Ten years ago, Shakira Mebarak was climbing the charts with “Pies Descalzos,” her first wildly successful album. Since then, she has released two Spanish and two English-language albums, all of which dominated the charts. Hits, such as “Whenever, Wherever” and “Hips Don’t Lie” garnered her a global following and the continued support of her Latin American fans.
As a young Latino American, I grew up with Shakira. I remember being just a kid when I first heard her unique voice and passionate chords. I have been one of her biggest fans ever since, and her latest effort has only reaffirmed this.
Four long years after her previous studio album, “Oral Fixation Vol. 2,” hit the market, Shakira has finally released “She Wolf,” a predominantly English LP catered to her American following.
“She Wolf” starts out with its title track, the anthem of all free spirited women with an insatiable hunger for freedom. “Loba,” the Spanish version of “She Wolf,” is also included in the album. Written and performed in both English and Spanish, the songs performed in the artist’s native tongue are especially captivating and raw.
The album is like none I’ve ever heard before. Shakira blends modern-day hip-hop beats with the Latin-Arabic sounds of her roots (Shakira’s father is of Lebanese descent; her mother of Colombian).
“Why Wait” and “Did It Again,” are prime examples of this hybrid sound that she has made her trademark. Slow, sensual, yet still enough to make you want to dance, these tracks will surely be some of the more popular ones off of this album.
Many say Shakira has “sold out” with her new album. Movement away from her original style has brought accusations that she is catering too much to an international market. Five years ago, the notion of including hip-hop in her music would have been unfathomable to her fans. Things are different today.
This, to me, is what the evolution of music is all about. If some of the most talented artists of a generation don’t experiment, music will seize to expand and become dull and repetitive.
I welcome the change in her style. I want my favorite artists to change and wow me every time they hit the studio. Otherwise, just like any other red-blooded American Millennial, I’ll grow bored and move on.
Photo Credit: gnibert00
I love She Wolf. It’s such a catchy song. I’ve heard people say that they think Shakira has sold out but I can’t quite understand why. music evolves and you can either like it or not.
I haven’t listened to her entire album and I’ve only heard her other songs once or twice. But She Wolf definitely is a song where I can sing and dance around with friends.
Martin, although we both share a love of Ms. Shakira, but my first reaction to “She Wolf” this summer was that she undoubtedly sold out. To me, nothing will top the brunette and Spanish-language-only Shakira. And have you seen the video for “She Wolf”? I’m all about sexy music videos, but really, Shakira. Really??? I’ll take Shakira unplugged of 2000 over cage-dancing electro stripper Shakira of 2009, hands down.
…scratch that “but.”
It’s true. She has strayed far from the acoustic guitar and red hair that defined her ten years ago, but one has to take a look at the big picture. Her strutting her stuff is not what we’re used to, but one has to simply pat attention to the lyrics of “She Wolf” or listen to her talk in interviews about the importance of a woman’s freedom and sexual liberation to understand why she is rocking the leotard and pumps. It’s not about selling the sex (as many of her female pop peers make it out to be). Instead, it’s about a concept and making a statement. And, let’s face it, whatever she does, she does it WELL. There should be more focus on the fact that her talent is unmatched.
One can even make the argument that she is “selling out” to one market and not the other. Her international efforts are not necessarily comparable to her Latin American work. “Fijacion Oral Vol. 1″ (2005) was the last Spanish album she has released. This album had all the elements of classic Shakira and then some.
A better assessment can be made as to whether or not she has sold out when the Spanish language album comes out next year. In the meantime, her new English album offers something different and interesting, regardless of how different it is from her earlier work.
I’ve loved Shakira since “Pies Descalzos,” and even though I haven’t heard her new cd, She Wolf is awesome. I wouldn’t say she sold out, she’s one of those performers that sounds and looks just as amazing in Spanish as in English.
Martin, although we both share a love of Ms. Shakira, but my first reaction to “She Wolf” this summer was that she undoubtedly sold out. To me, nothing will top the brunette and Spanish-language-only Shakira. And have you seen the video for “She Wolf”? I'm all about sexy music videos, but really, Shakira. Really??? I'll take Shakira unplugged of 2000 over cage-dancing electro stripper Shakira of 2009, hands down.