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TERRY GROSS, host:
Taylor Swift's new album called "Speak Now" is her first album since she was drawn into a controversy that brought her to the attention of many non-country music fans: the moment during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when Kanye West seized her microphone during her acceptance speech to speak himself about why Swift didn't deserve the award. That mixture of pop star interaction combined with personal music has made Swift one of the most modern of country music stars, and, says rock critic Ken Tucker, one of the most pleasurable to listen to.
(Soundbite of song, "Mine")
Ms. TAYLOR SWIFT (Musician): (Singing) Oh-oh, oh. Oh-oh, oh. You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables. Left a small town and never looked back. I was a flight risk, with a fear falling, wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts.
I say, can you believe it? As we're lying on the couch, the moment, I can see it. Yes, yes, I can see it now.
Do you remember...
KEN TUCKER: Taylor Swift will turn 21 in December, and she'll still be one of the youngest country singer-songwriters to have achieved such massive success. Her new third album "Speak Now," sold over a million copies in the first week of its release, at a time when number one albums are routinely measured in the tens of thousands. She's found a spot on the top of the heap where she can sit down with her...