Album Review: Shania Twain-Come on Over
Part 1
Artist: Shania Twain
Album: Come on Over
Year: November 4, 1997
Label: Mercury
Producer: Robert John Range
Musicians: Shania Twain
Track Listings:
- Love Gets Me Every Time
- Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)
- You’re Still The One
- From This Moment On
- When
- Honey, I’m Home
- That Don’t Impress Me Much
- Man! I Feel Like a Woman
- You’ve Got a Way
- Come on Over
- Rock This Country
- I’m Holding On To Love (To Save My Life)
- Whatever You Do. Don’t
- If You Wanna Touch Her, Ask!
- Black Eyes, Blue Tears
- I Won’t Leave You Lonely
Chart Position:
- Grammy Award for Best Country Music- Year 1999
- Juno Award for International Album of the Year- Year 1999
- Billboard Music Award for Top Country Album- Year 1998, 2000
- Academy of Country Music Award for Album of the Year- Year 1998
- Juno Award for Album of the Year- Year 1998
- American Music Award for Favorite Album Country- Year 1999
- Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year- Year 1998
- Billboard Music Award for Top Billboard 200 Album- Year 2000
- Grammy Award For Album of the Year- Year 2000
- American Music Award for Favorite Album Pop/Rock- Year 1999
- NRJ Music Award for International Album of the Year- Year 2001
Part 2
Importance of the Album in the Career of the Artist
The album Come On Over received positive reviews from listeners of contemporary music. Specifically, Come On Over was praised for breaking free of traditional country music style. For example, Come On Over was free of musical brevity and an obvious honkey-tonk appearance. Moreover, Shania Twain was creative with the album. The majority of the tracks exhibit a substantial pop and rock appeal as much as the country appeal. Thus, the collection assisted Shania Twain to attract pop and rock music fans across the globe. Additionally, the brilliant fusion of pop, rock, and country promoted and solidified Shania Twain’s music legacy (“Billboard”). The album received much publicity for incorporating a significant rock influence without losing its country appeal. As indicated by the “Billboard,” the album Come On Over pushed the boundaries for the artist both in musical and visual sense. Some of the videos became instantly iconic as much as the track they accompanied, For example, the leopard print cloak in the song That Don’t Impress Me Much.
Commercial Performance
The album Cone On Over topped the list for #1 country album in four consecutive years 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. Additionally, unlike the majority of country albums, Come On Over has 40 singles. Come On Over records 20 million album sales in the U.S alone (Peoples n.d). Moreover, the album records 479 million spins and 3.8 million artist stations. Besides, the album comes second as the bestselling album of the Nielsen SoundScan era in the U.S. The commercial success of the album has a lasting imprint on country music.
Characteristic of the Album
Come On Over is a fusion of rock, pop, and country. The majority of the tracks are in a happy major key. The album is characterized by rich and explosive sound. The album exhibits subtle use of vocal harmony. The tracks in the album have romantic lyrics. The artist employed multi-layers and overall studio productions. Besides, the recordings have a mix of acoustic (Peoples n.d). In other words, Twain integrated rhythm guitar, electric instrumentation, and electronica influences.
Part 3
The album Come On Over reflects less fun and love. Songs like I’m Holding On to Love and I Won’t Leave You Lonely, exhibit the feelings of a loneliness seeking love. In addition, tracks like That Don’t Impress Me Much, Whatever You Do Don’t! and If You Wanna Love Her, Ask Her! reflect a season of isolation where one just needs to be left alone to enjoy their space. Moreover, tracks such as You’re Still The One, Honey I’m Home, and From This Moment On glorify love and romantic relationships. In that light, the album covers all types of songs that a listener can enjoy during different seasons, for example, lonely seasons, sad seasons, and happy seasons. The majority of the tracks in the albums are in a joyful major key. The album is characterized by rich and explosive sound. The album exhibits subtle use of vocal harmony. The tracks in the album have romantic lyrics. The artist employed multi-layers and overall studio productions. Besides, the recordings have a mix of acoustic (Peoples n.d). In other words, Twain integrated rhythm guitar, electric instrumentation, and electronica influences. Thus, overall, based on the research, the album records the best female artist, the best country music albums, both commercially and in the music perspective.
Yes, the album meets my expectations. Firstly, the album is free of musical brevity and an obvious honkey-tonk image poplar for country music. Secondly, the album encompasses a brilliant fusion of pop, rock, and country that brings out excellent sound and musical (“Billboard”). Thirdly, the romantic lyrics are well coded for a person who is a fan of romantic songs. The rich and explosives sounds match well with the characteristics of country music.
The track You’re Still The One made a stronger impression. The song is less country and more pop. The song is based on the true story of Twain romantic relationship and marriage with her husband. As noted by Robinson (35), the music encompasses harmonic dictation. Also, the track reflects tonic and subdominant prolongation. The music has no sad or minor key. In addition, the song has strong vocals than any other song in the album.
Works Cited
Billboard. Shania Twain’s ‘Come On Over’ Turns 20: The Singer Reflects on Going From Country Sweetheart to Best-Selling Pop Superstar. Billboard, November 2, 2017. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/8022830/shania-twain-come-on-over-20th-anniversary-interview. Accessed May 30, 2020.
Peoples Glenn. Why Shania Twain’s Come On Over Sold Over 20 Million Copies. Medium, November 2, 2017. https://medium.com/@glennpeoples/why-shania-twains-come-on-over-sold-over-20-million-copies-8654b6011a8b. Accessed May 30, 2020.
Robinson, Thomas. Popular Music Theory and Analysis: A Research and Information Guide. New York: Routledge. Print. 2017.