Speak Now, the third of Taylor Swift's albums she's re-recorded in their entirety, belongs among her earliest work -- the last of the three albums Swift made while still in her teens, her last to be aimed primarily at a country audience. These distinctions are lost, or at least softened, on Speak Now (Taylor's Version), which pairs a re-recording of the original 14-track album with two re-cut bonus tracks and six new tunes excavated "From the Vault." Much of the shift is due to Swift revisiting these songs when she's a woman in her early thirties. Maturation has brought a hint of a grain to her voice, and she's gained control as a vocalist, two elements that give Speak Now (Taylor's Version) an appealing sense of distance; she sings as an observer, commenting on the emotions of the songs instead of inhabiting them. It's a subtle difference but it's especially notable on such songs as "Mine," "The Story of Us," and "Dear John," which benefit from the slight sense of increased gravity. Apart from a lyrical change on "Better Than Revenge," the primary change on the 2023 version of Speak Now is Swift's vocals -- the arrangements are generally the same -- which means the main attraction is the six new songs added to the end. Swift brings in Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and Paramore's Hayley Williams to duet on two separate songs, cameos that help push the album as a whole closer to pop than country, a shift that the ballad "When Emma Falls in Love," the sprightly radio-ready "I Can See You," and bubbling adult contemporary tune "Foolish One" underscore. This understated makeover casts Speak Now not as the final Taylor country record but as the first pop album from the singer/songwriter, a revision that offers its own gentle revisions. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine