Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” (TLOAS) is a 41 minute 15 second album, and for millions around the world, the only one that will be playing on loop for the rest of the fall season. But unlike her last project “The Tortured Poets Department,” (TTPD) TLOAS is short, sweet and channels everything Taylor promised when the project was announced just a few months ago.

On the surface, tracks like Opalite and Wood tell the story of Taylor’s now blossoming relationship with Travis Kelce, with the album release closely following their own engagement. It’s a much happier album, with its fast pace reflecting the tone of a majority of the project. Love hit her like a truck, and so does this album’s quick, upbeat tones.

That’s not to say however that the entire album is pure joy. The theme of the Showgirl is reflected through the entire project. When a “Showgirl” is performing onstage, when she is smiling through every dance regardless of the pain she is in, that is when she is truly performing at her highest level. In the shadows of the “Eras” tour, Taylor likens herself to these Showgirls of the past, in a sometimes sad, oftentimes emotionally despondent way. 

The unique perspective provided on this project is one that nobody else in history could have ever provided. While many songs are deeply relatable, with tracks like “Father Figure” discussing the struggle of making it in an industry, something almost everyone can relate to, there is an heir of singularity in the way she is able to describe the impact her fame has had on her life, especially following the “Eras” era.

My personal favorite track is “Eldest Daughter,” the vocals are haunting, the composition is deeply moving and the message is one I think almost anyone can relate to. What really bothered me about TTPD is just how long it was, and how many songs felt either underworked or underwritten. TLOAS takes those complaints and buries them under a pile of pearls and feathers so deep that I am genuinely excited to hear these songs on the radio for the next few months.

I think the inclusion of Sabrina Carpenter on this project is a really poignant way to end this project which touches so heavily on themes of influence, legacy and fame. In many ways Carpenter is the most successful of Taylors near infinite list of artistic disciples, and this deeply self aware track about being a “Showgirl” emphasizes just about everything Swift was writing about from the very opening line of the album.

All that said, there are a couple tracks on this album that sounded almost exactly like tracks I have heard prior, and after a bit of snooping its not hard to see why. To me this album is not new, in the sense that its not new for Taylor and its not new for pop as a genre. But I dont think that was her goal, and I dont even think that matters that much. Compared to projects like “Mans best friend” and “Addison,” both albums by her contemporaries that hold space in the same place as this project now does, I think its a strong contender in the genre and while its most certainly not innovative and not even close to Taylors strongest work I still enjoyed listening to this project.

Regardless of your thoughts on Taylor as an artist, person, or celebrity in general, it’s impossible to deny the impact she has had on the lives of millions around the world. As I write this I’m surrounded by young women so moved by the project that at multiple points throughout this album they were either sobbing or jumping with joy. And while to outsiders to the culture Taylor Swift has created that may sound extreme, I find it indescribably beautiful that an artist is able to reach such a wide-ranging diverse audience and connect them all in such a profound way. So in that sense, this album did what it needed to do, and any excuse to get people to listen to music is a good one to me.