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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still her best, April 1, 2004
"The Woman In Me" is still the watershed country (yes, country) album of the 1990s and still Shania's best album to date. The hit songs are pure, unadulterated fun. Nothing more, nothing less. There a pair of weak tracks but they are completely overshadowed by the horde of chart-toppers."Any Man of Mine" is a perfect example of how to write crowd-pleasing, danceable, and catchy country songs without making them novelty tunes (e.g., "Achy Breaky Heart") or crossover fluff. Its harmonics, hooks, and staccato drums STILL make people move after nearly a decade but it maintains an authentic, even flagrant, country style. The ballads are touching, the light-hearted tunes (especially "No One Needs to Know") actually lighten the heart, and the [fast] songs really kick. And "God Bless the Child" is a haunting autobiographical coda. The reason TWIM remains Shania's best is that it picks one style per song and sticks with it. Much of her later efforts try to graft incongruent genres into single songs ("Honey I'm Home" has pop verses and country choruses, for example) to schizophrenic effect. It makes it easier to re-mix for each market but hurts the music. If you must own a Shania CD, make it this one.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant contemporary country album, January 3, 2004
Following the failure of her major label debut album, Shania opted for a different sound for this follow-up album. Matt Lange became her producer. They each wrote one song alone and co-wrote the others together. The album has a sound that appeals to a lot of people who don't normally like country music, yet this is still a country album at heart and there are at least a couple of songs here that would sit comfortably on a traditional country album, as I will explain.There are several high quality ballads, particularly Home ain't where his heart is anymore (the story of love gone sour after several happy years) and the heartfelt title track. Nevertheless, the tracks that I like best are the two up-tempo songs that set Shania on the road to superstardom - Any man of mine (in which Shania explains exactly what she expects of her man, but she sings it in a fun way so you know she's not quite as demanding as she at first seems) and Who's bed have your boots been under (another fun song, this time questioning the faithfulness of her man), both of which remind me of the kind of song that Loretta Lynn was so good at in the late sixties and early seventies. Indeed, the song that follows those two, If you're not in it for love I'm outta here (doubting the motives of a potential suitor), would also have suited Loretta in her prime. There are, of course, many other fine songs on this album, which sold well over ten million copies in America. It was also my first Shania album although the British public generally didn't take much notice of her until the release of Come on over - and even then, after it had been remixed for the European market. My favorite Shania album is her flop (untitled) debut album, but this one and Come on over are both masterpieces in their own ways. These three albums are very different from each other and you certainly need eclectic musical tastes to enjoy all three.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary Album-But Not Revolutionary, February 3, 2001
Shania Twain rocketed into superstardom with THE WOMAN IN ME and it isn't hard to understand why. This is an exceptional CD the twelve songs are rock-solid packed with personality and character as well as fantastic singing. The mistake that most reviewers make is that this is not a revolutionary album. The experiments and new flavored-country sound had been toyed with as early as the 1973 on Gram Parsons' GP album. Several women of Country music had been merging and developing the same sound over the course of two decades. Emmylou Harris' QUARTER MOON IN A TEN CENT TOWN (1978) matched contemporary pop/country songs with Country-flavored arrangements. Linda Ronstadt's breakthrough HEART LIKE A WHEEL (1974) was a fascinating blend of Country and Rock influences. Juice Newton's JUICE (1981) blended several different forms of Rock, Country, and Pop. All of Rosanne Cash's albums have a feminist tone, and Cash composed most of her 1985 album RHYTHM & ROMANCE, which blended Rock and Country seamlessly. What Shania Twain did was to take these experiments and craft a flawless CD which suited the 1995 Country and Pop markets perfectly. THE WOMAN IN ME is a very strong CD, and highly enjoyable listening. Twain works with Robert "Mutt" Lange for a set of exceptional tunes including soon-to-be classics "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under" and "Any Man Of Mine". With incredible hooks in each of the songs, this is remarkable listening: start to finish. "Home Ain't Where His Heart Is" is a beautiful ballad which opens the disc. There's some pop accents in this stunning country ballad (a characteristic of the entire album (this is not a bad thing). "Any Man Of Mine" was a huge hit, and inspired a few-comic paradoies. "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under" is a majestic country hit, perfectly crafted for country radio, but very clever. "If You're Not In It For Love" takes a long-going pop/rock theme into country vocabulary; the desire to avoid one-night stands. "The Woman In Me" is another wonderful ballad. "If There's Life After Love" is a beautiful piece of music, with a memorable chorus and inspirational lyrics. "If It Don't Take Two" is packed with character and terrific arrangements. Lange's composition "You Win My Love" rocks, and Twain's vocals fit perfectly. "Raining On Our Love" is a classic styled love song, again with a gorgeous performance. Twain's solo composition "Leaving Is The Only Way Out" is the same type of song, but with a completely different feel. "No One Needs To Know" is my favorite-it's so much fun. With a bouncy, instantly likeable melody, and lyrics anticipating marriage and bliss, this is a winner. What's even more brilliant is the way she ends the album, "God Bless The Child" is simple, sad, and real. I usually don't listen to that song. It's a virtually flawless CD, and it works well for fans of easy-going pop music, since most of country's characteristic darkness is absent. THE WOMAN IN ME is a blockbuster. It's definitely the best mainstream country release of the year. (Though Emmylou Harris' WRECKING BALL runs circles around everything released in 1995). This disc is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Those who claim this is Country in a new vision are speaking fallacy and haven't gotten familiar with the works before. Extraordinary Album.
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by Shania Twain 
