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intereact!Shania Twain
Retail Price (not our price): $13.98
Release Date: 2002-11-19
Manufacturer: Mercury Nashville
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com
Give Shania Twain points for honesty. Up!, her first new release in five years, offers both pop and country versions of the same 19 songs, the red disc boasting pop renditions while the green proffers country. It's a smart idea, since it allows Twain the freedom to dress a song in whatever arrangements and instrumentation she pleases--without setting herself up for criticism as to whether Canada's Queen of the Bare Midriff spat on the Holy Grail of Nashville. Often, the only difference is the substitution of pedal steel, fiddle, and banjo for strings, guitars, and keyboards. In these situations, where she employs the same riffs and melodic strains, the country version usually pales in comparison; however, the green disc wins on those songs where the subject matter hits closer to home, especially the unwed mother tune "I Ain't Goin' Down." Twain was never truly a country singer--she was merely marketed that way--and her red disc particularly pleases, while making no excuses. She is what she is: a perky lounge singer with a calculatedly honeyed voice, a penchant for inane lyrics--often about absolutely nothing--and, in tandem with her husband, Mutt Lange, a masterful command of rhythm, production, and mood. ("I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" is confection perfection.) There's something oddly hypnotic about much of this project, and it may be simply hearing what Shania can do when she abandons the pretense of being a country singer and concentrates on music. Call this a guilty pleasure--pop, country, or somewhere in between. --Alanna Nash
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5
1) One of my all-time favorite albums [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Shania Twain's "Up" cd didn't sell as many copies as her previous ones, but I still think it's the best. There are so many good songs, and so many songs, period. None of them are bad. A few are mediocre but most are as good as anything that gets played on the radio. I especially like "Forever and Always", "Nah", "Waiter, Bring Me Water", "Thank You Baby". These are just great. I know I'm in the minority, but I think this is Shania's best album without a doubt. I liked her so much after this that I actually went to see her in concert. I never thought that would happen, but here music became more pop and I loved it.2) Despite the Generosity, 'Up!' Is a Step Down [Rating: 3 out of 5]
(3 1/2 *'s) Shania Twain is entirely fun, frolicking, and infectious. Her preceding two albums, 'The Woman in Me' and 'Come on Over' are hybrid classics that are remarkable and entertaining. On 'Up' we get the same generous helpings as always, even if the fare is uneven in quality throughout. The best moments are almost at par with her best, but the lesser works sound like middle of the road music from the 1980's. If she were more selective about the quality, she could give us all another great C.D. like its predecessors. If only the delivery lived up to the exclamation points of her song titles, this musical trek could have gotten unstuck in a trot and gone for a gallop.Off to a promising start, the title track ushers her familiar effervescence with fun lyrics to match. Following is the playful mischief of "I'm Gonna Get You Good,' which is then almost matched by "She's Just Not a Pretty Face". In the slower realms she truly satifies with the heartwarming "Forever and for Always" and later with "I Ain't Going Down". Unfortunately, most of the rest goes downhill. "Ain't No Particular Way" and "Ka-Ching" add variety but in an unremarkable way. Most of the rest is filler that reminds one of middle of the road pop from the eighties. You can't knock her generosity too heavily. Complete with two C.D.'s one more pop friendly, the other with country leanings, Shania Twain may well rest on her laurels for awhile. For even a decent entry on her behalf, she's always a welcome addition to my C.D. collection.3) Pick this Up [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Up is Shania's fourth album. It is much more of a pop than a country production. It comes as 2 discs, one called a pop version and the other a country version. However, even teh supposed country version has notable pop influences. Genre aside, this is a great CD from Shania. It has a whole bunch of fun songs and a good mix too - the songs do not sound like each other. There's a lot of music, it clocks in at 1 hr and 13 min. Great value for the Shania fan. My favs:UpI'm Gonna Getcha GoodShe's Not Just a Pretty FaceAin't no Particular WayNah!KaChingWAiterWhat a Way to Wanna BeI Ain't in the MoodIn My Car - verges on rock4) Great Variety [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I love the title son "Up" - but there are sooo many songs on this albusm-Shania really likes to give her fans their money's worth. I had to listen to a few a couple of times, at first, they are so different from her previous style. And so many songs! Maybe there's too many-I mean, I don't think some of my favorites got much airtime-In My Car Ill Be the Driver-I thought for sure that would be a really big hit. And "No Particular Way"--that is really great. Not pop-not countryi-I don't know, but I really enjoyed it. And, "I'm Not in the Mood" pop version, really has a great beat. Of Course, "Forever and Always", GOnna Getcha Good, and many others, are good, too. She is my absolute favorite female artist-my kids introduced me to her years ago with "An Man of Mine", and I've been hooked ever since.5) Creative CD, but not as good as her previous [Rating: 3 out of 5]
Shania Twain is one of my favorite country artists, but this isn't her best. Although the album isn't her best, she did come up with a creative idea to turn it into a double-disc release, showing her "grassy" roots on one version and displaying her modern/pop style on the other. So, the album provides you with two different flavors of the same tracks, which is a nifty idea, but there are only a handful of songs that I felt was worth listening to. I'm more of a country ballad fan than the up-tempo, twangy sound, so her ballads are what caught my ear. "Forever, For Always" is a nice ballad, but definitely has a decently-paced melody to keep you from falling asleep. My favorite track is "When You Kiss Me", which is more of a sappy ballad, but I tend to favor those over the up-tempo material. "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" is another nice, smooth ballad, and resembles more of a pop ballad than classic country. However, most of Shania's songs border on pop rather than classic country, so if you're not a true grassy-country fan, then her stuff might be what you're looking for.