I tend to think that Taylor’s first album was her weakest, and that each successive release has been a moderate improvement on the predecessor, with Speak Now being her strongest effort to date. But that’s just me.

I can respect any objective criticism of Taylor, Carrie, Miranda, etc. when it based on the music itself, but I do think it’s best to avoid over-speculating things, which seems to be a recurring tendency when attempting to elevate one over another. Claiming that Taylor “enjoys” being in the pop crowd more than the country crowd strikes me as a bit of an over-reach.

I still don’t understand why anyone takes Taylor Swift seriously. I think she has done tremendous damage to the genre and I don’t think she deserves any credit at all.

I continue to be amazed / frightened by people’s black-and-white viewpoints.

I know there was that George Jones interview where it appeared he was criticizing Taylor and Carrie but it was later clarified that the reporter asked him about the current country scene and inserted Taylor’s and Carrie’s names into the article despite George never singling them out.

I also remember Patty Loveless (who perhaps can’t be considered a legend yet but she’s somebody I respect and admire greatly) being very complimentary of Carrie’s voice but also commenting she felt Carrie was under pressure by the record label to record contemporary sounding material instead of the traditional country her voice would be greatly suited for. In fact I believe those comments were made in an interview done by this very site! But, if that’s going to be called criticism it was very kindly stated.

@Ben Foster: I agree Taylor’s perspective is distinct but I disagree in that I find her perspective to be very calculated to be commercial. She IS skilled at expressing a very modern, young narcissism but I don’t find that to be very sympathetic. I spent most of Speak Now wanting Taylor to please get over herself. But to give her a little credit I think Speak Now has more songs where she can sing off pitch without sounding as bad as she did on earlier albums.

It’s easy to get excited about Miranda because she tries to use her place in mainstream music to spotlight really good alt scene music and she experiments in some non obvious directions. I think critics are so grateful for that they overlook the overproduction and oversinging you sometimes get from her.

Despite the imperfections in their music I think Carrie and Miranda can develop into 2 people who turn out to be pretty important for country music down the road. It’d be nice to see the critics give them some time to develop their music instead of delivering snap judgments based on who represents their notion of doing things the right way better.

She can’t sing well, but the biggest issue I have regarding her vocals has to do with the fact that she writes her own songs, yet she cannot sing them. As someone who prides herself on being a singer/songwriter, it baffles me that Taylor continues to write songs that are clearly out of her reach as a singer. She performs much better when she’s singing songs that are tailored to her limited range and vocals. I think if Taylor wrote songs that were more fitting for her vocals people might actually give her a little more credit as a singer/songwriter, rather than focusing on her weaknesses. If she continues to set a bar she cannot reach, people are going to continue to focus on her flaws, and not her strengths. I hope Taylor learns to accept that she isn’t a singer, and she doesn’t have that gift, because I’d rather see her focus on developing as a songwriter rather than focusing on being known as a singer, because she’s never going to have that talent (sorry, Taylor). Look at Miranda Lambert; she is an average vocalist at best, but she realizes that and she has chosen to focus on her songwriting, rather than her weaknesses. She’s a great artist because she knows what does and does not work for her; she focuses on her strength as a writer and lets it guide her artistry, instead of writing and singing songs that highlight her weaknesses.

And I also have to agree about Taylor’s limited contributions to the country genre. I used to think she showed a sharp, introspective insight that is at the roots of great country music, but now I can’t help but feel like she has abandoned country music in a sense. She rarely gives credit to the country artists who introduced her to a whole new legion of fans, and I don’t see her making an effort to prove she respects country music, save Shania and Faith. When you consider all the artists who’ve worked hard to prove they love and respect country music, despite the fact they may still be considered “pop” by the industry, it’s kind of a shame that Taylor is embraced by the genre who has shunned so many like her, but ironically embraces her music, which is about as pop as they come. We’re discussing an artist who brought two country artists on her world tour, despite the fact that she claims to love country music. She’s an artist who associates herself with young Disney artists like Selena Gomez and Demi Levato. Ironically, she seems to enjoy herself a lot more when she’s with them than she ever does when you see her at country awards shows. I can respect an artist who draws from a wide range of influences, but Taylor seems to care more about promoting her pop artist friends than her “friends” in country music.

Not only does Taylor seem to be distancing herself from Nashville and her peers, but sadly she doesn’t seem to care. She has an excellent opportunity to bring country music to a worldwide audience, but she continues to stray farther away from who she used to be as an artist. Considering that very few actual country artists ever get the chance to expose their music to such a worldwide audience, I find it annoying that Taylor has been given that chance, yet she is not using it to expand the genre she claims to love.

When you compare Taylor’s situation to artists like Kellie Pickler and Carrie Underwood, who are proud country artists who work hard to bring the roots of the genre to a younger audience,I find it even more disheartening that Taylor has been given such a rare opportunity, yet she isn’t attempting to promote the genre, while there are plenty of artists who would love to have the chance to promote actual country music to a new audience.

And to put the icing the cake, I find it disgusting that the country music community falls all over Taylor like she is the Second Coming of country music, when has shown she is not yet good enough to live up to the hype. Please don’t tell me a girl who cannot sing well and is obsessed with boys and fairytales is the best the music business has to offer. For goodness sakes, this is an artist who has been slammed worldwide for her vocal “ability” yet she has won vocalist awards from the AMA’s, CMA’s and Grammys? Something tells me people are afraid to tell Taylor the truth simply because she’s portrayed as an innocent, sweet girl who needs protection from the big boys. She’s 21 years old; does anyone really think a girl who bashes her exes so heavily is not capable of speaking her mind and standing up for herself? Everytime I read a Taylor Swift review, the critics praise her left and right for her songwriting and concert spectacles, but yet they can’t take one minute to say this girl cannot sing well- which is what she is being paid to do? I almost think people are afraid to say anything negative about this girl, because everytime I hear anyone say anything about her, it’s always about her strengths and what a great role model she is. I find it funny how so many older country legends criticize a great vocalist like Carrie Underwood for being too pop, but yet they cannot find anything to say about Taylor’s pop music. Am I the only one who thinks this is odd?

The genre is sending the message Taylor is the best the genre has to offer, when most country fans know there are much better spokeswomen for the genre than her. Why has the genre embraced Taylor, yet they criticize Carrie, Rascal Flats, and everyone else under the sun for being too pop? Talk about calling the kettle black. There have been plenty of artists who love the genre and who have worked to expand the audience. Taylor is hardly one of them.

When it comes to Taylor Swift, I am neither a die-hard fan nor an instantly dismissive detractor. I think she has her strong points and her weak points, as any artist does. No, she’s not a world-class vocalist, and she never has been. Yes, she can be a near-disaster live. But I think she compensates to a degree with her interpretive ability, as well as the expressive character of her performances. As a songwriter, she comes across as one who writes what she feels from her own distinct perspective, as opposed to her songwriting being purely commercial-driven. She really seems like she has something to say, and as a listener who craves substance and sincerity, I find that refreshing.

I can understand perfectly why there are many who don’t care for her music, but at the same time, I do think we should give credit where credit is due.