Fearless (Taylor's Version) additionally includes six previously unreleased "From the Vault" tracks, which feature indie and electronic elements brought by synthesizers and drum programming.

Fearless (Taylor's Version) became the first re-recorded album to reach number one on the US Billboard 200, and it topped the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Most critics who praised the album highlighted the enhanced production quality with sharper instruments and stronger vocals of the re-recorded tracks, which brought a refreshing listening experience and a nostalgic feel.

[7][8] It spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and, supported by the pop-radio hits "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me",[9] catapulted Swift into mainstream prominence beyond the country-music scene.

[10][11] Critics lauded Swift's songwriting for portraying earnest teenage feelings, and musicologist James E. Perone commented that Fearless transformed her status from a prodigy to a "singer-songwriter superstar".

[23] For instance, on the re-recording of Fearless's lead single "Love Story", those who reprised their roles included Jonathan Yudkin on fiddle, Amos Heller on bass guitar, and Caitlin Evanson on harmony vocals.

[a][b] Swift said by including these unreleased tracks, which she "absolutely adored" but "were held back for different reasons", the re-recorded album proved that "the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work".

[g] The 20 re-recorded tracks feature the same arrangements and lyrics as on the original recordings that led to many critics commenting that a casual listener might not catch any differences.

[43] Michael A. Lee, a professor in commercial music, said the re-recorded album has a much richer sound because it was recorded with more use of the outside environment which allows the mixes to "spread a lot wider".

[44] A multitude of critics said that Swift's vocals were the most significant change; although she sang the same notes and retained a light country-music twang, they became richer, deeper, and more controlled.

[i] Clash's Lucy Harbron attributed this change to Swift's artistic evolution encompassing country, pop, and indie styles.

[44] Paula Clare Harper, an assistant professor in musicology, agreed that Swift performed with more chest-driven vocals but also said she retained some "signature aspects" of country music.

[28] Slate's Carl Wilson wrote that although Swift managed to recreate her once-teenage vocal inflictions and mannerisms, her matured voice made the album sound nostalgic.

[44] On the six "From the Vault" tracks, Antonoff and Dessner reprised some of their production styles on Swift's albums Folklore and Evermore,[47] creating a sound that infuses country pop with indie elements[38] brought by diverse instruments such as synthesizers, horns, and programmed drums.

[28][37] "You All Over Me", a track about being unable to move on from an ex-lover, is an acoustic ballad with country-indebted guitars, fiddles, and harmonica,[51][52] alongside synth drum loops.

[51] The slow-paced "We Were Happy" is about reminiscing over the beautiful moments of a broken relationship, such as watching sunsets together, dreaming about buying a family farm, and getting married.

[57] Compared to the extensive promotional rollouts of Swift's other albums, Fearless (Taylor's Version) was preceded by a rather minimal campaign that relied on social media.

The New York Times' Ben Sisario commented this promotion created a "communal and celebratory experience" for Swift's fans who found the music nostalgic and the "Taylor's Version" branding empowering.

[65] The cover artwork is a sepia-toned photograph of Swift shot from a low camera angle that shows herself with windblown hair locks.

[83] In the Anglosphere, Fearless (Taylor's Version) peaked atop the charts of Australia,[84] Canada,[85] Ireland,[86] New Zealand,[87] and the United Kingdom.

[98] According to a March 2022 report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Fearless (Taylor's Version) was one of the 10 global best-selling-albums of 2021, with pure sales of 980,000 copies.

[23][37] Praise also directed toward Swift's vocals for how they became fuller and richer while retaining the teenage sentiments,[k] but some said that her voice conveyed the messages from a nostalgic or rather melancholy perspective[43][105] and at times lost the earnestness of the original recordings.

[39] Petridis and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times wrote that the songs are timeless because they explore and mythologize the adolescent feelings that will become snapshots of one's youth for them to look back in their life.

Some critics deemed them inferior to the re-recorded Fearless tracks,[m] but others appreciated them for offering a glimpse into Swift's evolving songwriting at the time.

[48] Keefe praised the vault tracks for showcasing Swift's "preternatural gifts for song structure and melody" but deemed them insubstantial and their lyrics weak.

[37] Spin's Bobby Olivier and AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the vault tracks are the album's most appealing,[45] and the latter appreciated them for blending their "younger, dewy-eyed perspective" with a "mature" production from Dessner and Antonoff.

A Republic Records statement explained that Swift decided to do so because she wanted the awards committee to focus on Evermore, which was submitted for all eligible Grammy categories.

[110][111] They considered the Taylor's Version branding an effective strategy in mobilizing Swift's fans to consume the re-recorded album over the original.

[28][66] Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Giselle Au Nhien-Nguyen opined that the Taylor's Version projects not only allowed Swift to gain ownership of her music but also gave her fans a chance to reflect on her artistic evolution.

[112] Willman wrote that Swift's highly publicized move to reclaim her masters, starting with Fearless (Taylor's Version), would inspire other artists to "further deputize or weaponize fans in their own business disputes".