Album Review – Shania Twain’s “Little Miss Twain”

Contemporary Pop Country (#530) with some Classic Country (#510.1) on the Country DDS.

Before we get into the nitty gritty of this album, just understand it in no way comes recommended. Some might say that even broaching a discussion about it is a waste of time or a fool’s errand, and maybe their right. But the last time Shania Twain released an album—2023’s Queen of Me—it received the unenviable score of 1.5/10 here at Saving Country Music. And frankly, that might have been generous and forgiving. It was that bad.

The now 60-year-old Shania Twain is not going to release relevant music at this stage in her career, nor should she try to. On her last album, she seemed to be under some impression that she could rekindle her pop dominance and act half her age, and frankly embarrassed herself in the process, including on the subsequent tour. It’s not easy for an aging country star, and especially a woman. But there is a certain point where any performer is smart to accept reality, embrace their status and be the best version of themselves they can be in this particular season in their life and career.

Does Shania do this on her new album Little Miss Twain? At times she totally does, and it results in the kinds of songs and moments that she could be using to craft her late career output to give her a second wind that forwards her career as a legacy act with dignity. But at other times, she falls back into the habit of wanting to be a young, relevant pop star, even if the stories fleshed out in the songs on this album come from her early life and career.

At times, Twain gets very personal in songs in a way that’s endearing, heartfelt, and honest. But in others, she slips back into a braggadocios boss queen persona that doesn’t exactly work for her in the contemporary context. This album is touted as Shania’s return to her roots. You certain hear that in some tracks, even if Twain’s roots were never truely country. And even when this album really tries to find some quality production, is still beset by the shit filter that’s on her vocal signal and that everything on the album seems to be run through, including overlayering vocal parts that make certain tracks sound excessively muddy.

On the whole though, Little Miss Twain is certainly a course correction for the pop country legend, and soon-to-be (gulp) Hall of Famer. She’s more on track with this moment, and so you want to encourage this direction, not just for Twain, but any older performer trying to find their footing in the contemporary context. There’s almost no programmed tracks or synth on this album. It’s organic, even if not especially country. This album also addresses the aging of music entertainers in a way that’s important to discuss.

Ultimately, Little Miss Twain, just like Shania’s previous record, will not be what she’s remembered for. Even her most devout wine mom fans who will swear this is a masterpiece will nod along when Shania performs a few singles from this album live as they wait for “Any Man of Mine” to come up on the setlist. But what you can take away from the album is that getting more personal and pulling from your own life’s story while trying to be more true to yourself always results in better art, even if like in this case, it’s still considerably mild.


5/10

1. Stranger Things

This song really embodies what the best of late-career Shania Twain could be. It feels very personal with its references to Canada where Shania’s from. The brushes-on-snare make for a great, understated rhythm, while some simple acoustic textures from guitar, fiddle, and strings fill in the rest. Everything else is powered by Shania Twain’s voice and reflective story.

2. Right Time

This song really embodies the worst of what late-career Shania Twain could be. Though the song starts off with a token banjo and a little bit of fiddle, it quickly turns into paltry adult contemporary as the lyrics for the chorus bury any hope for the song to say anything of value.

“Beach hopping, happy, living high as I can
It’s the right time, baby
Sipping cool White Ladies
Dirty olive ‘tini in my bikini on the sand”

The song doesn’t really feel especially “fun,” and is more cringey than anything.

3. Little Miss Twain (feat. Tanya Ticker)

Irrespective of what you might think about her music, Shania Twain might have one of the most compelling origin stories in the history of country music. How it hasn’t been made into a feature-length biopic yet is dumbfounding. Shania overcame incredible hardships—and as this song highlights—lofty expectations. She truly is a rags to riches story, and adding Tanya Tucker into the mix who’s sighted in the lyrics is an extra special treat.

Ultimately though, the idea behind the title track is much better than the execution. Both the writing and the music feel a bit lost. But this reflective perspective of the writing is something that can work well for Shania, and really any older country artist with such a rich history from their own experiences to pull from.

4. Dirty Rosie

Far and away the most pop song on the album and completely vapid, it’s nonetheless important for even the most hardened country critic to understand the point of this song is to be fun and not to be taken too seriously. Approaching “Dirty Rosie” with this in mind, it works. But it would work better for a performer who was about 35 years Twain’s junior as she awkwardly fumbles through the cadence of the rapid-fire rap-like lyrics.


5. Quit My Life

This little moment of escapism will be well-received by Shania fans with its immediately catchy chorus and “devil may care” attitude. This song illustrates how even though these songs were inspired by Twain’s early life, she often tells them from the present perspective, which allows them to appeal to audiences both young and old. Basically this is a disco track with a little harmonica. The horns and backup singers makes for a “more is less” messy listening experience, but not one that’s especially offensive.

6. Problematic

This song is really a great example of how the lack of precision in tones really sets the listening experience back on Little Miss Twain. The acoustic guitar on this song (if that’s what’s making that watery sound) is pure garbage, and the listless, meandering words are not helped along by the attempt to bolster Twain’s vocals with layering. There might be a decent song somewhere here beneath the production, but a lot of wrong choices were made.

7. Scary Little Thing

This isn’t a terrible song for Shania with it’s throwback style and horn section. The song finds a good mood. But like so many of the selections on the album, the excessive vocal layering with latency as opposed to precision between the separate parts throws the rhythm off and makes the song loose what otherwise is a really good groove.

8. I’d Be Loving Me

This throwback R&B-styled song works better than others with really cool vintage almost surf guitar tones, and even a steel guitar coming in at the end. The excessive vocal layering that besets most of the record works better here with the way the backup singers come in separate as opposed to always trying to sing with Shania to bolster what she clearly feels is a weakening voice.

9. Faded Blue Jeans (feat. Josh Homme)

This is a great example of how Shania Twain uses this album to explore moments in her past. It’s a “coming of age” song about a love affair when she was 17, and the disapproval of her parents. The song starts off with a really good vibe, and steers you toward the story. But like happens so often on this album, the vocal layering in the chorus becomes so messy, it just throws off that reminiscent vibe. It’s too frenetic, with the unique tone of the Queen of the Stone Age’s singer getting lost in the busyness, making you question why he’s even here. It would have worked better if they’d added a verse, and had Josh Homme portray Shania’s young love interest.

10. Northern Town

This is one of the best songs on the album, with the specificity in the lyricism really putting you back in the moment that inspired it from Shania Twain’s early years. The song also finds a great mood to meet the reflective aspect of the song. Once again, whatever is going on with the layers upon layers of vocals absolutely buries Shania in the bridge where the song is supposed to hit its emotional peak.

11. That’s The Money

Not a bad song at all that’s not actually about money, but about a young, reckless love painted in shades of grey. The playful banjo, hand claps, and the lyrics that evoke summer make for an easy listen, even if once again the layers of overdubbed vocals make it difficult for the soul of the song to breathe.

12. Down The Middle

This is one of numerous songs from the album that purposefully and distinctly try to set a more vintage mood, driven in large part by the guitar parts and the tone selections. It also succeeds in that effort. You get a cool, almost Nancy Sinatra vibe off the song, and it fits well on Shania.

13. Take It To The River (feat. The Ware And Treaty)

Like so many of the songs on this album, the idea is better than the execution. “Take It To The River” feels like two songs trying to be one, and not just from the rhythm change. Just like the other “feat.” songs, it’s hard to really appreciate the guest vocals since they’re mired in so much overproduction and tertiary singing parts. On the whole though, the song is not bad, and doesn’t entirely fail to find a Gospel-feeling, redemptive moment.

14. New Love

This might be the best song on the entire album no matter your perspective on country music or the career of Shania Twain. For once, the production works and doesn’t get in the way, the acoustic textures and rhythmic action is tight and intentional as opposed to messy and ambiguous. The vocal layering actually serves a purpose as opposed to just trying to cover for Twain’s weakening tone. It’s super catchy, and the only quizzical thing is why this song was placed so far down the track list. One thing that comes across on this album was just how boy crazy early Shania Twain was.

15. Rockstars

This is perhaps the coolest, most important song on the entire album, and it’s also far and away the most ridiculous and poorly produced on a poorly produced album. While avoiding drum programming and synthesizers for most all of this record, for some reason they lean into it for this track. The Pentatonix-style backing vocal approach is laugh-out-loud terrible.

What’s cool about the song is how Shania seems to be exploring the idea of the aging rockstar in a sort of ironic, self-reflective sort of way, spaced in-between what otherwise seem to be vapid throwaway nostalgic lines about underage drinking and oral sex.

We all sway
Like waves in a pop art painting
We all play
The guitar like a rock star aging
On stage
Rock stars never get older
Never get older

There’s something here that Shania is trying to express as a 60-year-old star reflecting back on her 16-year-old self. But like so many opportunities to capture something great on this album, it slips from her grasp due to poor decision making in the studio.