A Bag Of Bricks

God help me, I like Taylor Swift. Man, that felt good to say.

All my life I've been called a music snob by friend and foe alike. True enough, but there is something about this faux hillbilly high schooler that I can't resist. Now, before I go further, let me say that the reasons for her nearly unconscionable appeal to me are not pervy. Yes, she's a very pretty girl, but not outrageously so. So before you decide to call the cops or that guy on dateline, know that I have no carnal thoughts about her. In fact, she sort of reminds me of my sister-in-law. Someone I love very much, but could spend hours making fun of or putting in a headlock and delivering the requisite nuggy.

So it has to be something else. Musically, she isn't terribly complex. And her voice though distinctive, is not particularly strong. Her sound is hardly real country and her lyrics are pretty simple. So what the hell is it?

Well, it's honest. Here is a girl who writes her own songs that seem to be informed by her own experience. When you hear a song like 15 by Swift, there can be no doubt that she's singing it from the perspective of a 15 year old girl. She keeps the "genie in a bottle" and trolls no school hallway dressed like a catholic school Lolita. "Hit me baby, one more time?" I think not. She comes off like a classic overachiever whose parts equal a greater than expected whole. She's not necessarily great at any one thing, but put the pieces together and she's pretty damn terrific.

When I hear "Love Story" or "You Belong With Me," I am completely incapable of frowning. And I like to frown. It's like hearing Michael Jackson sing "ABC" or "I Want You Back." Yeah, I just compared Taylor Swift to the Jackson Five. Deal with it.

Now, I realize this may all fall apart and she may be next year's Debbie Gibson or Tiffany. Over the hill in your twenties is a tough thing to take. Maybe she'll go down the same road as those two. Performing at fairs, stripping for Playboy, and hosting VH1's "I love the aughts." But maybe not. Maybe she'll end up like Diana Ross. Ok, bad example. In fact, there are no good examples. There are no former female child stars that I can think of who end up turning out alright. They either sleaze out (Aguilera, Spears), freak out (Ross, Spears again) or fade away. But I'm going to root for this Swift. Because she makes me smile. And what's so bad about that.

So there. I have just confessed my guiltiest of guilty pleasures. But as Al Pacino once said in "The Devil's Advocate" (a guilty pleasure in itself), "Guilt is like a bag of bricks, you just gotta set it down."

KER-THUMP!! I just set it down.

Sumo-Pop
August 7, 2009