Customer Reviews

Up!

5 star:		(362)
4 star:		(87)
3 star:		(55)
2 star:		(46)
1 star:		(41)

 

 

When Shania Twain's third album Come On Over topped sales of 19 million in the US alone earlier this year, you knew that her new album Up! would be much of the same. And why shouldn't it be? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," says my dad all the time - to my annoyance. I have been a huge Shania fan since I first heard That Don't Impress Me Much way back in May 1999 - I bought the album Come On Over five months later and loved it. It has so far sold a whopping 35 million copies worldwide and is the biggest selling female album of all-time. I have a similar feeling that Up! will do just the same...

The album starts with the title track, Up! (10/10). This is a superb song to start this brilliant album and has all the ingredients that make Shania so successful - a future single? I'm Gonna Getcha Good (10/10) follows this. Peaking at No.4 in the UK in November 2002, it has the traditional "Shania sound" with a brilliant Asian bassline. She's Not Just A Pretty Face (10/10) is another excellent up-tempo pop groover with a real anthemic chorus to sing along to. Juanita (10/10) is a good song, but will take a few listens for it to grow on you. It has a great Spanish guitar and a beat that sounds like a cow moo-ing! Forever And For Always (10/10) is a soft and velvety mid-tempo ballad that has a superb beat with a sound that's very breathtaking and relaxing. Ain't No Particular Way (8/10) is probably the worst song on the album. It doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of Up! and the bassline is too child-like. It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing (9/10) is a song that everyone seems to love; many people say it's the best song on Up!...I wouldn't go that far, but it does have some good lyrics and a soft beat. Nah! (10/10) is another brilliant and fun song to party to. I love the way Shania sings all this stuff about how it was fun with this guy. But would she do it all again? "Nah!" Album highlight for sure. (Wanna Get To Know You) That Good (8/10) is not a very good song that really annoys me in the way the vocals are arranged! C'est La Vie (10/10) is another album highlight and has such a fun and up-tempo beat with great lyrics about typical life - can't be bothered to get yourself outta bed on a Monday morning. Is it just me, or does the chorus sound VERY similar to Abba's Dancing Queen?! I'm Jealous (10/10) is definitely my favourite ballad from Up! - much better than It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing. The lyrics are excellent and the guitar instrumental halfway through is great.

Ka-Ching! (10/10) was the most instantly catchy song for me from Up! The thing about this song that makes it so original is the message it sends out. "We live in a greedy little world/That teaches every little boy and girl/To earn as much as they can possibly/Then turn around and spend it foolishly," sings Shania in the first verse. It's good because we can all relate to it - how many of us just want to go to out local shopping mall and blow thousands of pounds? Everyone! The way the vocals are arranged in the verses is very catchy and the dramatic bassline is excellent. Thank You Baby! (For Making Someday Come So Soon) (10/10) is absolutely mind-blowing and by far my favourite song from Up! The song has a brilliant beat to whistle along to and a brilliant and highly dramatic/effective violin beat to introduce us to the first verse - the added electric guitar is also just perfect to make this a brilliant, brilliant song that must be released as a single! Not many people have mentioned this song, so I feel I should - it is amazing! Waiter! Bring Me Water! (8/10) is just an overrated song that everyone seems to love. Don't get me wrong, it has a good beat and great verses...but the aspect that makes a song good is its chorus - and this song just doesn't have one. What A Way To Wanna Be (10/10) is another album highlight for me. The best thing about this highly up-tempo song is that addictive guitar bassline that sets in before the verses - excellent! I Ain't Goin' Down (10/10) is a strong song with a powerful message about how a girl who had a kid at fifteen, how she had to drop out of school and everyone treated her cruel - but no matter what, she will live through it and come out on top. I'm Not In The Mood (To Say No)! (9/10) is an above-average mid-tempo song that has a brilliant and futuristic bassline - sounds like one of those glowing sticks you get abroad that make that funny noise when you turn it upside down! In My Car (I'll Be The Driver) (10/10) is another brilliant song. I first heard this when I bought I'm Gonna Getcha Good on single, as this is the second track. When You Kiss Me (10/10) is the final track on Up! and it does not disappoint. Sure, there are better songs to close the album, but this isn't exactly the worst.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

All in all, Up! is probably the most essential record of 2002 if you're a fan or just interested in Shania's music. Many people complain that Shania gives country music "a bad name." I would like to address these critics by saying that before Shania, I had no interest in country music, but I now have a slight interest - and I'm sure because of her, many others do too. This can only be a good thing when a hugely successful and worldwide superstar such as Shania can promote this style throughout the world and bring it to a wider audience. Back to the CD, Up! comes with two discs. The red disc is the pop version, and the blue one is the world version. The red is superb, but the blue is diabolical! Is this some sort of Bollywood tribute, because it just sounds awful! Apart from this, the red disc of Up! is brilliant - buy it now from Amazon!

To start with, although I'm a Brit, I bought the Pop/Country pairing of the album (from Amazon.com, not Amazon.co.uk), so I have not heard the World Version.

Having read a number of the reviews of the album, there are some polarised views. I can understand why. Read on.....

If Country fans were waiting for a return to pure Country Shania, they are disappointed and have made their feelings felt. This is pure pop - even the Country album is not very Country!

Having said that, the album is chock-full of very good pop songs and out of 19, I think I like 17 of them very much and am content with the other two. The songs are full of clever lyrics (some might call them a little daft, off-beat, whackey - whatever). The music is played very well and the singing by ST and her band is good. My favourite tracks - "I'm Gonna Getcha Good", "Waiter! Bring Me Water", "Nah" and, in particular, "Forever And For Alwys* and "Ka-Ching!".

The whole point is that this is "Come On Over" volume two. ST will have a difficult choice to make NEXT time. This time, it's been easy - continue a successful strategy. She must decide if it is to be COO volume 3, revert to Country (if necessary), to appease those Country fans (and I bet there are a lot of them) who want a pure Country album, or do something completely different. She has time to decide. Another album won't come out for another 3 or 4 years.

As for me, I won't pidgeon hole her and I would suggest others avoid doing it, too. Lots of folk artists cross-over into mainstream pop/rock.

This is a great album - the more I play it, the more I like it! So, carry on Shania. Perhaps, though, I should get the pre-COO albums.....

PS If the previous version of this review appears, my apologies for giving you two reviews!

What can I say that already hasn't been said? This CD has no negatives - it is pure perfection. The CD was given to me at Christmas and has been my most played CD ever. From the first 10 seconds of Up! you realise you're onto a winner - the song is uplifting, catchy and enjoyable. And the fun doesn't stop there - 18 more tracks to go, and only perhaps 3 are skippable (I'm not a fan of ballad/slow Shania - I prefer her kicking). Highlights include Up!, I'm Gonna Getcha Good!, Forever and For Always, C'est La Vie!, Ka-Ching!, What A Way To Wanna Be! and In My Car (I'll Be The Driver). The only ones that I skip (but still enjoy) are She's Not Just A Pretty Face, Juanita, I Ain't Goin' Down and When You Kiss Me. However, the stand out track is easily Thank You Baby (for makin' someday come so soon). It everything you want in a record - it's great lyrically, dramatic and instantly likeable and memorable. If you have to get one CD in your life, buy Up! Even for just Thank You Baby, its worth it, and you get two CD's for the price of one. It may not match the sales figures of Come On Over, but it certainly is equal to the music, and perhaps in many cases far superior. An essential purchase.

"Up!" is another in Shania's string of fantastic albums since she and husband Mutt teamed up together. I became a huge fan of her with "Come On Over", but didn't really go back and listen to her first two albums till after "Up!" came out. "Up!" is slightly different, I think, than "Come On Over" and "The Woman In Me". Not quite the perfect pop magic of "Come On Over", or the great Country/Pop synthesis of "The Woman in Me", but if you give it a little while it will grow on you just like those others. "I'm Gonna Getcha Good", "Nah!", "Up!" and "I'm Not in the Mood(To Say No)" are all great fun. For those who have a weak spot for the ballads, like me, "When You Kiss Me", "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" and my personal favorite "Forever and For Always" should all really hit the spot. There's a lot of other songs to like on the album too("I'm Jealous", "Thank You Baby", "Wanna Get To Know You", etc.) but just those first few would be enough to make the album well worth buying. If you like Shania, you'll like the album, and it will definitely grow on you the more you listen.

After taking a 5 year hiatus from studio recording, Shania Twain exploded back onto the music scene in late 2002 with the very catchy, upbeat song "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" --- It seemed as if the Country diva was back and better than ever, but that theory is half right and half wrong. While "Up!" may contain 19 tracks with two CDs (one, the Country version - the other Pop), not all of the songs are exactly something to be crazy about. It seemed all of the international promoting for her previous album "Come On Over" (COO), Shania Twain and husband "Mutt" Lange were wringed dry. After retreating to her home in Switzerland and becoming a mother, Shania and Mutt quickly got up on their feet and began writing more songs. Although their chemisty may be very strong when working together, as well as being a family, their song-writing seems to be heading downhill. But that might not be the case, since many of these songs' lyrics are over-shadowed by the horrible melodies. Shania still manages to deliver some beautiful and fun ballads. After 9 years of being in the business, it seems fame and popularity finally got to her head. It seemed hopeless when I started listening to her music that Shania had any Country left in her, but I continue to listen to the Country version of "Up!" since the Pop version sounds really horrid. Anyway, let me give you a quick summary of Shania Twain's 2002 release "Up!".

Starting off with the title track to the album, "Up!" is a very upbeat, annoyingly catchy song. At first glance, it appears that Shania hasn't lost her touch. She quickly follows up the catchy song with yet another catchy song, "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", which was the first single she released off "Up!". It quickly became a favorite among fans with her newer, more beautiful image and the futuristic music video. But after this song, things start to head downhill fast. Many of the songs featured on "Up!" are just down-right stupid and very annoying. While shunning songs such as "She's Not Just A Pretty Face", "Juanita", and the horribly annoying "Ka-Ching!" (which is an OK song, but I hate the beginning so much!), I came across "Forever And For Always" - which is the highlight of "Up!" is everyone who's listened to the album. Being Shania's third release, Shania and Mutt are able to produce a very beautiful, touching, meaningful ballad. Followed by the upbeat, catchy "Ain't No Particular Way", I found another song to my liking - but I quickly began to dislike the song since Shania kept repeating the same thing over and over, but especially with the male singers singing the same words after she sang them. It would've been much better if the male singers and Shania to have just sang together. "It Only Hurts When I'm Beating" is the second ballad of "Up!", it is just like "Forever And For Always", but the complete opposite - a much more sad ballad. An attempt nicely done. With "Nah!" following up, it was a decent attempt that I came to respect. "(Wanna Get To Know You) That Good!" started off as a decent song, but it quickly turned into another failed attempt. "C'est La Vie" quickly followed as I pressed the button to hear the next song. Shania is able to pump out a very catchy, decent song - but her songs are just sounding the same.. "I'm Jealous" and "Ka-Ching!" are more decent attempts, along with the catchy "Waiter! Bring Me Water!" - but other than that, the rest of the songs plainly sucked. I don't know what happened to Shania, but her follow-up to COO just exploded into such a disaster and was left in the dust.

Overall, a 3/5. "Up!" does have its 'Ups' and downs, but this was just a horrible follow-up to "Come On Over". I would recommend buying "Up!", though, because each song has its own personality which may be very appealing to the listener.

The good news is that Country's favorite staple is back. After five years without ANY new music/recordings (not even a soundtrack single), Shania has returned to the scene. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth the lengthy wait. Come On Over was released quicker and had many new and novel material, it was an excellent--if completely overplayed--album. Up! took twice as long to release and plays as a pale copy of Come On Over. I wonder if anything Shania could release would sound as fresh today as she did five years ago. Up! feels like Shania has stood still while the rest of the music industry kept moving.
Not that Up! doesn't have its moments of innovative and just really good music. I love "Jealous" and I'm starting to read a lot of symbolism into "In My Car." "It only hurts when I'm breathing" is an interesting twist on the getting over love song. "Waiter! Bring me water" is one of the coolest songs on the album, depicting a man staring at a woman while dining with another. However, "Up"'s lyrics are inane and occasionally downright stupid. "C'est La Vie" completely annoys me with its chorus that sounds too much like Abba's "Dancing Queen." A lot of the love songs seem tired. The song about the single mother is a decent attempt but fails to involve me. "Ka-ching" is another decent attempt as is "What a way to want to be" at social commentary, but Jewel does it ten times better on her Spirit cd which I'm very familar with. In comparison, Shania flat out [smells] at these type songs.
Out of nineteen songs, I dislike more than I like. It wasn't the worst buy I ever made, but it wasn't the best. I tend to judge a cd's real worth by how long I keep it in my player. Martina's Greatest Hits lasted 6 weeks, Trick Pony lasted 2 days, Faith Hill's Cry lasted 3 weeks, and Shania's Up! lasted 1 week.
My conclusion: It has its good points, but is a disappointing follow-up to Come On Over.

What an absolutely incredible CD! I've been a Shania fan since she started out, and I remember how much I enjoyed her music when she was truly country. I didn't think she could possibly get any better - but she has. Her voice seems to have matured somehow, it's taken on an edginess that wasn't there before - and it gives her music a spectacularly emotional and beautiful quality.

I was impressed when I opened up the CD case and found not one, but two CDs in there. They've each got a different sound - one has a more pop-like sound, while the other is more country. I like them both... I especially like putting them both in the CD player and hitting the "random" button. I get a very nice mix that way.

I loved the singles she released, and I was amazed to find I liked every other song on the album as well! My personal favorite is "Waiter! Bring me water!". The lyrics are fun, the melody is uplifting and catchy... a definite must-have.

I'd eagerly recommend this album to any Shania fans... and to anyone looking for something fun, edgy, and ecclectic at times.

Shania Twain - Mutt Lange: this means satisfaction guaranteed. After I first listened to this CD I really didn`t like it that much cause it`s quite different to Come on over (concerning the general sound which is more direct on COO and the character of the songs and by the way Shania will never be able to write better songs than on COO it`s just one of the CDs of the Century). But Shania likes to develop and the fact that she released 3 versions of her songs is absolutely gorgeous. One can easily recognize that the basis of every song fits in different musical suits. Concerning the playing skills I think that the country version is the one to go for (Brent Mason on guitar !). For the fun factor you better choose the Worldmusic version and for the "...no I don`t like banjo" folks the pop version would be just the right one to listen to. Overall a very pleasing Album which just shows that Shania`s still on her way "up"...

Shania Twain's "Up!" is great! She has her usual dose of woman- powered songs("In My Car, I'll Be the Driver") and love ballads("Forever and For Always"), all mixed into a must-get album. The album has already sold over 6 million copies, and I'm sure it's on it's way to more! If you don't have it, get it!

Seriously, Shania's newest release is incredible. If you enjoyed her incredible multi-platnum selling record "Come On Over" then you'll enjoy her newest effort "Up!" "Come On Over" lead Shania into platnum territory and let her become the most-selling female country artist in history. And yes, she is still country. Shania just happened to experiment more on "Up!" then she did on "Come On Over." Her two previous CD's prior to it were also pure country too. Shania's voice has always reminded me of a country version of Latina superstar Gloria Estifan. The leading single "I'm Gonna Getcha Good" is very catchy and I'm surprised it didn't do as well on the Pop charts. I mean just cause she doesn't dress objectionally like Christina did in the "Dirrty" video doesn't mean it's a bad song. Anyways, the first and title song "Up!" is a great pep pick-me-up song. Great for when you're in a down mood and need a song that doesn't promote depression. it kind of sounds like a mix of Country and Hawaiian. Here's my run down of all the songs:

1) Up! ~ Great opener, very catchy.

2) I'm Gonna Getcha Good! ~ Great choice for the first single. Love the video!

3) She's Not Just A Pretty Face ~ Hear that Christina? Shania is very focused on women's issues and this song has a great message to us all. Could also be another single.

4) Juanita ~ Great Spanish beat to it, kind of like a continuation of number 3.

5) Forever And Foralways ~ A sweet ballad, but not one of my favorites

6) Ain't No Particular Way ~ I love this song and how she says "Here'comes!" in the beginning. Possible single and a great message about how not to loose hope on finding love.

7) It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing ~ Another boring ballad, kind of sounds like #5 only worse

8) Nah! ~ One of my favorites, you'll have this one on repeat. Also another possible single.

9) (Wanna Get To Know You) That Good! ~ It's okay, kind of catchy but could be considered filler.

10) C'est La Vie ~ Another great pick-me-up song saying that you just have to go to work even if you don't feel like it sometimes. Kind of like a "Manic Monday" type message.

11) I'm J ealous ~ Great poetic lyrics, another possible single.

12) Ka-Ching! ~ I love this song! It's a great message about how much material things have taken over our lives. Another must-listen and is the next single.

13) Thank You Baby! (For Makin' Someday Come So Soon) ~ Great song, and the Pop version sounds very 80's-like.

14) Waiter! Bring Me Water! ~ I love this song! I really think this one could be a hit. It has more of an Asian theme to it but I love the chorus is so darn catchy!

15) What A Way To Want To Be ~ Another song displaying Shania's strong feminist beliefs. It shows that you don't have to do all the things women do all the time. You can take a break "This is not some contest" she sings.

16) I Ain't Goin Down ~ A great song. I don't know if this is about her or not but it's about a woman who's been through a lot, having a baby in high school and her father not forgiving her and how she loves her daughter. Great lyrics.

17) I'm Not In The Mood (To Say No!) ~ Another favorite of mine, it has a great pop/rock feel to it.

18) In My Car (i'll Be The Driver) ~ Another very catchy one... could also be another single.

19) When You Kiss Me ~ Great album closing song. If a ballad is a single, I think this should be the one. Great improvement of the other slow songs.

Overall, "Up!" is not as good as "Come On Over" but when you make the world record for highest-selling female artist of all time over one album it's generally hard to copy the same style as she did with "Come On Over." In addition she catters to both Pop and Country listeners. The red disc harbors all Pop versions and the Green disc has all the Country ones."Up!" is seriously worth your money and shows what a creative and intelligent artist Shania Twain can really be. If you enjoyed this also check out the Dixie Chick's newest CD "Home." Overall grade for "Up!": A