We have loved Country music icon, Shania Twain for decades, ever since she and her ex-husband, Robert John “Mutt” Lange came on the Country music scene as a dynamic duo. She is known to go on a hiatus but this one may have been provoked by personal issues.
In the Netflix documentary, Not Just A Girl, Twain talked about losing her voice, after having numerous surgeries, misdiagnoses, and working with multiple doctors before getting the correct diagnosis of Lyme disease. During this period, she even considered quitting singing because of the difficulties but received encouragement from music legends like Lionel Ritchie and David Foster.
Fortunately for her fans, Shania Twain succumbed to the urge to get back on the horse–speaking of horses, it was a horseback riding accident that initiated the plentiful surgeries–and gift us, Queen of Me.
Her latest album, released on February 3rd, is more of the sound we know and love Shania for, which is satisfying, considering she no longer has her longtime writing and producing partner, Mutt Lange. Queen of Me has twelve new tracks–a mix of uptempo and ballads–that hint at the turmoil in her previous marriage, without getting too bitter and vengeful. This album is a grown woman’s Taylor Swift breakup album. Twain acknowledges the demise of her first marriage, takes some digs at her ex, but does not dwell on it, leaving her friends embarrassed for her.
Twain, or her record label, knew what they were doing when they limited this album to twelve tracks, with under forty minutes listening time: there’s enough music to satisfy your Country palette, while leaving you wanting more. She gives you different vibes without feeling like you’re on a dizzying, musical rollercoaster. Her writing is solid and the instrumentation blends in with the rest of her discography, leaving no one distinguishing between the Mutt Lange vs. post breakup, Shania Twain.
If I were to gripe about anything, it would be her voice. Of course, Shania was never trying to be Whitney Houston still, the voice we know and love is something–we the fans–have to memorialize. I know medical reasons attributed to the change, so I won’t harp on the Country diva, but it is notable. Although, the difference is not bad, she is raspier, and doesn’t have a strong enough voice for ballads but she pulls it off, in her own way.
I would recommend Queen of Me to long time Twain fans and music fans who are new to Shania Twain’s style of Country. I listened to this album on Hoopla but it is available, wherever you purchase and listen to music. 
Junkie 4 A Story 