CD Reviews: Taylor Swift

Abandoning her country roots faster than you can say ''Yee-haaw'', Taylor Swift's fifth release is an unabashed tilt at the mainstream, and is certainly destined to be bigger than Texas.

Largely helmed by pop Svengali Max Martin, slick pop hooks, catchy choruses and soaring chord changes tumble over one another like rodeo clowns as her lyrical preoccupations (boy trouble, fighting for respect, more boy trouble) are again to the fore.

And while the romantic issues of a 24-year-old multimillionaire can be wince-inducing (Out of the Woods is, like, totes about Harry Styles!), 1989 marks a fearless plunge towards massive crossover success.

•  Taylor Swift. 1989. Big Machine Records. 

•   Three stars (out of five)

Single download: Clean
For those who like: Wholesome pop juggernauts

- John Hayden