Type: Compilation (best of), Lyrics are included with the album
Genre: Country
Review
Just like the albums her husband/producer Mutt Lange produced for Def Leppard, Shania Twain's albums are designed to generate hit singles for two or three years, which means that each of her blockbuster records -- 1995's The Woman in Me, 1997's Come On Over, 2002's Up! -- already seem like greatest-hits records, since they're filled with huge hits. This makes assembling an actual greatest-hits album a little difficult, since not only is the material overly familiar, but there are so many hits that they're difficult to fit on a single-disc collection. Impressively, 2004's Greatest Hits -- the first compilation Shania has released in her career -- doesn't skimp in either the hits or its actual length. Weighing in at a whopping 21 tracks, it has every big hit from her career, bypassing just a handful of tracks (including anything from her eponymous 1993 debut, plus "God Bless the Child" from 1996 and "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" from 2004), none of which are greatly missed. The collection runs in reverse chronological order, beginning with the ballad "Forever and Always" from Up! then running through hits like "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," "That Don' Impress Me Much," "You're Still the One," "Any Man of Mine" -- all in their most familiar radio mixes, which means pop mixes alternate with country mixes according to the song -- before ending with four new tracks (the gleefully goofy "Party for Two" is featured in two versions, a pop version with Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath and a country version with Billy Currington). Taken as a whole, this is a pretty impressive and consistent body of work -- sure, her hits can be slick, glossy, and silly, but they're infectious, irresistibly catchy, impeccably crafted, and most importantly, still tremendous fun after hundreds of plays. This isn't straight country, but it never pretends that it is. Instead, Twain and Lange poached the catchiest elements from arena rock and adult contemporary pop, peppered it with '90s pop culture references -- anything from bad hair days to Brad Pitt -- and developed a glorious, supersized sound that defined mainstream pop and country for nearly a decade. And, as this wonderful collection proves, Shania's hits not only defined their time, but transcend them, as this Greatest Hits is as fun as pop music can get. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Dan Huff (Guitar (Rhythm)), B.J. Cole (Dobro), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Vocals (Background)), John Barlow Jarvis (Wurlitzer), Biff Watson (Guitar (Acoustic)), Craig White (Assistant Engineer), Terry McMillan (Harmonica), Tony Stanton (Copyist), Ron Reynolds (Engineer), Joe Chemay (Fretless Bass), John Hobbs (Wurlitzer), Jonathan Yudkin (Mandolin), Caitriona Walsh (Orchestra Manager), Larry Byrom (Guitar (Acoustic)), Jonathan Yudkin (Fiddle), Kieran Lynch (Digital Editing), Aubrey Haynie (Fiddle), Larry Franklin (Fiddle), Jonathan Yudkin (Cello), Nick Keca (Clapping), Alex Dixon (Assistant), Bruce Bouton (Pedal Steel), Michael Thompson (Guitar (Electric)), Mike Shipley (Mixing), Brent Mason (Guitar), Dan Huff (Wah Wah Guitar), Shania Twain (Clapping), Arthur Stead (Wurlitzer), Terry McMillan (Harp), Irish Film Orchestra (Strings), Frankie Foye (Hair Stylist), Shania Twain (Vocals), Diamond Duggal (Percussion), Michael Thompson (E-Bow), Simon Duggal (Percussion), Brent Mason (Guitar (Electric)), Dan Huff (Sound Effects), Jeff Lippencott (Copyist), Michael Thompson (Bouzouki), Cory Churko (Digital Editing), Helen Mitchell (Wardrobe), Larry Byrom (Drums (Electric)), Carl Marsh (Strings), Jonathan Yudkin (Violin), Mark Hagan (Assistant Engineer), Bethany Newman (Design), Warren Peterson (Engineer), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Clapping), Bob Bullock (Audio Engineer), Terry McMillan (Stomping), Carl Gorodetzky (Contractor), Sandy Jenkins (Assistant Engineer), Oswald "Wiz" Bowe (Assistant), Rob Degroff (Technical Maintenance), Stuart Duncan (Fiddle), Paul Franklin (Pedal Steel), Carl Marsh (String Arrangements), Brian Masterson (Engineer), Michel Gallone (Technical Assistance), Guido Andreani (Assistant), Biff Watson (Guitar (Rhythm)), Olle Romo (Engineer), Biff Watson (Guitar (Electric)), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Arranger), Nick Keca (Engineer), John Willis (Guitar (Acoustic)), Rob Hajacos (Fiddle), Olle Romo (Programming), Rob Degroff (Assistant), John Willis (Mandolin), Larry Byrom (Slide Guitar), Lynn Peterzell (Mixing), Angelis, Peppe de (Assistant), Susan McCarthy (Make-Up), Billy Crain (Slide Guitar), David Hungate (Bass), Matt Rollings (Piano), Terry Manning (Engineer), Mark McGrath (Vocals), Joe Chemay (Guitar (Bass)), Joe Spivey (Fiddle), Billy Currington (Vocals), Brian Masterson (Audio Engineer), John Hobbs (Organ), Michael Omartian (Piano), Dan Huff (Tic Tac), Dan Huff (Guitar (Electric)), Shania Twain (Vocals (Background)), Dan Huff (Sitar (Electric)), Tim Waters (Assistant Engineer), Gavin Greenaway (String Arrangements), Rob Degroff (Engineer), John Barlow Jarvis (Piano), Wayne Morgan (Assistant Engineer), Bob Bullock (Engineer), Glen Duncan (Fiddle), Terry McMillan (Cowbell), Biff Watson (Guitar (Nylon String)), Robert Charles (Assistant Engineer), Nashville String Machine (Strings), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Producer), Michael Thompson (Slide Guitar), Arthur Stead (Piano), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Audio Production), Dan Huff (6-String Bass), David Hamilton (Strings), John Hughey (Pedal Steel), Michel Gallone (Mixing), Ronn Huff (String Arrangements), Arthur Stead (Organ), John Willis (Bouzouki), Joey Miskulin (Accordion), Dan Huff (Guitar (12 String Electric)), Steve McMillan (Mixing), Mike Carroll (Engineer), Paul Leim (Percussion), Lee Groitzsch (Engineer), Michel Gallone (Assistant), David Hamilton (String Arrangements), Arthur Stead (Organ), Bethany Newman (Art Direction), Shania Twain (Vocal Harmony), Jeff Balding (Engineer), Taketo Gohara (Assistant), Paul Leim (Drums), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Paul Franklin (Pedabro), Joe Chemay (Bass (Electric)), Dan Huff (Talk Box), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Vocal Harmony), Dan Huff (Guitar), John Willis (Banjo), Simon Pressey (Assistant), B.J. Cole (Pedal Steel)
