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Shania Twain - Up!

- Down? Depressed? Need something to get you in a better mood? If so, Shania Twain’s stellar album, “Up!,” may be just the right remedy to lift your spirits. The 19 tracks on the album, all co-written by Twain, touch not only on the title, but on other aspects of life with the same energy and style.

The title track talks about some of life’s miserable situations and when everything is going wrong, stating throughout the song that “It’s ‘bout as bad as it could be.” Using bursts of energy, complete with drums, guitars and fiddles, Twain reminds you that the only way to go from that point is “Up!”

Besides feeling better, other songs on the album deal with other subjects, like female empowerment. The songs, “She’s Not Just a Pretty Face,” “Juanita” and “Ain’t Goin’ Down,” one upbeat and happy, one serious, and one slow and honest, are strong efforts. Even though all three deal with different topics, they all explain how women have inner strength and how they can succeed in life, even in the face of naysayers.

Another topic a bit more typical to Twain’s genre, giving it to guys, appears in strong force on this album. No better does she do this than in the song, “Nah!” The song’s lyrics and upbeat and carefree attitude are perfect tools to empower you if you ever do run into that guy who dumped you. “Well, I hope you learned a lesson / ‘Cause you’ll never be messin’ / With my head again the way that you did / It was never gonna work: you were / too much of a jerk / I’m finally fed up with it.” After reminding the guy how much they had together, she closes the chorus with “I miss you now and then / But would I do it all again? / Nah!”

Though the album has many strong points, with nineteen songs, the compilation does have some material that doesn’t quite have you feeling your greatest, empowered, or satisfied. “C’est La Vie” tries by offering comforting verses to get you out of the same, old every day life. The chorus, however, doesn’t really provide the rescue that the other lyrics promise and lead up to. The melody also sounds dry. Another song, “Ka-Ching!” has an important message, telling you that money can’t buy happiness, but the serious tone of the song makes it sound laughable. And the classical violin doesn’t help amidst fiddles, steel guitars, drums and—the cash register.

Overall, this album is some of the Canadian songwriter’s best work, despite a few minor mishaps. But in the end, I don’t think you’ll be singing the bluesafter listening to this country star.

Reviewer: Katelyn Latawiec

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Reviewer's Rating: 9.5
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