13 years have passed since Shania Twain released her last studio album Up! The album was a huge success selling over 11 million copies in the US alone. Twain followed the album up with the release of her Greatest Hits in 2004. A follow-up was believed to be in the works in the years after but Twain revealed that her divorce from husband Mutt Lange (who was also her producer) had caused her to suffer from dysphonia, an ailment that resulted in her not being able to sing for a number of years. In 2012 Twain made her long-awaited return to live performance with a two-year residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Her show Shania: Still The One ran for 105 shows before closing in December 2014.
For those fans who couldn’t make it to Vegas, or saw the show and want to relive it, Twain has released a live album capturing her critically acclaimed show. Still The One was a celebration of Twain’s long and successful career that saw her performing a collection of her hits. The album opens with I’m Gonna Getcha Good! the lead single from Up! starting the show off on a rock-tinged note.
Any fears that Twain had lost her ability to sing permanently are put to rest immediately. She sounds fantastic matching her recordings pretty much note for note. All of the songs you would hope to hear from Twain are included in the setlist. Breakthrough hit You’re Still The One still sounds fresh all these years on, That Don’t Impress Me Much never fails to get you singing along, and tongue-in-cheek anthem Man! I Feel Like A Woman is still one of Twain’s best tracks.
Elsewhere in the setlist Twain revisits her early years with hits such as Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, Any Man of Mine and (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here. In the middle of the set Twain performs four acoustic tracks – Come On Over, Love Gets Me Every Time, Rock This Country and Today Is Your Day. The songs really show off her voice and remind you of that distinctive tone that you fell in love with back in the 90s.
The release of Still The One: Live from Vegas is timely considering that Twain has just announced plans for a farewell US tour and a new album later in the year. Twain is one of the brightest country crossover stars, and one of the rare country artists that has enjoyed huge commercial success here in the UK. We’re hoping she extends her tour to the UK or at the very least performs at C2C: Country To Country in 2016.
