Most reviewers commended the album's themes of positivity and emotional intimacy. Many critics, including Jon Caramanica in The New York Times, Neil McCormick in The Daily Telegraph, and Robert Christgau in his Substack-published Consumer Guide column, welcomed Lover as Swift's return-to-form, praised her emotional songwriting ability, and said compared to Reputation antagonistic themes about celebrity, Lover is a sign of Swift's embracing of forward-looking perspectives. Others such as Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times and Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club commented on its emotional maturity that represents Swift's grown-up perspectives. Praise for the track list's length and diverse musical styles was more reserved. Those complimentary of Lover welcomed its disparate styles as a representation of Swift's creative freedom. Vanity Fair critic Erin Vanderhoof said Lover production "[ties] together a lot of the best impulses in recent pop, in a way that feels like a road map for [pop music's] survival". Nick Catucci in Rolling Stone called the album "evolutionary rather than revolutionary", and appreciated its "free and unhurried" styles. Others, taking issue with its length, commented although Lover is a solid album, it could have been a better record with some refinements. In The Observer, Kitty Empire deemed this "a partial retrenchment until Swift decides what to do next". Paste Claire Martin was critical, deeming the music unimpressive and the lyrics, despite their heartwarming nature, "lacking any profound meaning". Some critics viewed the album as a culmination of Swift's strengths as a singer-songwriter on her past albums, with particular comparisons to Red (2012); Schwartz and Anna Gaca from Pitchfork also highlighted the personal lyricism that recalls Speak Now (2010). In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis viewed Lover as a testament to Swift's songwriting abilities but commented the genre-spanning styles feel like "consolidation, not progress", and a conservative effort to maintain her commercial success. Carl Wilson from Slate wrote although Lover is a sophisticated album, it is held back by Swift's efforts to satisfy her audience. Year-end lists Many publications ranked Lover in their lists of the best albums of 2019. It appeared on the top-tens of lists by Billboard, People, and USA Today. Some publications, including American Songwriter and MTV, included it in their unranked lists. In individual critics' list, the album was ranked within the top ten by Zaleski, Wood, Sheffield, and Willman, with the last two naming it the best album of 2019. Commercial performance Variety, citing