Shakira Album: “She Wolf”

Shakira is not only one of the best pop artists in modern music, even better she is an intelligent, compassionate, creative individual who is unafraid to pursue her own vision despite anyone's expectations. She Wolf is one of her best albums, full of consistently beautiful and uplifting music.

A note to the She Wolf haters: did you somehow mistake Laundry Service for Hamlet? Get a grip. She makes pop music. She has always made pop music. She is still at the head of the pack, and will very likely remain there despite any number of personal reinventions. Pick up the soundtrack to Love in the Time of Cholera--that is very recent new music from Shakira, and it is much more traditional, maybe you'll like it better. Personally I can listen to Did It Again a thousand times in a row before I start getting sleepy. And have you seen that video?! Oh my god she can dance like no other. Those hips don't lie, but they sure can hypnotize.

I've aways been a shakira fan! She makes great music that upbeat and catchy. It's also nice to hear some latin influenced music on the radio.I was realy skeptical when she decided like everybody to essentially copy this new dance craze in the music industry, but surprisingly most of this album is very good. If you want to hear old shakira just listen to Gypsy that reminds me of most of her other work.I also enjoyed She wolf, that song was basically a smash thanks to the hot sexy video.I really liked the way she mixes in vocals with the disco beats. Give it up to me, at first seemed like a rip off of madonnas give it to me,featuring a rapper as well. But this one totally kicks that one in the pan. This funky, unique and has great instruments in the back ground. She did a great job on the AMAS of performing this song. Spyglass had to be my favorite song. I love the chilling horns part. Its got a great beat and the lyrics are pretty sexy and seductive. Def. dance pop with an edge. Did it again was the only filler track was like,ugh! But it was still alot better then i thought. Why wait was another bangin track as well.I enjoyed this way better then lady gagas latest album. Im not saying that sucked by any means, but this one had better production quality,imo. Which is what i like to hear in dance music.This is a must have! great album!

Seriously, at the begining when I heard

Shakira going electro, I was like EEEWWW please NO!

But at the end I've realized there is just like 20% of

Electro music mixed with 80% of Latin,Arabic and Indian Music.

And she did it amazingly well!

She Wolf is hated or loved

but the song has so weird but great lyrics, it's

typical Shakira thing.

Gypsy is a sweet ballad with many different instruments.

Mon Amour is a rock Shakir song.

Did it Again is hard to describe, I really like the lyrics.

Speciaklly the Spanish version sounds amazing.

Give It Up To Me is a Timbaland produced song,

commercial yet sounds good!

Spy featres Wyclef Jean, sounds like a song from '80s.

Pretty cool.

Men In This Town is the hidden highlight of the album

and is like most of the electro, but it just sounds extremly

cool and includes the weird Shakira lyrics.

All in all, the album is really good.

To say Shakira went mainstream is maybe 50% right.

But She put her own style into the mainstream music

adding a lot of different instruments and sounds from different

countries.

Let's face it, if you are still longing for another Piez Descalzos or Donde estan los ladrones?, give it up, that Shakira is long gone. The Shakira we have now is a pop singer who have been crawling up the charts slowly but consistent, but who still has many flaws that could end up banishing her career. She wolf is clearly an effort to succeed in the mainstream pop world, a record designed to contend with the Brittney Spears of the world, but as any other calculated product, the flaws are bared and evidently visible. First is that stubborn tendency to imitate Beyonce; even though is true that Shakira has never been the most original artist (in the past she has drawn from Alanis Morissette and No Doubt), she is setting her foot in dangerous ground. Shakira lacks the strong stage presence that take even the most dull Beyonce's song to a higher level (listen to "Single Ladies" and then watch the video and tell me if you listen to the song the same way), but what Shakira lacked in stage presence she made up with her injection of intellectualism in her lyrics and musicianship, but in She Wolf, even that is very hard to find. Still, she managed to integrate some gems in the album. "Did it again" hit all the right notes and melodies, and for a moment there, Shakira's voice reminded me of that rebel girl with the pink highlights that she once was. "She wolf" is a really good club song a la Daft Punk, and "Gipsy" is vintage Shakira, the classic mix of Arabic sounds and instrumentation that always makes her shine. Things start to go down by the end of the record and the flaws come crawling back materialized by Kid Cudi and Flo Rida cameos. Shakira is more efficient when she pairs with singers that resemble her music panorama (remember Alejandro Sanz?), but hip hop is a big no no for her. Even Wyclef works since he seems to get the most out of Shakira's Latino roots. In the end one have to wonder if Shakira really believes that she is winning new fans by abandoning what makes her stand out, while I argue that her fans today were the same singing "Ciega sordomuda" at the top of their lungs. I only hope that by trying to become the next Madonna she doesn't end up as Kylie Minogue.

I loved Shikira's early work. It was the perfect blend of Latin, World Beat and at times Hip Hop. This is not a bad Cd, in fact it is one of my favorite workout CD's. What is missing is the uniqueness that is/was Shikira. I first heard the cut "Gypsy" live on YouTube accompanied by Arabic instruments. I liked it much better than the album version. I'm from New Orleans and what has happened to her is the same thing that happens to many of our local artists who sign with major record companies. The big guys just can't lay off the "vanilla button" and everything they touch sounds the same. Gone are the producers like the legendary Tom Dowd who actually listened to what an artist had to say and knew how to bring out THEIR best. I guess the best we can hope for at this point is a live acoustic Cd recorded in a less controlled environment like Austin City Limits.