Shania Twain: Now review – bouncing back with country-pop queen (original) (raw)

From the mid-90s to the early 2000s, Shania Twain’s zingy country-pop was at its most potent. On songs such as Man I Feel Like a Woman, I’m Gonna Getcha Good and That Don’t Impress Me Much, the Canadian singer gave the genre a new lease of life, paving the way for the likes of LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood and – later – one Taylor Swift. However, vocal issues, Lyme disease and a messy divorce saw her career stall. Unsurprisingly, Now – Twain’s first album in 15 years – is all about bouncing back. On Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed she sings defiantly about how “Fear disappears every time I close my eyes” against a tropical-tinged country beat, while Roll Me on the River is a mix of pop empowerment and fiddles that sounds both fresh and reassuring Twain-like. Not all of this musical autobiography quite works, though; Poor Me, about overcoming victimhood, is a try-hard attempt at trip-hop, while the doo-wop-ish You Can’t Buy Love feels overly saccharine. Now is a strong comeback that plays to Twain’s strengths, but it could have done with some more of her feisty, Brad Pitt-skewering self, and fewer inspirational metaphors.