Taylor Swift surprised fans Friday with a four-track“Encore”edition of“The Life of a Showgirl,”and the reaction has been anything but chill. A new Page Six review argues the bonus songs don’t rescue the album, they deepen its identity crisis, with“Patient Zero,”“Babylon”and“Pink Clouding”sounding like they were pulled from“Tortured Poets,”“Folklore”and“Midnights”respectively.
The loudest criticism lands on“Cleveland!”The track, a love song aimed at Travis Kelce, is being called too on-the-nose, with lyrics reviewers found hard to get through. Fan reaction on X hasn’t been kinder, with one Swiftie calling“Showgirl”her weakest work to date. Even the review’s sharpest line,“Does she know it’s ok to keep songs in the vault?”is making the rounds.
But it’s not all shade. The reviewer still calls Swift a music mastermind, just one who should’ve sat this show out. That’s the tension everyone’s sitting with: is this a genuine miss, or is the internet being extra because it’s Taylor? Either way, it’s the conversation of the week.
What do you think: does the“Encore”edition deserve the backlash, or are fans overreacting?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.