Review: Taylor Swift - Reputation: As pop album, it is extraordinary

Taylor Swift - Reputation: 5/5

The glittery, glammy assault of Reputation, Taylor Swift’s deafeningly anticipated sixth album, confirms the American singer’s status as one of the last true rock stars. She looms — over music, over social media, over the zeitgeist — as famous for her romantic adventures as for her pop. But her increasingly combative songs speak to a thrilling determination to take on all comers, regardless of, yes, the reputational consequences.

That’s potentially discommoding for anyone who thinks female pop stars should steer a fundamentally different course from head-banging rockers, but a delight for those who recognise a preening rock deity when they see one.