Fijacion Oral vol. 1

Shakira | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 7, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00097A5HW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,577 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #17 in Music > World Music > South & Central America > Colombia

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's thrilling--in any language--to hear new music from Colombian superstar Shakira. And it's been a long time coming. Shakira's English crossover opus, Laundry Service, was released in 2001. The Spanish Donde Estan Los Ladrones came three years before that. Fijacion Oral, Volumen 1 is the first of two new discs; an English counterpart is due in November. Shakira's bleating, biting voice is in fine form, and it gives the material an electric urgency. She's girlish and innocent during the glittering "Dia de Enero" and sensual and seductive amid the thundering beats of "Lo Imprescindible." A talented stable of producers, including former Soda Stereo vocalist Gustavo Cerati, has swathed Shakira in rhythm-based arrangements. But the album's best moments come when Shakira channels her inner--and innate--rock goddess. "La Tortura" is a hurts-so-good break-up duet with Alejandro Sanz, and "Escondite Ingles" rides a beach-party guitar groove. --Joey Guerra

Product Description

Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 Shakira Label: Sony Release Date: 6/7/2005 1 En Tus Pupilas - 4:24 2 La Pared - 3:20 3 La Tortura - 3:35 4 Obtener un Sí - 3:21 5 Dia Especial - 4:25 6 Escondite Inglés - 3:10 7 No - 4:47 8 Las de La Intuición - 3:42 9 Dia de Enero - 2:55 10 Lo Imprescindible - 3:58 11 La Pared [Versión Acústica] - 2:41 12 La Tortura [Shaketon Remix] - 3:12

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly matches the dizzying heights of "Ladrones"..., June 16, 2005

By 

M J Heilbron Jr. "Dr. Mo" (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fijacion Oral vol. 1 (Audio CD)

As you know by now, Shakira is back with her first all-Spanish album since "Donde Estan Los Ladrones" (not counting MTV Unplugged) and it's terrific.

On first listen, you'll get carried away by her voice. It is unique, powerful and versatile. But we sorta knew that going in.

On subsequent spins, if you take away her vocals, this may be her most "American" sounding album yet. Perhaps that is due to the influence of executive producer Rick Rubin.

The opener, "En Tus Pupilas" is a soft-rock, emotional ballad that we fans will recognize and welcome instantly.

It is followed by "La Pared", which proves she has been listening to Coldplay, as the music to the chorus is a total homage to "Clocks." It's not subtle at all, and it sounds great.

Much has been made about the first single, "La Tortura" and it's reggaeton elements, but if you recall the album "Pies Descalzos" (an album given to me by my cousin when I was visiting my family in Barranquilla years ago), you'll know Shakira has been doing this sort of stuff for a long, long time. Actually, I think the majority of the song has a huge Police sound to it during the verses, slipping into the more obviously reggaeton-like mode during Sanz' chorus.

"Obtener Un Si" is the surprising stunner on the album. It's an exquisite, retro-pop tune with vintage ice-skating-rink organ, sweet string sections and lovely, delicate melodies. This really demonstrates that her range simply is limitless.

"Dia Especial" is a fairly generic midtempo pop-rocker, and the hubbub about "Escondite Ingles" being "punk" is laughable. It's not. It's an obvious nod to The B-52's (check out the cheesy organ), but it's more like the pogoing power pop of New Wave. It's multiple time changes recall, in a good way, Green Day's recent efforts, and I loved the thrashy, messy ending.

"No" is another one of those Shakira songs that build from a mostly acoustic, introspective piece into a widescreen, dramatic epic like "Tu" and "Inevitable". It's not quite up to those standards, but it works just fine.

Who knew she could be Kylie Minogue? She does just that, in her own style of course, on "Las De La Intuicion", down to the disco-pop sounds and whispered back-ups.

"Dia De Enero" is a gorgeous folk-rock song and "La Imprescindible" is a noisy, percussive, synthesizer-filled 80's-like song that still somehow manages to work.

The extra tracks are an acoustic "La Pared" and a remixed "La Tortura".

The single best thing about this album has to be her voice. What an instrument! She moves confidently across genres, maintaining her unique mannerisms but becoming so rich and full (Dia De Enero) or soft and cute (Obtener Un Si) depending on what it takes to best serve the song.

Each song here is well crafted, lovingly produced and performed.

This may not reach the dizzying heights of "Donde Estan Los Ladrones", but this one just might age better.

This is really good stuff...I cannot WAIT for Volume 2, which I understand is all new songs, all in English...should be interesting, no?

55 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glad surprise, June 8, 2005

By 

vedderoh1 "vedderoh1" (NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fijacion Oral vol. 1 (Audio CD)

We have to admit that with a title like Fijacion Oral one expects to listen nothing but a bunch of loud beats and uncalled nonsense. But what a great surprise when, past the contagious notes of lead single "La tortura", fears disolve in front of a bouquet of melodies and emotions not exactly a trademark of the colombian singer's previous releases. It is true that we won't hear her singing about looking for a lover in her purse or in Botero's paintings (circa Pies Descalzos), but there is still a candid approach to the lyrics that has made her songs both appealing and puzzling. In Fijacion oral we come face to face with a Shakira that shares her passion and the sense of emptiness a love she has already experienced may bring once it's gone, as opossed to the longing for an unknown feeling that we tasted in the other two albums. It shows a more mature approach to life, love and music in general. The definite highlight is "La pared" (track that appears in two versions), with its grasping chorus and a performance so beautifully delivered that it can only be compared to the classic "Antologia". It is precisely in this harmonious voice that Fijacion oral finds its anchor, among a collection of rhythms that go from the poppy "Las de la intuicion" (the only song in this album to remind us of earlier times), to bossa nova ("Obtener un si"), to the perfect composition of "Dia especial", which she co-wrote and performed with latin legend Gustavo Ceratti, that otherwise would be a complete chaos.
Toward the end we face the flaw that she might as well skipped: "Lo imprescindible" sounds indeed quite innovative with the rapid switch of tempo, but fails to close an album that could arguably be Shakira's masterpiece.
Absolutely brethtaking moments and still a lot of fun, Fijacion oral is a delight not destines to please anyone but those who believed Shakira can go beyond mud crawling and hip shaking.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Got fixated!!!!!!!!!, June 8, 2005

By 

Monalisa Smile "B.S.4Ever" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fijacion Oral vol. 1 (Audio CD)

This CD is amazing! This CD it's the best Shakira album after Donde Estan Los Ladrones? but of course, it's not the typical Shakira album, this one is , as she said, her most echlectical album. The album stars with 'En tus pupilas' a beautiful ballad that stars with Shakira singing in frech, the guitars sound like Chriss Isaak's 'Wicked Game' or Shakira's 'Sombra De Ti' and in the chorus she resembles a little bit to Mexican singer/composer Julieta Venegas. The next one 'La Pared' a strong and electronic song that you can see it like the spanish version of Coldplay's "Clocks" but still it's completely different in lyrics and Shakira's singin. "La Tortura" seems to be out of place in this album. "Obtener Un Si" sounds like those songs from the early 50's and it's a great bossa nova beat. "Dia Especial" a good song and the first one Shakira doesn't wrote. The music is made by Shakira but the lyrics it's from the legend of spanish rock, Gustavo Cerati. "Escondite Ingles" the strongest song in the album, it's very charmed and punk. "No" a sad but great ballad with Cerati's accompaining her on the guitars and some vocals. This one wil be the next single out of Fijacion Oral. "Las De La Intuicion", this one is the pop song on the album, it has a brit eltectronic pop beat in it, and an incredible catchy chorus. "Dia De Enero" the song that Shakira wrote for his boyfriend Antonio De La Rua, Shakira sounds funny and girlish on this one, and the chorus it's full of romaticism and feeling. "Lo Imprescindible" it's very dark at the beginning, starting with Shakira's singing in German, then the song become lighter but still strong on the chorus. The acoustic version of "La Pared" seems to be better than the original one, it's very simple and Shakira's vocal are great. And last but not least, it's "La tortura" Shaketon remix, this one it's darker than the original, still great but not better than the original one. Shakira has done an excellent album, a more mature work, fresh and one that will be remembered very well for everyone.