Top 10 Best Taylor Swift Albums

The best pop album of her career, and one of the best pop albums of the 2010s. 1989 marks the moment Swift definitively said goodbye to country and went full synth pop. Shake It Off, Style, Bad Blood, Wildest Dreams: virtually every song is a hit. The 2023 reissue features extra tracks and sounds gorgeous. If you have to listen to one Taylor Swift album, make it this one. As soon as you experience the energy and perfection of this album, the rest naturally follows.

During the 2020 lockdown, Swift secretly made her best album. Folklore sounds like nothing else in her discography: indie pop, lo-fi, poetic lyrics. August, Seven and This Is Me Trying are almost unbelievably good. This is the album for people who thought they didn't listen to Taylor Swift.

Dark, electronic and full of edge. Reputation was a break with everything that came before. After years of negative press, Swift turned the narrative around and made an album about it. Don't Blame Me, Getaway Car and Delicate are highlights. This album is still underrated and is actually one of her strongest works.

Quiet, introspective and beautiful. Evermore is Folklore's sister and is sometimes underestimated, but the quality is at least as high. Champagne Problems, Tolerate It and Long Story Short are songs that stick with you. This is Swift at her most restrained.

The most recent studio album is also the most ambitious in scope: 31 songs. Not everything is equally strong, but the highlights like So Long, London and The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived are downright impressive. Swift shows a rawer, darker sound than we're used to. A divided album, but absolutely worth it.

Red from 2012 was already fantastic, but the 2021 reissue is the definitive version. The addition of the All Too Well (10 Minute Version) makes this album iconic. That one song alone is a masterpiece of storytelling. The rest of the album is also strong, with a mix of country, pop and indie rock that sounds like nothing else. A bold album that stands out from everything else.

She wrote this entire album herself, without co-writers. And that shows: it feels more personal than Fearless. Back to December, Dear John and Enchanted are strong songs. Speak Now proves she doesn't need a songwriting team.

The album that made Taylor Swift a worldwide star. Love Story and You Belong with Me are two of the most recognizable pop songs of their decade. It sounds somewhat dated today, but as a country-pop album from a teenage singer, it's still impressive craftsmanship.

Lover is the cheeriest album in her catalog, and that's sometimes its weakness. A few songs are a bit too sugary, but the better ones like the title track and Cruel Summer rank among her best. Cruel Summer alone justifies the purchase.

The debut album. You immediately hear that Swift has something special: the combination of catchy melodies and personal songwriting was even impressive for a sixteen-year-old. Country influences are still very much present. Tim McGraw and Teardrops on My Guitar are small classics. Not essential, but for the true fan an important starting point.