I've been staring at this document for at least four minutes now trying to decide how to start this, but I'm drawing a blank, so that's how I'm going to start it.

I don't know what to think or feel or say about this album, but I'm going to try to come up with something.

Apart from the four previously released tracks, this review will be based on second listen. Last night I was in an awful mood when I first heard it, and Louis' new single was just performed live so honestly everything was paling in comparison to that, so maybe Reputation just needs some fresh ears to sound better. We'll see.

So now that I have nothing more to say, on with it.

1: ...READY FOR IT? – 9/10

The first time I heard this song, I can tell you now that I was grateful it was better than "Look What You Made Me Do," albeit a little all over the place. I've since come to like it, which makes me wonder if the same thing will happen with a majority of this album, but like...that's a disappointing thought. I used to listen to a new Taylor album and maybe dislike two or three tracks after first listen, but it's the opposite this time, as you'll see by my ratings. What this song does well is incorporating certain aspects of 2017 pop music without, like...her changing her voice to do it, if that makes sense (it probably won't now, but it will once I get to "Call It What You Want"). She's doing the talk-singing, she's doing the chants ("let the games begin"), and she still sounds like herself, which is a good thing. It also brings back a little irony and sarcasm a la "Blank Space," though that song was an actual work of art that isn't topped on this album (which is fair; she set the bar high with that one). Is this a different sort of pop than 1989 was? Yeah. Was I ready for it? Apparently not. Favorite lyric: "Every love I've known in comparison is a failure / I forget their names now / I'm so very tame now / Never be the same now."

2: END GAME feat. Ed Sheeran, Future – 5.5/10

God, okay. This song. The first time I heard it, I had somewhat high hopes. I love Ed Sheeran a lot, and Future's collaboration with Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman album was catchy and pleasant. And then the "big reputation" chant started, and I am not lying or exaggerating when I say that I physically cringed away from my laptop. That part is a hard no; I didn't like it last night, and I still don't like it now. But I will say that after initial listen I would have rated it a 3.5. After a second listen it's gotten up to a 5.5. Ed Sheeran's verse is wonderful, and I don't mind the chorus. Future ruins the song for me entirely, I think, and I'm not a huge fan of Taylor's verse either but I can see it growing on me. Overall there's just a lot going on here, and it's probably one of my least favorites on the album. Still, it'll be a hit for everyone else, I'm sure. Might be a single. I think I wish this track was placed later in the album, because at least then I'd have had the chance to maybe enjoy some other songs before being turned off by this one, you know? I think it'd be more appropriate towards the end, maybe even as a closing track. I will say, though, I'm fascinated by a lyric in Ed's verse: "And you understand the good and bad end up in the song." Kind of wish Taylor had been the one to sing it considering she's the one who always gets heat for writing about her flings. Favorite lyric: "It's like your eyes are liquor / It's like your body is gold."

3: I DID SOMETHING BAD – 6.5/10

This song confuses me because I'm getting so many different vibes. First and foremost, it feels like she's finally redoing "Better Than Revenge" except she's throwing the guy in front of the bus rather than the girl who "stole" him from her, which I appreciate. I'm glad it took her almost a decade to grow from "Better Than Revenge" (no matter how much I love that song). But then, somebody tell me that music in the beginning didn't come directly from "Emperor's New Clothes" by Panic! at the Disco. It can also be heard during her verses. To be fair, it's weirdly apropos considering Panic!'s song has a similar sinister vibe. I do not dislike this song as much as I dislike "End Game," but I'm not a fan of the bridge when she starts talking about burning witches. Actually I'm genuinely hoping that this entire song is her way of acknowledging some of the not-so-great things she's done in the past couple years, but even if it is, I guess I wish it wasn't in this way. Kind of poor taste. But also at least it would explain some of these lyrics that are a little cringe-y ("they're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one," "they say I did something bad, but why's it feel so good?"). All that aside, at least this is sonically better than "End Game." Oh, except for that part that sounds like it came straight from "What Does the Fox Say?" after the chorus. That's another hard no. Favorite lyric: "I never trust a playboy, but they love me / so I fly 'em all around the world / and I let them think they saved me."

4: DON'T BLAME ME – 8.5/10

Yeah, okay, I was a fan of this one last night. Still am today. Despite sounding like it'll be on the next 50 Shades movie soundtrack, I definitely think this is a stronger addition to Reputation. I realized today that it's super reminiscent of that version of "Crazy In Love" by Beyoncé from the 50 Shades Darker soundtrack. My favorite thing about it is whatever vocal effects are going on in the chorus that make it almost seem like she's got an entire choir singing with her even though she doesn't. Overall, it's sultry and nice. If the production had been pulled back and toned down a little, I could easily see this fitting somewhere on 1989, which is...a high compliment for anything on this album. And after asking around, I also find that this is one of the first tracks most people tend to like. Favorite lyric: "My name is whatever you decide / and I'm just gonna call you mine."

5: DELICATE – 6/10

To be honest, this song was just mostly boring. It had some nice lyrical moments and I think I like where she was trying to go with it, but I wish it had done it a little better. There's more of a sense of maturity, which, thank god. It helps hearing her own explanation of it – that all the previous songs are kind of an acknowledgement that she has this bad, untrue reputation but that she doesn't care about it until she meets somebody who makes her worry it'll affect how they see her, and that's where this song comes in. It makes it more tolerable to listen to, but I'm not going to go around seeking this one out and adding it to my playlists (whenever she makes this album available on streaming services). It reminds me of "Fire Away" on Niall's new album and "Coming Down" from Halsey's Badlands album. They're fine songs but they bore me. Favorite lyric: "We can't make any promises / now can we babe / but you can make me a drink."

6: LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO – 8.5/10

This song reminds me of "Strip That Down" in that I listen to it all the time and know all the words despite also thinking it's awful. Seriously, I'm sorry, but the only genuinely good part of this song is the pre-chorus in every respect – lyrics, tune, production, vocals, etc. I will give it props, though, because the music video was interesting and fun to watch and it made me more open to listening to the song; at first I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole after my first listen. But now it's in my playlist and now I don't hate it, I just...don't think it's a good song. I expected a lot more from a first single. Favorite lyric: "Honey I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time."

7: SO IT GOES... - 5/10

Alright, so I like this one less than I did last night. Nothing is memorable here. It sounds like it's supposed to be the "Young God" from Badlands of this album, and it just...does not do the same thing or achieve anything even close. I don't mind that it's about sex, like that's not the turn off. The turn off is that the chorus is boring and there's too much production during the verses. You already know I wasn't much of a fan of "End Game," but at least I had things to say about it. I guess this track is too weak for me to have more of an opinion, man, I don't know. Favorite lyric: "You did a number on me / But honestly baby, who's counting?"

8: GORGEOUS – 9.5/10

Even if this song hadn't been released early and I'd listened to it for the first time with the rest of the album, I don't think it would have been tarnished; I think I'd have still liked it this much. Don't get me wrong, it's lyrically not nearly as strong or satisfying as anything from Red or 1989, but the chorus sounds different from the verses and during her talk-sing verses I'm not cringing by something weird she says or does (which I sort of mentioned during "Ready For It"). I love that the lyrics sound like she compiled a bunch of relatable Tumblr posts, an though I think that sort of thing would have been stronger surrounded by an album of better-written songs, I can deal with it here. It's actually a breath of fresh air. The only thing I don't like is the baby voice at the beginning. This album is littered with weird moments in the tracks that are all hard, hard no's. Favorite lyric: "You make me so happy it turns back to sad / There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have."

9: GETAWAY CAR – 10/10

I love this song. I will not hesitate to say that. I personally find it to be the strongest track on the album in every way, and honestly, bless Jack Antonoff because it's all so good. First of all, it's a dead ringer for Bleachers' "Rollercoaster," so if you enjoy "Getaway Car" as much as I do, then you're welcome. I mean, it overall sounds a lot like Bleachers because Jack wrote/produced it, but it especially sounds like that specific track. Moving on, I also get a little bit of an "Out of the Woods" feel here, which I love because I adored that song so much. I truly wish this had been the first track I'd heard from the entire album (although then maybe none of the others would have been able to compare). The bridge is a refreshing change in tone/tune, and her voice sounds breathy and nice there; I think it's my favorite part to listen to. Oh, and during the pre-chorus when she suddenly sings really low – unexpected and surprisingly pleasant. Yeah, this is a good one. If you don't give any other song a chance, give this one that chance. It's worth it. Favorite lyric: "In shades of gray / and candlelight / I wanted to leave him / I needed a reason."

10: KING OF MY HEART – 8.5/10

There's once again just a lot going on in this song. I really like the verses and I like the chorus (until the beat drops), but the pre-chorus almost gave me whiplash the first time I heard it, and even now it's consistently so unexpected. I also cannot, whatsoever, stand how she pronounces "Jaguars." Another hard no for our growing list. I feel like the chorus could be a lot stronger with a different effect on her voice than the robotic one she has right now; I know she said there's a reason she's been using that one, but while I can understand it for some other tracks I just don't think it was necessary or fitting here. Still, the lyrics are cute and I like the story it tells, so I can deal with this one. I'll just have to get used to a lot of it. Favorite lyrics: "And all at once you're all I want."

11: DANCING WITH OUR HANDS TIED – 7.5/10

Yeah, I totally forgot this one even existed. Listening to it now and going through the lyrics, I find that I wish the chorus was as strong as the verses are. Typically the chorus is what you remember from a song after the first couple listens – that or a particularly catchy bridge – so the problem here is that the chorus is so lacking that I just forgot the entire song existed. In the verses, the lyrics were telling a story similar to one you might hear on Speak Now or Red, but the chorus did nothing for that story, and it's frustrating knowing that Taylor is capable of more than that. At least with some of the other songs on this album, she just didn't even come close to telling stories as well as she used to and it was less bothersome for that, but here? Here she came so close and just...didn't finish it. Favorite lyrics: "I'm a mess but I'm the mess that you wanted."

12: DRESS – 8/10

A lot of people told me that this was one of the good ones, and I'm still waiting to agree with them. No matter how many times I listen, though, I'm still just...waiting. I'm not a fan of her falsetto throughout the choruses, but that doesn't really make or break it for me. It kind of reminds me of "So It Goes..." in the way that it doesn't come off as very memorable at all. The lyrics are nice in some places, I suppose. Once again, not much of an opinion here. Favorite lyric: "All of this silence and patience / pining and desperately waiting."

13: THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS – 10/10

This one's fun. Everything about it is fun to listen to, even the talk-singing (though it helps that she sprinkled some actual notes in there to mix it up a bit). The first thing I thought during the first verse was that it sounded very Young and Beautiful-esque (a Larry fic, it's fine if you haven't read it) until, of course, the relationship doesn't work out. But I like that Taylor sounds expressive and a little sarcastic/crazy during parts like "and mind-twist you" and basically the entire bridge – it's the first weird thing in a track that isn't a hard no for me, which I appreciate. Even her laugh, which feels, like, really extra at first is a nice touch because it sounds genuine. The production is nice and is only super powerful sometimes – the lyrics and tune had a chance to shine finally, which can't be said for most of the album. Like "Getaway Car," Taylor and Jack Antonoff have added another win to their roster. Favorite lyric: "And there are no rules when you show up here / bass beat rattling the chandelier / feeling so Gatsby for that whole year."

14: CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT – 8/10

Yikes, okay, I remember when this came out and a lot of the Taylor blogs I followed on Tumblr were like "This song is going to send you to your grave, it's the first real glimpse of what her album will sound like, etc. etc." I was so ready for it. I wish now that it hadn't been so hyped, because that first listen was such a disappointment. This is going to be another one where I don't have much of an opinion, unfortunately, because it's another track that I find boring. I don't think the lyrics are nearly as good as they could have been, and I wanted so much more from the chorus. I still listen to it hoping that the second or third repeat of it will be bigger somehow even though I know it won't be. The bridge is fine, but once again, wanted more. I don't know, I just feel like this one at least had the potential to be great and it lacks so much. Also I can't with that lyric about trusting him like a brother. No matter what her intentions are there, it's cringe-y at best. She also changes her voice somehow during the chorus, and I can't stand it. It becomes more nasally for some reason, and I. Cannot. Stand. It. Favorite lyric: "All my flowers grew back as thorns / Windows boarded up after the storm."

15: NEW YEAR'S DAY – 7.5/10

Nobody can tell me this isn't a reject Red bonus track because I think we all know that's exactly what this is. And as much as I love Red – it's my favorite of her albums – there's a reason this was a reject. I wish there was more of a distinct tune; the choruses and the verses blend to me. I feel like I never really know what part of the song I'm listening to, which makes it not only unimpressive but annoying. The only part that stands out to me is what I'm considering the bridge, about becoming a stranger. I almost wish that had been the chorus. Yeah, I don't know what she was trying to accomplish by ending Reputation with this song, but I hope she feels like she did it because I certainly don't. Favorite lyric: "Please don't ever become a stranger / whose laugh I could recognize anywhere."

Wow, what a ride. I don't even know what to say.

Let me know if you had very different feelings about this album. Maybe you loved all of it. Maybe there wasn't a single track you enjoyed. Either way, let me know! Let's talk about it.

Thanks for reading! x