WOW what a talent Taylor Swift is! Ironically, the things that the other reviewers here consider "faults" are the things that make me love this CD. I LOVE that this CD isn't overprocessed with so many studio tricks that make you wonder how much raw talent the person actually has. I LOVE the fact that Taylor wrote/co-wrote ALL of the songs. I LOVE the fact that Taylor isn't yet another "woo-hoo I won ... (insert American Idol, Nashville Star, America's Got Talent, etc etc here)". She did it the old-fashioned way, by pounding the pavement of Music Row and singing at country fairs. I LOVE the fact that she is so humble and sweet-natured. If you don't fall in love with her from her lyrics, just read the liner notes! I just plain LOVE this CD!

You can tell that Taylor Swift cares about the integrity of the music, and not just making money with the Nashville machine. Her voice has a wistfulness that reminds me of Deana Carter (though not with as much range on the higher notes yet,) and the arrangements avoid overproduction. Lyrically, "Tim McGraw" isn't even one of the better songs. This is a thoroughly charming debut - with youthful fun combined with a sophistication not expected.

If I had to describe Taylor Swift's self-titled debut, I would say it sounds a lot like a cross between Lila McCann and Leann Rimes. She has a very powerful voice, and exhibits a lot of range in her songs. Most of the songs on the album are very lighthearted and deal with typical high school issues - boys, falling in love, bad relationships, etc. Even though the themes are simple, the songs (all of which Taylor wrote or co-wrote) have some impressive lyrics and musical arrangement, which really gives her the ability to show off her voice. I bought the CD for "Tim McGraw," but as others have said, it is a mediocre song when compared to the rest of the album and I found myself moving it to the back of my play list to make room for new favorites such as "Picture to Burn," "May's Song," and "Our Song." Despite what you might expect from the song titles, most of the album is fast-paced and filled with catchy tunes, but still makes room for two or three "slower" songs like "Tim McGraw" and "Teardrops on my Guitar."

The album also comes with some disappointing "bonus media" in the form of the "Tim McGraw" video and Taylor's first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry singing the same song. The clips are quicktime and small resolution, and the Opry video doesn't even show her actual performance, but a few minutes of her arriving to the theater and getting ready. For anyone who's a fan of younger country female talent, I'd definitely recommend picking up "Taylor Swift."

I find Taylor has a lovely voice and I like the acoustic stuff on her album a lot. I just think being a 40 something male, I may not have been the intended audience. Every song is some kind of boy/girl story as if the songs were written from pages of her diary. This being her first album and having at least two singles, she should be proud. But I felt the album could have been stronger overall. Maybe whoever packaged her was searching with this album, maybe there was pressure on her to sound like every other Pop Country dribble coming from Nashville these days. If they want Taylor to succeed give her the acoustic guitar and let her sing, take note from the songs that became singles. This girl has talent don't bury it under a bunch of cliche Nashville assembly line canned production template.

How in the world? How, how how? How did this girl get a record deal? If she stood before Simon Cowell, he would rip her apart. She can NOT sing. Boring, typical pop songs to the voice of an average young girl. That's all this "music" is.