After her 3 million-selling debut skyrocketed her to country stardom, 18-year-old Taylor Swift isn't trying to grow up too fast. "Love Story," the first single from her sophomore CD "Fearless," is another chapter in her teen-love catalog. This acoustic-driven, medium-tempo tale of young love sounds like a logical extension of her debut that made her such a favorite with teen girls. "Love Story" is not as clever as "Tim McGraw," her classic country love song, but it is pure pop with a minimalist vibe that makes it ideal for both country and top-40 radio. Swift's album, on which she wrote or cowrote all the tunes, is due Nov. 11.

JON BREAM