Doghousesmall
Doghouse
15987
Up!
(2002)
Shania Twain
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Label: Mercury
Duration: 1:12:50
Genre: Country

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


Track
Up! (Pop Version)
I'm Gonna Getcha Good! (Pop Version)
She's Not Just A Pretty Face (Pop Version)
Juanita (Pop Version)
Forever And For Always (Pop Version)
Ain't No Particular Way (Pop Version)
It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing (Pop Version)
Nah! (Pop Version)
(Wanna Get To Know You) That Good! (Pop Version)
C'est La Vie (Pop Version)
I'm Jealous (Pop Version)
Ka-Ching! (Pop Version)
Thank You Baby! (For Makin' Someday Come So Soon) (Pop Version)
Waiter! Bring Me Water! (Pop Version)
What A Way To Wanna Be! (Pop Version)
I Ain't Goin' Down (Pop Version)
I'm Not In The Mood (To Say No!) (Pop Version)
In My Car (I'll Be The Driver) (Pop Version)
When You Kiss Me (Pop Version)
Up! (Country Version)
I'm Gonna Getcha Good! (Country Version)
She's Not Just A Pretty Face (Country Version)
Juanita (Country Version)
Forever And For Always (Country Version)
Ain't No Particular Way (Country Version)
It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing (Country Version)
Nah! (Country Version)
(Wanna Get To Know You) That Good! (Country Version)
C'est La Vie (Country Version)
I'm Jealous (Country Version)
Ka-Ching! (Country Version)
Thank You Baby! (For Makin' Someday Come So Soon) (Country Version)
Waiter! Bring Me Water! (Country Version)
What A Way To Wanna Be! (Country Version)
I Ain't Goin' Down (Country Version)
I'm Not In The Mood (To Say No!) (Country Version)
In My Car (I'll Be The Driver) (Country Version)
When You Kiss Me (Country Version)
Original Release: 2002-11-19
Composer: Robert John "Mutt" Lange/Shania Twain
Arranged By: Arthur Stead, Gavin Greenaway
Producer: Robert John Lange
UPC: 8817031422, 8817031620, 8817034423, 8817038421