Queen of Me | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 3, 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:20 | |||
Label | Republic | |||
Producer |
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Shania Twain chronology | ||||
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Singles from Queen of Me | ||||
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Queen of Me is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Shania Twain. The album was released on February 3, 2023, by Republic Records. It is her first album since Now (2017), and is her first to not be released with her previous label of 29 years, Mercury Nashville. The album was promoted with the release of two singles and a promotional single: "Waking Up Dreaming", "Last Day of Summer", and "Giddy Up!". Commercially, the album became her third number one album in the United Kingdom, and entered the top ten in Canada, Switzerland, Australia and the United States. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
After releasing the compilation album Greatest Hits in 2004, Twain released the single "Shoes" for the soundtrack to the television series Desperate Housewives . Later, experiencing the breakdown of her marriage, Twain divorced her longtime husband and songwriting partner, music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, in 2008. She remarried to Frédéric Thiébaud, the husband of her former best friend, in 2011. The same year, she released the promotional single "Today Is Your Day", which had a moderate impact on the charts.
Twain underwent vocal therapy after being diagnosed with dysphonia and Lyme disease, which caused her to nearly lose her singing voice; [7] after which she embarked on a concert tour and Las Vegas residency before releasing Now in 2017. The album reached #1 in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. Twain then embarked on the successful Now Tour as well as her second Las Vegas residency, Let's Go!.
Twain released a Netflix documentary, Not Just a Girl which documented her career to date as well as documenting some of the recording for her sixth studio album. Tracks previewed in the documentary include "Inhale/Exhale Air" and "Queen of Me".
Twain released "Waking Up Dreaming", the album's lead single on September 23, 2022, following its premiere on BBC Radio 2. A music video for the song, directed by Isaac Rentz, was released on the same day.
"Last Day of Summer", co-written with Jack Savoretti was released as the album's first promotional single on October 28, 2022, along with a lyric video.
The second single, "Giddy Up!" was released on January 5, 2023. [8]
On October 28, 2022, she announced that she will embark on her Queen of Me Tour to promote the album, which is scheduled to begin in Spokane on April 28, 2023, and will end on November 14, in Vancouver, encompassing 76 dates. [9] [10]
On December 5, 2022, Twain performed the lead single, "Waking Up Dreaming" during a medley of her hits at the 48th People's Choice Awards. [11] She later performed it on the British Television Talent Series Starstruck on April 1, 2023. [12]
Twain also promoted the album through her appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 5, 2023, [13] and The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Late Late Show with James Corden on February 2, 2023. [14] [15]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 61/100 [16] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [17] |
Evening Standard | [18] |
Idobi Radio | A [19] |
Irish Examiner | [20] |
The Irish News | 8/10 [21] |
The Line of Best Fit | 6/10 [22] |
Pitchfork | 5.2/10 [23] |
Riff Magazine | 9/10 [24] |
The Sydney Morning Herald | [25] |
The Telegraph | [26] |
On review aggregator Metacritic, Queen of Me received a score of 61 out of 100 based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [16] Imy Brighty-Potts of The Irish News wrote that "the record is a tour of all the best country sounds and tropes climbing the charts over the past few years – with Shania delivering powerful vocals despite undergoing open-throat surgery a few years ago." [21] According to Ed Power of the Irish Examiner , "the 'Shania-issance' is in full swing", describing the album as "unashamedly pop" yet "Twain’s country roots are not entirely obscured". [20] Allison Hussey of Pitchfork described the album as "a dozen tracks of optimistic affirmations and pumping electro-pop rhythms", but found the material "ill-suited to Twain's voice" and the lyrics rife with "forcibly modern idioms", concluding that Queen of Me "tries so hard to capture current trends that it already sounds behind the times". [23] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country summarized that the album "feasts on contagious hooks and repetition", [27] while Jon Freeman of Rolling Stone defined it as "an uplifting statement about being your own champion in the present". [28] Annabel Ross of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that Twain is "back to her poppy, peppy self... maintaining an upbeat vibe throughout." [25] Piper Westrom of Riff Magazine wrote, "Queen of Me is everything fans of Shania Twain could hope for. At the same time, it's a perfect introduction for anyone who's not heard her to this point. Twain is making music that is fun, and she is having fun doing it." [24]
In a more critical review of the album for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine claimed that, "There's no question that she's game -- she throws herself into the songs, not hesitating when "Pretty Liar" calls for her to curse—and her spirits are so high they nearly counter the cacophonic cheer of the production. Nevertheless, the end results feel curiously constrained, as if Twain was dancing in front of a mirror instead of underneath a mirrorball." [17]
In Canada, Queen of Me debuted at number two on the Canadian Album Chart, becoming her sixth top-ten album on the chart and seventh overall in the country.
In the United States, the album debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200, earning 38,000 equivalent album units, with 34,000 of those being album sales, becoming Twain's sixth top-ten album in the country. She joins Madonna as the only women with newly-charting Billboard 200 top 10s in the 1990s, 2000s, ’10s and ’20s (Madonna's streak also includes the ’80s). [29] The album also debuted on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart at No. 2, earning Twain her seventh top-five entry on the chart. [30]
In the United Kingdom, Queen of Me debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, becoming her third number one album in the country. Elsewhere, Queen of Me peaked within the top five in Australia and Switzerland, and charted in seven additional countries.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Giddy Up!" |
| Stewart | 2:42 |
2. | "Brand New" |
|
| 2:33 |
3. | "Waking Up Dreaming" |
| Stewart | 3:18 |
4. | "Best Friend" |
|
| 2:39 |
5. | "Pretty Liar" |
|
| 2:39 |
6. | "Inhale/Exhale AIR" |
| Ralph | 3:18 |
7. | "Last Day of Summer" |
| Ralph | 3:10 |
8. | "Queen of Me" |
| Messinger | 2:58 |
9. | "Got It Good" |
| Ralph | 2:53 |
10. | "Number One" |
|
| 3:21 |
11. | "Not Just a Girl" |
| Ralph | 3:10 |
12. | "The Hardest Stone" |
|
| 3:39 |
Total length: | 36:20 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "On Three" | Twain |
| 2:39 |
14. | "Done & Dusted" | Twain | Dave Cobb | 2:58 |
Total length: | 41:57 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Bone Dry" |
|
| 3:25 |
14. | "Wanted Man" | Twain | Twain | 2:46 |
15. | "Inhale/Exhale AIR" (featuring Breland) | Ralph | 3:19 | |
16. | "Queen of Me" (acoustic version) | Ralph | 2:34 | |
17. | "Giddy Up!" (Malibu Babie remix) |
| 2:44 | |
Total length: | 51:16 |
Notes
Performance
Production
Other personnel
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [34] | 5 |
Australian Country Albums (ARIA) [35] | 1 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [36] | 19 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [37] | 26 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [38] | 23 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [39] | 2 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [40] | 53 |
French Albums (SNEP) [41] | 96 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [42] | 13 |
Irish Albums (OCC) [43] | 15 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [44] | 1 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [45] | 77 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [46] | 2 |
UK Albums (OCC) [47] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [48] | 10 |
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [49] | 2 |
Chart (2023) | Position |
---|---|
Australian Country Albums (ARIA) [50] | 34 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [51] | 189 |
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [52] | 78 |
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. Her success garnered her several titles, including the "Queen of Country Pop". Billboard named her as the leader of the '90s country-pop crossover stars.
Up! is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 19, 2002, by Mercury Nashville. Three versions of the album were released: a pop version, a country version, and a version in the style of Indian film music. The album was heavily hyped by the media due to it being Twain's follow-up to her monstrous 1997 studio album Come On Over.
Come On Over is the third studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain. Mercury Records in North America released it on November 4, 1997. Similar to her work on its predecessor, The Woman in Me (1995), Twain entirely collaborated with producer and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. With both having busy schedules, they often wrote apart and later intertwined their ideas. Twain wanted to improve her songwriting skills and write a conversational album reflecting her personality and beliefs. The resulting songs explore themes of romance and female empowerment, addressed with humor.
The Woman in Me is the second studio album by Canadian country singer-songwriter Shania Twain and her first to be produced by long-time collaborator and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Released on February 7, 1995, it went on to become her biggest-selling recording at the time, selling 4 million copies by the end of the year, and was eventually certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA on December 1, 2000, for 12 million shipments throughout the United States. The album has sold an estimated 20 million copies worldwide. It was ranked number 8 on CMT's list of 40 Greatest Albums in Country Music in 2006. The album is credited with having influenced the sound of contemporary country music. Eight singles were released from the album for its promotion, including "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?", "Any Man of Mine", "(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!" and "You Win My Love", with each accompanied by a music video.
Shania Twain is the eponymous debut studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain, released on April 20, 1993, by Polygram and Mercury Records. After assembling a demo tape to send to labels, Mercury Nashville took an interest and signed her a contract. Unlike her later albums, Twain had very little input on the album.
A New Day Has Come is the eighteenth studio album and seventh English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music on 22 March 2002. It was her first new studio album since her 1998 Christmas album These Are Special Times. Dion returned to the music scene after a two-year hiatus when she gave birth to her first child in 2001. She collaborated on A New Day Has Come with various producers, including Anders Bagge and Peer Åström for the first time.
All the Way... A Decade of Song is the first English-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. Released by Sony Music on 12 November 1999, it features nine previously released songs on most editions and seven new recordings on all editions. Dion worked on new tracks mainly with David Foster. Other producers include Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, James Horner, and Matt Serletic. It is the best-selling greatest hits album in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. All the Way... A Decade of Song has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, including over nine million in the United States, five million in Europe, two million in Japan and one million units in Canada.
Let's Talk About Love is the fifteenth studio album and fifth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 14 November 1997 by Sony Music. The follow-up to the commercially successful Falling into You (1996), Let's Talk About Love showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project, she collaborated with Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti, Carole King, George Martin, Diana King, Brownstone, Corey Hart, and her previous producers: David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, and Jim Steinman. The album includes Dion's biggest hit, "My Heart Will Go On". Written by James Horner and Will Jennings and serving as the love theme for James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film, Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On" topped the charts around the world and is considered to be Dion's signature song.
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by Canadian country-pop singer Shania Twain, released on November 8, 2004, by Mercury Nashville. The album contains seventeen of Twain's top ten hits, including all of her seven number one hits on the Hot Country Songs. Excluded from the track list is Twain's self-titled debut album, of which no songs were included. Some songs are included in their pop versions such as "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!".
Cry is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Faith Hill. It was released October 15, 2002, via Warner Bros. Nashville. The album was Hill's attempt at expanding her crossover appeal following the success of singles like "Breathe", "The Way You Love Me", and "There You'll Be". Hill co-produced the album along with Marti Frederiksen, Byron Gallimore, and Dann Huff.
"You're Still the One" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain for her third studio album Come On Over (1997). The song was inspired by criticism of Twain's relationship with her then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and depicts her celebrating their marriage despite the difficulties and differences between the two. Written by Twain and Lange, it is a piano-driven country pop ballad incorporating guitar, organ, and mandolin. Mercury Records released "You're Still the One" to U.S. contemporary hit radio stations on January 13, 1998, as the album's first pop radio single. The song was later serviced to U.S. country radio stations as the third single from Come On Over on February 13, 1998.
Canadian singer Shania Twain has released six studio albums, three compilation albums, three remix albums, one box set, two live albums, 45 singles, 38 music videos, six promotional singles, and made six guest appearances. Twain's repertoire has sold over 34 million albums in the United States alone, placing her as the top-selling female artist in country music. Moreover, with 48 million copies shipped, she is ranked as the 26th best-selling artist overall in the US, tying with Kenny G for the spot. She is also recognized as one of the best-selling music artists in history, selling over 100 million records worldwide and thus becoming the top-selling female artist in country music ever.
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain from her third studio album, Come On Over (1997). Written by Twain and her longtime collaborator and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who also produced the track, the song was released first to North American country radio stations in March 1999 as the eighth single from the album, and it was released worldwide later the same year. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a country pop song with lyrics about female empowerment and remains one of Twain's biggest hits worldwide.
"That Don't Impress Me Much" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released in December 1998 as the sixth country single, and seventh single overall, from her third studio album, Come On Over (1997). It was third to pop and fourth to international markets. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain, and was originally released to North American country radio stations in late 1998. It became her third biggest single on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of Twain's biggest hits worldwide.
My Love: Essential Collection is the third English-language greatest hits album by Canadian recording artist Celine Dion. It was released by Columbia Records on 24 October 2008 as the follow-up to her previous English-language compilation, All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999). In the album's liner notes, she dedicated this collection of songs, recorded between 1990 and 2008, to her fans who supported her throughout the years. My Love: Essential Collection was released as a single disc, consisting of Dion's most successful singles, including: "My Heart Will Go On", "Because You Loved Me", "The Power of Love" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". The two-disc edition, entitled My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection, has been further expanded to include more hits and rare songs that have not previously appeared on her albums. Both editions include one new track, "There Comes a Time". The album wasn't released in Japan because Sony Music Entertainment decided to issue a different compilation there, Complete Best.
This One's for You is the debut studio album by American country music artist Luke Combs. It was released on June 2, 2017 through River House Artist and Columbia Nashville. It was No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart for 50 weeks, a record for a male artist on this chart. The album includes the singles "Hurricane", "When It Rains It Pours", and "One Number Away". A deluxe reissue titled This One's for You Too was released June 1, 2018, and featured five new tracks to commemorate the album's first anniversary. Two of these tracks, "She Got the Best of Me" and "Beautiful Crazy", were also issued as singles.
Now is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Shania Twain and her first in 15 years. It was released on September 29, 2017 by Mercury Nashville. The album was produced by Twain alongside Ron Aniello, Jake Gosling, Jacquire King and Matthew Koma. Following a severely weakened singing voice caused by Lyme disease and dysphonia, Twain took an indefinite hiatus from music beginning in the mid-2000s, and at one point was unsure if she would ever be able to sing again. Following intense vocal rehabilitation and a successful concert residency in Las Vegas, Shania: Still the One, she began planning a new studio album in 2013. Written solely by Twain, Now is her first studio album in which she assumed an integral role in its production, co-producing every track. It is also Twain's first album since her 1995 album The Woman in Me to not be co-written with or produced by her ex-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange.
Younger Now is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus. It was released on September 29, 2017, by RCA Records. Cyrus began planning a commercial follow-up record to her fourth studio album Bangerz (2013) while simultaneously making her experimental fifth studio album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015), although later became influenced by her reconciliation with fiancé Liam Hemsworth in 2016. Younger Now was written and produced by Cyrus and Oren Yoel, with whom she had collaborated on her previous two full-lengths. Not concerning herself with radio airplay, their efforts resulted in an "honest" final product that sees Cyrus "leaning into her roots." It features guest vocals from singer Dolly Parton, Cyrus' godmother. Musically, it is a country pop and pop rock record.
Tell Me You Love Me is the sixth studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on September 29, 2017, by Island, Hollywood, and Safehouse Records. The album serves as her final project to be released through Hollywood Records, with whom she released six studio albums. Primarily a pop record, the album also incorporates elements of R&B. Lovato described the album as having a more "soulful" side than her previous work, and named Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklin, and Kehlani as its major influences. Contributions to the album's production came from several producers, including Mitch Allan, David Massey, Oak Felder, Stint, and John Hill.
Not Just a Girl (The Highlights) is a compilation album by Shania Twain. It was first released digitally on July 26, 2022, before receiving a physical CD release on September 2, 2022. The digital release coincides with the Netflix documentary spanning Twain's music career, Not Just a Girl. The album contains one new track, the title track, and 17 previously released singles from Twain's five studio albums. The title track was later included on her sixth studio album Queen of Me.