ALBUM THROWBACK: TAYLOR SWIFT | SPEAK NOW (2010)

We look back at Grammy-nominated superstar Taylor Swift's third album, a beloved album by fans titled "Speak Now." The album released back on October 25, 2010, celebrated its 10th-anniversary last year. She decided not to write with anyone else and shows that she could make a catchy country song good enough to cross over to pop radio all on her own. In this era, Taylor continued to turn away from the country genre and into pop one and displays her sharpening songwriting skills, and includes songs like “Mean,” “Back to December,” and, of course, “Dear John.”

She had just turned 20 years old when we had written "Speak Now," and by that age, she had already had accomplished a lot for herself. She released her 2006 self-titled debut and followed it up by her blockbuster 2008 album "Fearless," which won her first Grammy for Album Of The Year. With this album, her country background makes for the most enduring material: the songs, more often than not just Swift and her guitar. She’s at her best on songs like “Back To December,” which uses a single month as the pivot point for a failed relationship, and the withering “Dear John." Every song on the album sounds like a viable radio single and sure is no pop masterpiece, though it’s sure to be hailed as such in some circles.