Published on Oct 27, 1999
A couple of months back, I reviewed Shania Twain’s last album,
Come On Over. After that review came out, I received several
e-mails from long-standing country fans who proceeded to declare
that Twain was not country. I agreed with them in that
Come On Over was more of a pop album that had country
influences on it. So, should I have expected the same from the
album that launched Ms. Twain (or is it Mrs. Mutt?)’s career?
Expected more? less? Let’s not get ahead and, instead, take it from
the top.
After her debut album went pretty much unnoticed, Shania hooked
up with producer-writer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Somehow you’d
think that this strange pairing–Canadian-country bumpkin Twain and
British mega-producer Lange–was going to go bust. After all, Lange
has produced some of rock’s biggest names and albums–Def Leppard’s
Pyromania and
Hysteria, AC/DC’s
Highway To Hell and
Back In Black. His background is, to put it mildly, not in
country music. Meanwhile, Twain had yet to get her break in the
country scene that pretty much expects you to play by many
unwritten rules. Their relationship worked and–amazingly
enough–Twain and “Mutt” got married.
How does all of that above affect the music within this jewel
case? Contrary to her first album, Twain does all of the writting
here–along with Lange. Also, Lange brings his expertise in big
sound and over-the-top writting to the table. This partnership
makes
The Woman In Me work and work succesfully.
So, how does it differ from its successor? Well, when I first
popped it in, I thought I was going to get another pop album.
Instead,
The Woman In Me is definitely and without a doubt country.
Make no mistakes about it. Now, let’s take a closer look.
You can definitely hear and feel Mutt’s touch on most of this
album. Hit songs like “Any Man Of Mine,” “(If You’re Not In It For
Love) I’m Outta Here!” and “The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You)”
all benefit from Lange’s production and from the pop sensibilities
he brings. The guy can recognize a hit song. However, they are all
country songs.
Nevertheless, you can hear the pop sounds that would dominate
the latter album on songs like “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been
Under?” and “Raining On Our Love.” “No One Needs To Know” is
perhaps the closest they may come to “true country music.”
Meanwhile, “Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore)” and “Is There
Life After Love?” feature a softer side to the duo’s writings. They
lay the foundation for the mega-hits “From This Moment On” and
“You’re Still The One.”
There are a few missteps here. “If It Don’t Take Two” sounds
like a weak attempt at rocking out and isn’t as good as some of the
other songs. “You Win My Love” sounds waaay too much like something
Lange and Bryan Adams might have created in their last
collaborations. Finally, “God Bless The Child” doesn’t work for me.
It just seems they went out and wrote this five minutes before they
were supposed to lay it down.
A big complain I have is all them damn parentheses and
exclamation marks. Do you realize that one song is titled “I’m
Outta Here!” or that the opening track is “Home Ain’t Where His
Heart Is”? I know what the title is and what it implies, but does
every other song need this? I know that on
Come On Over they get even worse, but
c’mon
! Give the songs real names and remember that parentheses or
exclamation marks aren’t needed for the title.
Overall, I found this album to be much more enjoyable than its
successor. Perhaps it is because the Twain and Lange connection had
yet to go full-on, balls-out, to-the-top (and many people thought
this was it!). But this album can strongly reside in the country
landscape along with the Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill. It doesn’t
even seem that distant. Now, can someone explain to me what the big
deal was with Shania’s stomach and country music TV?