Taylor Swift back in (in)action

I am a dude. I am a dude’s dude who can bro with the best. 

I am a dude who likes Taylor Swift and is proud of it. Say what you will, but this 20-year-old country-pop sensation has quite the skills when it comes to writing songs that are just plain adorable.

I mean, let’s be honest, who hasn’t cranked up the volume and rocked out like a champ when “You Belong With Me” comes on the radio?

Well, fans of all varieties, Swift’s new album, “Speak Now,” is something new.

From the usual country ballads like “Mean” to hard rocking tunes that are unusual for Swift like “Haunted,” “Speak Now” features more variety than her other albums. On this release, unlike others, Swift seems to be trying out a few different styles to see which direction she’ll head next.

Now I have to warn fans that this is no “Fearless.” I have to admit that only one or two tunes from the new album really live up to “Fearless” standards. Because Swift is trying all kinds of styles, the “Swift-sound” we are used to pops up rarely on “Speak Now.”

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Swift’s song-writing influences. She has a penchant for working her highly publicized celebrity encounters into her lyrics.

This album includes “Innocent,” which Swift wrote in reaction to the whole Kanye incident, “Back to December,” which has been rumored to be an apology to “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner and “Dear John,” which is supposedly about her relationship with John Mayer.

So yeah, this dude likes Taylor Swift, but “Speak Now” just doesn’t have the strength of her other albums. I am still a T-Swift fan. I just worry that in trying to re-define herself, she’s gone too far outside of her comfort zone on some tracks.

I’m going to have to say that it is probably a better bet to download singles instead of the whole album this time.