Twain's goal: to please all of the people, all the time

NEW YORK — Shania Twain is probably the most user-friendly musician on the planet right now.

Everything about her current album, "Up!" is genetically engineered to please as many people as possible, particularly the unprecedented decision to record three different versions of each song to appeal to different tastes.

And, oh, how it's succeeding. Twain's album has topped Billboard's album chart for the month it has been out, racking up more than 2 million in sales in the United States alone during the most important stretch of the year for retailers.

She's left other big-name divas with new music — Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill — in the dust. Only Eminem is her equal as the most popular figure in music.

"I think only what the public thinks," Twain said. "If they don't like my music, why should I bother making it? I make music for the fans. I record music commercially because I'm making it for them to listen to."

With her husband, record producer Robert John (Mutt) Lange, Twain has crafted an insanely catchy album of anthems. Many musicians write personal songs in the hope that others can relate; Twain leaves out the personal and tries strictly for the universal.

"Up!" includes a couple of life-gets-better songs, a couple of wildly-in-love songs and several everywoman songs: putting up a brave face because her man has left, commiserating with a sad single, and taunting an old boyfriend who wants to get back together.

She may also be the first to hook into a societal trend — women who max out on their credit cards because they can't resist Sunday at the mall — and turn it into a song.

"We all understand what we have in common with the people around us," she said. "What I do is put that into songs. Part of the fun for me, the kick, is that I'm able to relate to the public."

Her last two albums both sold more than 10 million copies, and there's little reason to believe "Up!" won't do the same.

The chief knock on Twain is that her music is soulless, that true emotion is sacrificed in the effort to be popular. In other words, her songs are fast-food hamburgers instead of steakhouse filets.

Twain's not buying it.