Comments on: How Very Nineties: Women Who Can Actually Sing, Part Two

By: Jake

Jake — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:59:05 +0000

I think it was smart of her not to tour for The Woamn In Me. First of all she didn’t have to cause it was selling so well and it gave her more time to record Come On Over. I’m suprised more artists didn’t do what she did and not have a tour for every album.

By: Kevin John Coyne

Kevin John Coyne — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:30:42 +0000

She toured heavily in support of her first album, and did world tours for albums three and four. She got the reputation for not touring because she didn’t go out in support of The Woman In Me, which fueled rumors that she was a studio creation.

She doesn’t do the normal never-ending country tour. She follows the “release an album then do a big tour in support of it” model that’s used in pop and rock.

By: Dan Milliken

Dan Milliken — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:25:48 +0000

I’ll be fascinated to see what and how she does without Mutt. There’s no doubt that she can write, but I don’t know where she’s going to find another producer as ingenious. I’ll be disappointed if she turns to a Nashville standby and starts sounding exactly everyone else.

By: Erik North

Erik North — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:31:22 +0000

In some ways, I’m inclined to believe that Shania has had to tailor a lot of her songs, at least those that got released as hits and videos, to country radio; and while that may have been a good thing financially, I think it has stifled a fair amount of her creative and vocal potential. Whether she does pop-oriented stuff or neo-traditional material, the whole crux of the matter is that it’s got to be real. If Shania does mount a comeback, and manages to balance the demands of country radio with her own personal sensibilities (admittedly not an easy thing to do), you could be looking at a 25-30 year career (IMHO).

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:27:57 +0000

No, I think it’s a sign of someone who doesn’t make touring a priority in her life.

By: Hard Times

Hard Times — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:09:15 +0000

Interesting choice.

I’ve never thought of her as having a strong voice, perhaps because she tours so infrequently. That’s usually a sign that studio technicians are helping out a lot.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:59:51 +0000

Kevin,
That’s how I’d describe her voice too. I like her voice and she can obviously carry a tune, which is better than we’re getting from some female singers these days. As others have said, she does well with choosing songs that fit her range.

By: Kevin John Coyne

Kevin John Coyne — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:21:01 +0000

As a vocalist, I put her in the same category as Kenny Rogers. Limited range, but distinctive and ideal for listeners to sing along to.

By: K

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:35:00 +0000

I may be in the minority, but I never thought Shania had anything more than an average voice.
Even in some of the above videos, she seems to struggle to reach beyond her somewhat limited range and relam of hits.

That said, she does have a knack for recording songs that fit her persona and voice well- I’ve always thought her knack creating catchy, polished songs was the biggest part of her appeal; I would argue her enormous popularity has little to do with her vocals, and more with her persona as a performer, and knack for creating universally-appealing pop songs.

By: Ben Foster

Ben Foster — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:02:17 +0000

I will always have a soft spot for Shania. I know that she did take a lot of flak for her country-pop style, but her overall style was very diverse. The songs from “Up!” and “Come On Over” were pretty poppy, but songs from “The Woman In Me” as well as her little-heard debut album were VERY country, some even bordering on neotraditionalism. In the later years of her career, she returned to her roots with fun country shuffles like “I Ain’t No Quitter.” But even she was singing country-pop, she still did it better than most, because the production was still kept simple. It was never so bombastic that she had to struggle to be heard. I really wish Carrie Underwood, and sometimes even Miranda Lambert, would take a page out of Shania’s book and tone it down a little.