Disco de Shakira: “Laundry Service [Japan]”

First of all, I want to comment on critics who say the meaning is lost in translation on "Laundry Service." Some critics have attempted to compare "Laundry Service" with her former work. It is true that the brilliant "Donde Estan Los Ladrones," is her most outstanding work thus far. In fact it is pure brilliance.

But you cannot compare these two albums!! "Donde Estan Los Ladrones," was fully done in a romance language that can be fully appreciated: Espanol (Spanish). While the majority of the tracks in "Laundry Service" were done in her newly-found language: English. Last, music is universal, and musicians share with the world the talent that emanates from them, so while her music may not be at its best in a new language, her effort is inspiring.

That said, Laundry Service stands all on its own as an awesome, eclectic fresh debut from a very beautiful singing, creative and awe inspiring artist; Shakira. Note that on the back of the CD is says, "Entire album produced by Shakira." Friends, this is the truth! This woman emanates TRUE non-manufactured, raw, poetic, eclectic, lovely talent! Her unique, unforgiving, soaring, and flowing vocals, reminds the first time listener of a modern day Latin Janis Joplin in terms of power in the voice, crossed with Natalie Merchant?s soothing pipes, and Alanis Morisette?s angry voice ultimatums. Not only is Shakira's voice powerful and multi-versatile, but her stage presence, along with her eye candy beauty, makes her the complete all around diva. She can easily polish a heartfelt ballad, and rock like the rockera she is. That is what sets her apart, and that is why she has had worldwide success.

The first track on her mostly English cd, ?Objection (Tango)? is my favorite song on the CD!! This song is so awesome! I felt like a kid in a candy store listening to it more than a month and a half before the CD was released! I knew it would stir up some great sentiment! Objection is a tango song with a hard driving guitar and rhythmic singing that fits nicely. Track 2 ?Underneath your clothes? is a great ballad! WOW! The bridge in the middle is just what the song needed too. It?s almost an aside and then she comes back into the chorus; it works well! Track 3 ?Whenever, wherever? is a great song with an awesome debut video to match too! The hard, yet, subtle drums add life to the song and Shakira?s vocals paint a great picture! Track 4 "Rules" opens with a great guitar and rhythmic drum sound. The song is good. Track 5 "The One" is a great ballad that incorporates a soothing introduction and a continuously infectious hook! Love it! Track 6 ?Ready for the good times? lights up the room with a Selena disco medley beat! Track 7 "Fool" has a paceful beat and truthful lyrics that get your attention! It is a love rock ballad! Track 8 "Te Demo Madrid" is a great track that makes you want to get up, and dance and sing!! It has nice elements of alternative music mixed with rock and pop, the harmonica is great too! Track 9 ?Poem to a horse? is a rock song that has a very meaningful message in the lyrics. Track 10 ?Que me quedes tu? has a great Oriental type of intro with a flavoring 60s guitar, and then is warms into a ?Sombra de ti? (one of her former songs) type of singing and music beat! Love it!! It is a great ballad with soft touches mixed in with some up beat tempo. Track 11 ?Eyes like yours? is the English version of Shakira?s ?Ojos Asi.? This English version pails in comparison to the original Spanish version. I do like the chorus, but the non-chorus parts sound very awkward. Track 12 and 13 are Spanish versions of her English songs on the CD that are just as good as the English-language counterparts.

Shakira is only 24 years old and I cannot wait for all the good music and love that is too come from her! This will hopefully prove to America and the rest of the world, that true talent should rule the music world. Move over manufactured fakes, Shakira has taken the throne in the English market and previously in the Spanish market. Very soon, she will become a long lasting, cementable international star.

When you hear a Latin artist has released an English language album, you assume there will be plenty of bland love lyrics set to the kind of music you hear piped into your local Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant, where you try to enjoy a Cancun Combination Platter while trumpets blare in your ears.

Sexy Shakira blazes a pretty impressive pop album, with minor missteps. She used an Spanish/English dictionary and a thesaurus, and while some of the the songs are a little awkward, Shakira throws in so much ear candy, you will not care. Her album title refers to love being a jumble of so many different things, like a bunch of clothes in a washer. Song by song:

1. Objection (Tango)

2. Underneath Your Clothes

3. Whenever, Wherever

4. Rules

5. The One

6. Ready for the Good Times

7. Fool

8. Te Dejo Madrid

9. Poem to a Horse

10. Que Me Quedes Tu

11. Eyes Like Yours

12. Suerte

13. Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)

This is a very good personal album, full of different songs. I was reminded of songs by everyone from Metallica to Falco, but Shakira makes all of these her own. She produced, and either wrote or cowrote all the songs, and I am looking forward to her next move. I highly recommend this album, Shakira's songs are a breath of fresh air in a sometimes smoggy pop field.

All of the song lines quoted are directly from the liner notes (when I was able to take my eyes off the very photogenic songstress).

I bought Shakira's album a few weeks ago, and it still manages to spellbind me. Her voice, her foot-thumping, dance-inducing beats, and the messages in the lyrics are so amazing that I can't stop listening to it! I don't speak that much Spanish (I'm taking it in school) but it is still so much fun to listen to and memorize the lyrics to them. My favorite songs are as follows:

1: Underneath Your Clothes. This song has a melodic pop-rock-then back to pop beat that keeps me humming and singing all day. The lyrics are strong and the vocals are great.

2: Te Dejo Madrid. No, I don't really know what she's saying, but the music and the fast beat combined with the quick and unforgettable vocals make this song one to remember.

3: Whenever, Wherever. I LOVE this song. It moves fast and never lets go, it's lyrics are constantly playing themselves in my head. I could never play this song out.

4: The One. A slower, yet very emotional song. It displays Shakira's true vocal talent when she spikes at those high, long notes.

5: Eyes Like Yours. This song has a catchy Arabic beat that makes you want to dance (and I do dance!). The lyrics are a little hard to remember, but definitely put this song up there.

Thsi CD is definitely a MUST-BUY for anyone that is interested in having a good time while listening to music.

I was first introduced to the music of Shakira when I moved to Costa Rica five years ago. Her first CD, "Pies Descalzos", was a a huge hit here, as it was throughout Latin America. She followed this up with a slightly different, but equally successful CD, "Dónde están los ladrones?", produced by Emilio Estefan (Gloria's husband), and then with an MTV Unplugged CD. Under the guidance of the Estefans, Shakira learned English so that she could conquer the English-speaking market, and "Laundry Service" is her first foray into that market.

Shakira is a major-league talent. She is Colombian, with a Lebanese father, and her genius lies in her ability to fuse pop, rock, and various rhythms from different countries in an original and sophisticated way to produce immanently catchy songs which people of different cultures can identify with. Prominent examples of this are found on her second CD, where she uses a Mexican mariachi sound on "Ciega, sordomuda" and an Arabian sound on "Ojos Asi" (my personal favorite Shakira song, an English version of which appears as "Eyes Like That" on Laundry Service, translated by Gloria Estefan). On Laundry Service she also uses Peruvian flute sounds on "Whenever, wherever", the first single from the CD. And it is appropriate that for a CD aimed at a North American audience, one can hear, for the first time from Shakira, distinctly American sounds. A surf guitar sound appears on two songs, reminiscent of the guitar intro of Kenny Loggins' "Footloose."

Whoever compared Shakira to Alanis Morrisette doesn't really know Shakira's music. Unless you can say that anyone who sings a song or two about unrequited love is like Alanis, they are not in any way comparable. Her phrasing in a couple of songs reminds me of the lead singer for No Doubt, though I certainly wouldn't categorize her as being like anyone else. Her voice is powerful and unique.

Shakira has become more commercial over the years - she has dyed her hair blonde and she shakes her hips a lot in her music videos. But she is no Britney Spears clone. She is an intelligent, sophisticated artist who writes her own music, and her music is original. Having listened to "Laundry Service" three or four times now, I like it a great deal, though it doesn't grab me as much as her first two. This may come with time, however - I didn't like the second one so much when it first came out, and it eventually became my favorite. But you really can't go wrong with any of her CDs - they are all top-notch.

"Laundry Service" is a mix of catchy pop oriented songs ("Whenever, Wherever"/"Suerte", "Ready for the good times" which is ready for the dance floor) and rockier edges ("Rules", "Te dejo Madrid", "Poem to a horse", the rock ballads like "The one", "Underneath your clothes", "Fool", "Que me quedes tu"). I enjoyed the cultural mix in her sound, integrating latino beats, pop, oriental vibes. I understand, having heard the excellent "MTV Unplugged" as well, that her Spanish speaking fans might be a little deceived, but this is honestly a good pop-rock album high above today's common pop standards.

The voice is somewhere between Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan or Gwen Stefani sometimes, but she has enough personality to develop a completely personal style. She has what it takes to become a great artist. I read one of the previous reviewers said her accent was too strong to sing ballads in English - where did that person hear any trace of accent? The infused sound and the versatility of her voice makes it a record you do not really grow tired of, as you're travelling through diverse moods, rhythms and styles from track to track.

I am confident that her strong personality (which shines through the sometimes very naïve lyrics and her always inhabited interpretations) will guide her to make the right choices in the future. I will keep an eye on her next releases...

I was hesitant about purchasing this album because Shakira is (yet?) unknown in my corner of the world but I don't regret the encounter. Oh, and by the way, I am now out to complete my collection with her previous Spanish albums.