garcia’s article to get a deeper understanding on the matter). Despite her being the same person she was 13 years ago, her voice has grown a lot in the time that has passed.

   Upon first listen, it is hard to hear the difference between these new versions and their older counterparts, which is definitely a good thing considering the fact that they are not supposed to sound very different. After inspecting the songs further, though, Swift’s mature voice and better breath control become evident. They no longer have that strained and higher-pitched quality that the original versions had. This works as a pro and con. Although, she objectively sounds better, many people miss the passion that came from her voice when the things she was singing about were important to her.

   Despite some of the songs losing their “passion,” some re-recordings have gained more significance and meaning. “Fifteen,” a song about Swift’s best friend, Abigail Anderson’s failed high school relationship means much more now than it did when it was released. Knowing that Anderson went through a divorce not very long ago makes lyrics like “And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind” strike a chord that they originally did not. Along with that song, “The Best Day,” a song about Swift’s childhood and love for her mother feels even sadder and heartfelt knowing that her mother suffered from cancer in the years after the original was released.

  The album also contained re-recordings of never-been-released, “From The Vault” songs. This category features songs like “Mr. Perfectly Fine” and “Don’t You.” These songs may have been the most exciting part of the release and they did not disappoint. They perfectly captured the nostalgia of a song from 2008, while still feeling a bit modern with their production. One would think that the vault songs would sound outdated, but somehow, they managed to wriggle their way out of that old sound. They also work great to show off Swift’s song writing progression and how intelligent her lyrics are today as compared to when she was a teen.

   Overall, the album deserves four stars out of five. It is a real treat knowing that those that were little kids when the original version of the album came out can now re-experience it as teenagers and actually relate to the songs.

   “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” is widely available on all streaming services. Switch out the old “Fearless” album with the new one and give Taylor Swift the profits she deserves.