Plot Summary

This is Taylor Swift's seventh album that discusses many current events, such as LGBTQ+ and women's rights, while including her personally-inspired romantic tracks. She collaborates with other artists Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco and the Dixie Chicks, demonstrating her ability to bridge the gap between pop and country music.

Critical Evaluation

Like her previous work, Taylor Swift's Lover includes love songs that are sweet and meaningful. The soft beats, breathy vocals, and romantic lyrics evoke a pure feeling of love in the listener, allowing them a glimpse into her current relationship. While the romance aspects are similar, the tracks set themselves apart from her previous romantic songs by demonstrating an air of maturity that was not prevalent in her other works, in particular the previous album Reputation. The singer's trademark authenticity is continued in this album, allowing the listener to feel as if they personally know Swift. In recent years, Swift has been more vocal about causes she feels passionate about, which is reflected in her track "You Need to Calm Down," that promotes acceptance and kindness for all if we just take a step back and "calm down." Having gone through difficulties in her personal life over the years, it is welcoming to hear her words of encouragement in her collaboration with the country band Dixie Chicks in "Soon You'll Get Better." In this album, Taylor demonstrates that it is possible to not only overcome difficulties in your life, but that you can come out the other side better for it, making this album inspirational.

Reader’s Annotation

Grammy-winner Taylor Swift is back with her highly-anticipated seventh album, drawing from aspects of her personal life.

About the Artist

"Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Taylor Swift made a splash in the country music world in 2006 and has gone on to become one of the top acts in popular music.Born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania, Taylor Swift was earning renown as a country music singer by the age of 16. Early hits like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me" appealed to country and pop fans alike and helped fuel the multi-platinum success of her albums, including the Grammy-winning Fearless (2008). Swift continued to top the charts with her 2014 studio effort 1989, which featured the No. 1 singles "Shake it Off" and "Blank Space" and won Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. Her follow-up albums reputation (2018) and Lover (2019) also achieved immense commercial success," (Biography.com).

Genre(s)

Music, Pop

Curriculum Ties

English Language Arts - Emphasis on poetry

Booktalking Ideas

Play clips and music videos from the album

Reading Level/ Interest Age

11+

Other Items in the Series

N/A

Challenge Issues

Romantic situations

Defense Preparation

• Have the library's collection policy memorized and a copy available for distribution to the patron in order to strengthen your position (LVCCLD, 2002).
• Explain that the library district does not restrict access to items within the collection (Heezen, n.d.) in compliance with the Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association, 1996).
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of why this item is available for circulation within the library including who the target demographic is for this title and it's contributions to the literary world.
• Refer to any awards the book and/or author might have in order to show the title's literary merit. Providing the fact that the title is well-known and accepted by the literary community can help strengthen your defense.
• Provide a few reviews, both positive and negative, from respected sources such as Kirkus or Publisher's Weekly to demonstrate your knowledge of the material and reflect professional opinions.
• Familiarize yourself with the material in order to understand explain the context in which the challenged issues interact with one another.
• Provide titles that can serve as an alternative if the patron maintains the title is inappropriate.
• Remain calm and collected, utilizing active listening skills in order to ensure that the complaint is viewed without judgement. The concerns of the patron are valid even though you may disagree with them, and they deserve an engaged conversation regarding the issue.
• Offer a Request for Reconsideration form as a last resort, explaining the reconsideration process to the patron (LVCCLD, 2002).

Why is it Included?

Taylor Swift is a household name in both the country and pop music industry, whose albums share personal aspects of her life that is identifiable with young listeners. Many of the tracks are sweet and fun, and sure to encourage positivity in teenagers.

Plot Summary

Ariana Grande channels all her feelings about the past whirlwind two years into this Grammy award winning album that stretches the pop star's abilities even further. She discusses her heartbreaks in "Ghostin," and "In My Head,"; is playful in "Bloodline," and "Bad Idea," and expresses hope for the future with "Thank U, Next," and "7 Rings."

Critical Evaluation

This album showcases Ariana Grande's ability to overcome the many hardships she's endured in recent years by taking the listener on a journey through all aspects of her personality. She publicly entered a quick engagement to comedian Pete Davidson that ended weeks after her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller's sudden death, which is obviously an influence on a number of the songs. "Ghostin," in particular, details a relationship where Grande expresses her regret over hurting her current partner by thinking about her ex, which echoes her real-life relationships so much that it is difficult to get through. Ariana Grande's vocals are often strong and confident, evoking a feeling of power and encouragement when needed; this is contrasted when she displays breathy and soft vocals on more personal tracks, adding an air of vulnerability to the songs.

What makes this album stand out is that while this album addresses the negative events in her life, the tracks always feature optimism for the future both romantically and with her friends. She demonstrates that it is okay to be sad and upset, but that one can always use those situations as fuel for becoming a better version of yourself. This is exampled in the title track "Thank U, Next," which specifically mentions the singer's exes and ways in which she grew from the relationship, stating she is thankful for her past relationships. Showing that development and that it is okay to have relationships end is what will make this album resonate with the younger generation.

Reader’s Annotation

After her very public breakup, Grammy-winning artist Ariana Grande works through the hardships by releasing a new album full of heartbreak, strength, and hope set to catchy beats.

About the Artist

"Ariana Grande is a sitcom-star-turned-pop music sensation, known for such hit songs as 'Problem,' 'Bang Bang,' 'Dangerous Woman' and 'Thank U, Next.' Ariana Grande was born in Boca Raton, Florida, in 1993 and began performing onstage when she was a child. Her involvement in a Broadway play at age 15, followed by some small TV parts, helped her land the role of Cat on TV's Victorious. She followed that with the spinoff Sam & Cat and then dove headfirst into a chart-topping musical career, releasing five albums: Yours Truly (2013), My Everything (2014), Dangerous Woman (2016), Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019). Her popularity has been fueled by a strong social media presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook," (Biography.com).

Genre(s)

Music, Pop

Curriculum Ties

English Language Arts - Emphasis on poetry

Booktalking Ideas

Play clips and music videos from the album

Reading Level/ Interest Age

14+

Other Items in the Series

N/A

Challenge Issues

Explicit Language

Defense Preparation

• Have the library's collection policy memorized and a copy available for distribution to the patron in order to strengthen your position (LVCCLD, 2002).
• Explain that the library district does not restrict access to items within the collection (Heezen, n.d.) in compliance with the Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association, 1996).
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of why this item is available for circulation within the library including who the target demographic is for this title and it's contributions to the literary world.
• Refer to any awards the book and/or author might have in order to show the title's literary merit. Providing the fact that the title is well-known and accepted by the literary community can help strengthen your defense.
• Provide a few reviews, both positive and negative, from respected sources such as Kirkus or Publisher's Weekly to demonstrate your knowledge of the material and reflect professional opinions.
• Familiarize yourself with the material in order to understand explain the context in which the challenged issues interact with one another.
• Provide titles that can serve as an alternative if the patron maintains the title is inappropriate.
• Remain calm and collected, utilizing active listening skills in order to ensure that the complaint is viewed without judgement. The concerns of the patron are valid even though you may disagree with them, and they deserve an engaged conversation regarding the issue.
• Offer a Request for Reconsideration form as a last resort, explaining the reconsideration process to the patron (LVCCLD, 2002).

Why is it Included?

Ariana Grande is a Grammy award winning pop star who is active on social media, often engaging with her millions of fans, making her appealing to a young generation wanting to interact with their idol. It's tracks range from dance hits to heartbreaking ballads, allowing appeal to a wider demographic of listeners.

Plot Summary

This is the second studio album for artist Billie Eilish, which features songs influenced by her personal relationships and love for horror media. It is co-written by her brother, Finneas O'Connell, who is featured as backing vocals on a number of tracks. Billie Eilish has been nominated for a number of Grammys for this album, which has gone Double Platinum.

Critical Evaluation

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? serves as Billie Eilish's commentary on numerous topics relevant to both teenagers and adults. The track Xanny's discussion of the prevalence of drug abuse within the entertainment is wise beyond the artist's age of 17; Bad Guy harkens to past anthems about a girl getting what she wants; and Bury A Friend's highlights the insecurities young women face when she states, "What do you want from me? ... Why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me?" (Silver, 2019). Her quiet, whispering vocals are unlike many pop stars, and lend an air of vulnerability to some of her more powerful songs. Billie Eilish has stated that the album is meant to evoke a horror-film-like state, as if she is trying to fight off the demons in her life (Silver, 2019) and that it is inspired by her nightmares (Mench, 2019). Many of the tracks are mixed to evoke a feeling of foreboding, such as synth beats and creepy sound effects, while others are playful with their upbeat tempo and stock laugh-tracks.

With this album, Billie Eilish is setting herself apart from other pop stars, and paving the way for a new type of artist who creates music they enjoy, are invested in, and have full creative control over, making her a stand-out performer and role model for young people everywhere.

Reader’s Annotation

Escape into seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish's sometimes sweet, sometimes scary, always confident mind in the groundbreaking album the defies expectations of what a pop star should be.

About the Artist

"Born and raised in Los Angeles, Eilish grew up in a household of actors and musicians and was home schooled along with her brother Finneas O'Connell (the Slightlys). At the age of eight, she joined the Los Angeles Children's Choir, developing the soulful vocals that would later appear on her early singles. After the release of the pop-leaning "Six Feet Under" and "Fingers Crossed," Eilish made her breakthrough with "Ocean Eyes," produced and co-written with her brother Finneas and released by Interscope. It surpassed 14 million online streams and spawned a number of remixes with Astronomyy, Blackbear, and Goldhouse. Eilish followed up in February 2017 with "Bellyache," then landed another track, "Bored," on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. An EP, don't smile at me, featuring the singles "Copycat" and "watch," followed later that summer.

In 2018, Eilish contributed a track to the second season of 13 Reasons Why, collaborating with Khalid on the hit single "Lovely," which charted globally. Later that year she issued a pair of singles, "You Should See Me in a Crown" and "When the Party's Over," which both landed on her full-length debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Issued in March 2019, the album showcased her hybrid blend of pop, electronic, and hip-hop textures with a rock edge.," (Yeung, N., n.d.). She is the youngest person ever nominated in all of the Grammy "top 4" categories (Richards, K., 2019, November 20).

Genre(s)

Music, Pop, Indie Pop

Curriculum Ties

English Language Arts - Emphasis on poetry

Booktalking Ideas

Play clips and music videos from the album

Reading Level/ Interest Age

11+

Other Items in the Series

N/A

Challenge Issues

Depression, self-harm, horror elements

Defense Preparation

• Have the library's collection policy memorized and a copy available for distribution to the patron in order to strengthen your position (LVCCLD, 2002).
• Explain that the library district does not restrict access to items within the collection (Heezen, n.d.) in compliance with the Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association, 1996).
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of why this item is available for circulation within the library including who the target demographic is for this title and it's contributions to the literary world.
• Refer to any awards the book and/or author might have in order to show the title's literary merit. Providing the fact that the title is well-known and accepted by the literary community can help strengthen your defense.
• Provide a few reviews, both positive and negative, from respected sources such as Kirkus or Publisher's Weekly to demonstrate your knowledge of the material and reflect professional opinions.
• Familiarize yourself with the material in order to understand explain the context in which the challenged issues interact with one another.
• Provide titles that can serve as an alternative if the patron maintains the title is inappropriate.
• Remain calm and collected, utilizing active listening skills in order to ensure that the complaint is viewed without judgement. The concerns of the patron are valid even though you may disagree with them, and they deserve an engaged conversation regarding the issue.
• Offer a Request for Reconsideration form as a last resort, explaining the reconsideration process to the patron (LVCCLD, 2002).

Why is it Included?

Teens will be able to relate to Billie Eilish's eclectic tracks that give voice to the teenage psyche. This album and a number of its tracks have been nominated for several Grammy awards, such as Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance (Grammys, 2019. It is a number one Billboard album and been certified Gold, Platinum, and Double Platinum (RIAA, n.d.).