Shakira She Wolf Album Review

Shakira captivated me with the first album of her's that I heard - Laundry Service. It was an album of fabulous songs with wildly varying styles from rock to latin to even middle-eastern tinged "Eyes Like Yours" which is simply my favorite Shakira song till date. With just one album, she belly danced into my heart. I listened to some of her older Latin stuff and they proved that she really was a unique and talented artist.

Fast forward a couple of years and then she released her "Oral Fixation" albums. I really didn't listen to Volume 1 (it was all Spanish); however, "La Tortura" rocked my socks off - a passionate, electric Latin/reggae duet with Alexandro Sanz who complemented her extremely well. I was really excited about Volume 2, but it was sort of a letdown - I liked only 3 songs - "Hips Don't Lie", "Don't Bother" and "Dreams For Plans".

Now, on to the present. I had a feeling that the new album would be really good - I just got the vibe...I heard the album the first time - didn't do much. One more listen and I am totally hooked and out of my mind trying to write this review...I will do a song by song breakdown..

1. She Wolf - The lead single from the album. The verses, beat and guitaring are quite funky but the chorus is a sort of let down. Still, it is a good song. 7/10

2. Did It Again - Fantastic song produced by the Neptunes. Thank god Pharrell didn't ruin it (Hard Candy anyone?). Classic Shakira 10/10
3. Long Time - A fantastic beat, instrumentation and verse. Let down by a very ordinary sounding chorus which would fit in any R&B diva's album. 5/10
4. Why Wait- Good retro sounding beat. Sounds a bit like Eyes Like Yours. Killer Chorus. 10/10
5. Good Stuff- Typical R&B fare saved by a good chorus. 7/10
6. Men In This Town- Europop with a rather good chorus 6/10
7. Gypsy - Is this the only slow song on the album? Even then, it is a mid-tempo track and has a nice Mediterranean flavor to it. Love it. 9/10
8. Spy (featuring Wyclef Jean) - This is another fantastic collaboration with Wyclef. It is a real goofy song with a very retro sounding chorus which I just can't seem to get out of my head. Ba baa baa baa. Infectious. 10/10

9. Mon Amour - Classic Shakira rocker. 7/10

10. Give It Up To Me (featuring Lil Wayne) - It is a shame that America can't recognize the immense talent that is Shakira and she has to use a rapper to be heard. The rap is simply standard fare - the song is salvaged by a killer chorus and a Arabic sounding bridge. 8/10

Well, there you have it. A fantastic, upbeat dance album by Shakira and in my humble opinion, a definite improvement over the tepid Oral Fixation 2. Don't listen to the naysayers who don't want Shakira to change from her "Laundry Service" days. The album grows on you after a few spins and then you can't get it out of your head. I haven't been this excited about a new album since Coldplay's Viva La Vida. Highly recommended!