•
Rating: Shakira lets four years pass before offering us her new work, which leaves a bit of a bitter taste due to its brevity (9 new songs and 3 versions in Spanish). This time, mindful of the successful episodes of "Hips don't lie" and "Beautiful Liar" that catapulted her into the North American market, the Colombian-born singer employs a diverse team of producers and songwriters, from Wyclef Jean, with whom she has already collaborated, to Sam Endicott of The Bravery, not forgetting the famous Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes.
Unfortunately, it is precisely the four tracks written with Williams that represent the real weak point of the album from a strictly musical point of view. Williams offers his usual sound, previously used by other singers including Gwen Stefani. A sound with a strong r&b matrix and enriched with various embellishments (not precisely influences, but purely decorative in themselves). The album is thus weighed down by four rather impersonal songs that have little to do with Shakira's style. Aside from "Did It Again", vaguely melancholic and supported by percussion that imitates a kind of military march, we have "Long Time", whose rhythm closely recalls Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" and "Why Wait", the lowest point of the album with its skimpy electronics (the intro is very reminiscent of Britney Spears' tacky "Gimme More"), faux-tribal percussion, and randomly inserted oriental sounds. In short, a decidedly kitsch track that is soon forgotten in favor of the subsequent "Good Stuff", a real mish-mash of sounds, featuring even a marimba xylophone, but that benefits from a more successful melody.
After this block of songs by Williams, we finally breathe fresh air and the album happily takes off, intriguing the listener again as it did with the initial track, "She Wolf", steeped in 70s disco and enriched with a dirty and bizarre sound. "Men in This Town" sheds all r&b influences and presents itself as a strongly electronic dance track. A real breath of fresh air after four catchy yet contrived songs. Abandoning the femme fatale tones of "She Wolf" (let's be honest, femme fatales are old news now) , follows "Gypsy", a very sunny and colorful song that relies solely on acoustic instruments, including a banjo. "Spy", sung with Wyclef Jean, instead picks up the 70s rhythms of the title track, incorporating purely black influences without overdoing it. We then conclude with "Mon Amour", a convincing pop-rock descendant track that closes the album worthily. There are then the Spanish versions of "She Wolf", "Did It Again" and "Why Wait", of which I must mention only "La Loba", better than the original in English thanks to the greater smoothness that the Spanish language provides to the melody.
In conclusion, after four years we expected a little more from Shakira, an artist who is mainstream, yes, but who also proved to be interesting and ingenious in her previous works, rich in multiple influences and musical inventions. We hope that the Spanish album that should follow this "She Wolf" is not a stand-alone work but complements it since only nine songs do not fully satisfy. She could have included a few more tracks, perhaps a couple of ballads, whose absence is felt.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 She Wolf (03:10)
S.O.S. she's in disguise
S.O.S. she's in disguise
There's a she wolf in disguise
Coming out, coming out, coming out
A domesticated girl that's all you ask of me
Darling it is no joke, this is lycanthropy
The moon's awake now with eyes wide open
My body's craving, so feed the hungry
I've been devoting myself to you Monday to Monday and Friday to Friday
Not getting enough retribution or decent incentives to keep me at it
I'm starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office
So I'm gonna go somewhere cozy to get me a lover
And tell you all about it
There's a she wolf in your closet
Open up and set her free
There's a she wolf in your closet
Let it out so it can breathe
Sitting across a bar, staring right at her prey
It's going well so far, she's gonna get her way
Nocturnal creatures are not so prudent
The moon's my teacher, and I'm her student
To locate the single men, I got on me a special radar
And the fire department hotline in case I get in trouble later
Not looking for cute little divos or rich city guys that just want to enjoy
But having a very good time and behave very bad in the arms of a boy
There's a she wolf in the closet
Open up and set her free
There's a she wolf in your closet
Let it out so it can breathe
S.O.S. she's in disguise
S.O.S. she's in disguise
There's a she wolf in disguise
Coming out, coming out, coming out
S.O.S. she's in disguise
S.O.S. she's in disguise
There's a she wolf in disguise
Coming out, coming out, coming out
There's a she wolf in your closet
Let it out so it can breathe
07 Gypsy (03:19)
[Verse 1]
Broke my heart
Down the road
Spend the weekend
Sewing the pieces back on
Crayons and dolls pass me by (?)
Walking gets too boring
When you learn how to fly
Not the homecoming kind
Take the top off
And who knows what you might find
Won't confess all my sins
You can bet I'll try it
But I can't always win
[Chorus]
'Cause I'm a gypsy
But are you coming with me?
I might steal your clothes
And wear them if they fit me
I never made agreements
Just like a gypsy
And I won't back down
'Cause life's already hurt me
And I won't cry
I'm too young to die
If you're gonna quit me
'Cause I'm a gypsy
('Cause I'm a gypsy)
[Verse 2]
I can't hide
what I've done
Scars remind me
Of just how far that I've come
To whom it may concern
Only run with scissors
When you want to get hurt
[Chorus]
I said hey you
You're no fool
If you say 'NO'
Ain't it just the way life goes?
People fear what they don't know
Come along for the ride (Oh yeah)
Come along for the ride (ooohhh)
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Teo.spears
Fortunately, this Shakira has something that other pop singers no longer have... the live voice!
My face the first time I heard it was 'OMFG this is music!!', your knees tremble, her voice makes you feel on cloud nine.
