"Begin Again" Taylor Swift

She may be the biggest musician in the country right now, but Taylor Swift is walking a precarious artistic tightrope between widening her audience and alienating her old fans. It's a difficult balancing act for any artist, and the jury's still out on how she's managing. On the lead single from her latest album, Red, Swift went full-blown pop, earning her first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while simultaneously missing the top ten on country radio for the first time in her career. So it's unsurprising that follow-up release "Begin Again" is a much safer choice for the Nashville starlet, trading in bubblegum Max Martin hooks for soft acoustic guitar and softer vocals. Those yearning for the return of Swift's airy storytelling will be satisfied by this understated ballad, as sweet and detailed-oriented as any in her catalog. And despite the presence of banjos and fiddles, "Begin" never quite breaks out into twang, remaining accessible for potential crossover success. B