She has an impressive acting resume in both TV and feature films, is an honoured philanthropist and has written several books.

But at home, the recognition she deserves is in question.

"Mom, how come your name is so big and ours is so little?" asked Reba's nine-year-old son, Shelby, when he first saw his mother's Christmas CD Secret of Giving -- and the credit he and his fellow classmates got for singing on the track The Angels Sang.

"I told him: 'Y'all are the background singers and I'm the lead singer and that's the way it usually is,' " Reba laughs, while talking to the Sun in a phone interview.

The country superstar is proud to say Shelby was pleased with another cut on the album -- I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus.

Reba does a sweet introduction that uses her son's name in a description of the youngster sneaking down with his teddy bear to catch his mother snuggling with Santa.

"Shelby was so flattered that I did that. It's one of his favourite songs."

Though the Secret of Giving is still on the new release shelf in stores, Reba fans can also look forward to a new studio release on Nov. 23 -- So Good Together.

The first single/video, What Do You Say, is a touching song dealing with not having the right words and biting your tongue.

With the years of success that Reba has enjoyed, it's difficult to imagine her ever not speaking her mind, or knowing just the right words to say in any given situation.

"Hey, I'm a redhead," she notes. "I'm a very blunt person ... but thank goodness my edit button is working.

"There's an old saying that goes: 'Be sure to chew your words before you spit them out, or they may be hard to swallow.'

"So I think about things for a long time, but I'm not a procrastinator -- I don't put it off for that long," says Reba, 45.

As an example, she recalls a time in 1984 and a booking agency and manager who wouldn't listen to her requests for a change in procedure when it came to booking her gigs.

"They all looked at me like I'd grown three heads out of my shoulders ... In 1987, I fired the manager and left the booking agency.

"So if you've got a good idea, be patient and get it your way."

Reba also doesn't activate her edit button when it comes to her feelings about presenting Shania Twain with the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award in September.

"I was thrilled the Dixie Chicks and Shania were up for entertainer and I was going to present. I was hoping one of the girls would win," says Reba, who was the last woman to win the top country prize.

"So when I opened that envelope and saw her name, I was so emotional. There was so much I wanted to say and I couldn't get it out."

It was a touching moment in the award show and one the two superstars have talked about since.

"Shania said something really nice to me. She said: 'You presenting me that award was greater than me getting that award.'

"Isn't that sweet?" beams Reba, a long-time supporter of the Canadian star, who has been criticized for being too pop or too sexy. "It hurt my feelings that the industry wasn't behind Shania because she's done so much for the country music industry and the music industry in general.

"So I've apologized to her for the country music business, because I don't think they treated her right," states Reba. "(The award) should have been a lot sooner."

Though it's obvious Reba knows how to speak her mind, she admits there are times she hasn't known the right words to say.

Most recently, she didn't know what to say to fellow country star Garth Brooks during his recent loss.

"When Garth Brooks' mother passed away, I wrote him a note and said: 'Garth I don't have any words of wisdom or anything, except my heart goes out to you. And I'm here for you if you need me.' "

While recording So Good Together, Reba worked around some interesting emotions.

She used three producers for the project and each brought her very different songs.

"David Malloy is a bachelor and had brought songs to the table that were interesting and fun that way.

"Tony Brown, who I've worked with since 1990, had just gotten married, so he was totally in love and into romantic songs from the heart.

"And Keith Stegall was going through a divorce, so his were the most sad and heart-wrenching songs I've ever sung."

Dealing with varied emotions was great practice for her role in the feature film One Night at McCools.

The feature, which should be released next fall, has Reba playing a psychologist, whose patients include Paul Reiser.

"Michael Douglas and I play confidantes to these three guys (Reiser, John Goodman and Matt Dillon) who are all in love with Liv Tyler. They're telling us their story -- this woman is driving them all crazy and they don't know what to do."

Her film involvement was complete in just a couple of days. But if you want to see her really sink her teeth into a role, you're in luck. Reba stars and executive-produces a CBS TV movie Secret of Giving -- the same title as her Christmas album -- on Nov. 25.

"Acting is a huge challenge for me," she says.

"It's totally different from music -- working with a new producer, director and actors every time I go to a movie set. So it's very different from my music because I work pretty much in the same studio with the same producers most of the time, or at least if I haven't worked with them, I know them."