Type: Lyrics are included with the album, Compilation (best of)
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
Matt Rollings (Piano), Terry Manning (Engineer), Glen Duncan (Fiddle), Ronn Huff (String Arrangements), Joe Chemay (Bass (Electric)), Joe Chemay (Fretless Bass), Shania Twain (Vocals (Background)), Shania Twain (Clapping), Shania Twain (Vocal Harmony), Jeff Balding (Engineer), Bruce Bouton (Pedal Steel), Bob Bullock (Engineer), Larry Byrom (Guitar (Acoustic)), Larry Byrom (Slide Guitar), Larry Byrom (Electric Drums), Robert Charles (Assistant Engineer), B.J. Cole (Dobro), B.J. Cole (Pedal Steel), Billy Crain (Slide Guitar), Stuart Duncan (Fiddle), Larry Franklin (Fiddle), Paul Franklin (Pedal Steel), Paul Franklin (Pedabro), Carl Gorodetzky (Contractor), Rob Hajacos (Fiddle), John Hobbs (Organ), John Hobbs (Wurlitzer), John Hughey (Pedal Steel), David Hungate (Bass), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Arranger), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Vocals (Background)), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Producer), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Clapping), Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Vocal Harmony), Paul Leim (Percussion), Paul Leim (Drums), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Carl Marsh (Strings), Carl Marsh (String Arrangements), Brent Mason (Guitar), Brent Mason (Guitar (Electric)), Brian Masterson (Engineer), Terry McMillan (Harmonica), Terry McMillan (Harp), Terry McMillan (Cowbell), Terry McMillan (Stomping), Joey Miskulin (Accordion), Wayne Morgan (Assistant Engineer), Nashville String Machine (Strings), Michael Omartian (Piano), Warren Peterson (Engineer), Lynn Peterzell (Mixing), Simon Pressey (Assistant), Ron Reynolds (Engineer), Olle Romo (Programming), Olle Romo (Engineer), Mike Shipley (Mixing), Joe Spivey (Fiddle), Tony Stanton (Copyist), Arthur Stead (Organ), Arthur Stead (Piano), Arthur Stead (Wurlitzer), Biff Watson (Guitar (Acoustic)), Biff Watson (Guitar (Electric)), Biff Watson (Guitar (Rhythm)), Biff Watson (Guitar (Nylon String)), Craig White (Assistant Engineer), John Willis (Guitar (Acoustic)), John Willis (Banjo), John Willis (Bouzouki), John Willis (Mandolin), Jonathan Yudkin (Fiddle), Jonathan Yudkin (Mandolin), Jonathan Yudkin (Violin), Jonathan Yudkin (Cello), Aubrey Haynie (Fiddle), Nick Keca (Engineer), Nick Keca (Clapping), John Barlow Jarvis (Piano), John Barlow Jarvis (Wurlitzer), Jeff Lippencott (Copyist), Steve McMillan (Mixing), Tim Waters (Assistant Engineer), Sandy Jenkins (Assistant Engineer), Lee Groitzsch (Engineer), Oswald "Wiz" Bowe (Assistant), Rob Degroff (Engineer), Rob Degroff (Assistant), Rob Degroff (Technical Maintenance), Frankie Foye (Hair Stylist), Gavin Greenaway (String Arrangements), Mark Hagan (Assistant Engineer), David Hamilton (Strings), David Hamilton (String Arrangements), Alex Dixon (Assistant), Helen Mitchell (Wardrobe), Irish Film Orchestra (Strings), Cory Churko (Digital Editing), Michel Gallone (Mixing), Michel Gallone (Technical Assistance), Michel Gallone (Assistant), Mike Carroll (Engineer), Guido Andreani (Assistant), Kieran Lynch (Digital Editing), Dan Huff (Guitar), Dan Huff (Guitar (Electric)), Dan Huff (Guitar (Rhythm)), Dan Huff (Sound Effects), Dan Huff (Sitar (Electric)), Dan Huff (Talk Box), Dan Huff (6-String Bass), Dan Huff (Wah Wah Guitar), Dan Huff (Tic Tac), Dan Huff (Guitar (12 String Electric)), Taketo Gohara (Assistant), Bethany Newman (Art Direction), Bethany Newman (Design), Angelis, Peppe de (Assistant), Diamond Duggal (Percussion), Susan McCarthy (Make-Up), Caitriona Walsh (Orchestra Manager), Simon Duggal (Percussion)
