Shania Twain is back... and we're here for it.
15 years after the release of her last album of new music, Shania is back with Now. And the crossover queen has has continued to change the game and embrace a unique style of her own.
If you press play on Now and expect to hear the same Shania that you remember from The Woman In Me, Come On Over, and Up!, you're not going to find it. This is new music, with new influences, stories, and experimentation. It's also important to remember that this is not a Mutt Lange produced album, which has resulted in lot of changes in the makeup, strategy, and execution in the booth.
Shania has said that Now isn't a breakup record, but you could be forgiven for questioning her statement. We know that this is the first new music since her marriage with Mutt went south and ended. We also know that music is deeply personal, and we can hear in songs like Poor Me and I'm Alright, that songs about relationships ending were on her mind and made the cut.
However, those feelings don't flow through the entire album. The upbeat feel of the lead single, Life's About To Get Good is everything we love about Shania Twain. And the follow-up radio release, Swingin' With My Eyes Closed does the same thing. It remains to be seen if any of the singles from Now will have any of traction and success that Shania has experienced in the past.
Regardless of chart success, diehard fans of Shania will have already listened to this album on repeat. There's no doubt about that.
Now is a monster 16 track deluxe album with a 56 minute running time, which we're glad for. Because after a 15 year wait, we're not sure how we would have reacted to a 9 song, 27 minute album.
Just like she did more than 20 years ago, Shania is taking chances. This isn't a traditional country album (not that we expected one), it has reggae vibes, pop beats, and varied sounds that make it a Shania Twain album.
Go ahead and press play on tracks like Home Now, Let's Kiss And Make Up, and You Can't Buy Love - and learn the words so you can sing along every time you hear them from now on.
Shania was gone... but she's back. And we hope that she'll never go away again.
