Customer Reviews

She Wolf

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I still remember the exact moment when I heard Estoy aqui for the very first time: I was in my bedroom, studying for midterms and as the chorus ended I thought "wow, that's a voice". Only after I saw the video did I realize she was roughly my age and full of potential. Shakira's career took off with such impulse that a single trip around the earth would not be enough to make her fuel run out.

Fourteen years later and five albums under the arm the story seems to be the same. Or almost, at least. She Wolf finds her at a point in her life where everything has fallen finally into place, but maybe this has not quite sparked the flame to create an outstanding record. To put it simply, not even her last song in English (that sexy duet with Beyonce) could have prompted me to think twice whether to continue listening or turn off the stereo.

There are many factors that contribute to make Shewolf an utter disappointment for any true fan. First, she cannot convey in English what she transmits when she sings in Spanish. That has been a fact with very few exceptions (Hips don't lie and Underneath your clothes) that no matter how much we try to defend, has no escaping. Her voice finds a wall every time she delivers her verses in a foreign language and, in this case, the added synthesizers and dance beats help no further.
Second, she has allowed individual producers to slaughter her unique style hoping to obtain a more universal appeal. Unfortunately, that gamble results in a lifeless performance that any Britney could replicate.
Third, Shakira has never needed to prove herself to anyone, but in She Wolf she sounds as if every note was written to do so. Otherwise it cannot be understood why her identity is lost at the hands of merciless producers that make her tracks disappear amidst cliches and unexplainable arrangements, or why she seems to navigate aimlessly in creatively chopped paths.

Not everything deserves the waste basket here. Ironically, the six bonus tracks included in the U.S. release of the album (not in the original pressing released in the rest of America) contradict and improve everything that she has offered in the first ten tracks. Thus, Lo hecho esta hecho and Anos Luz, the Spanish versions of Did it again and Long time soar when she imbues them with her soulful native tongue, and acquire a new dimension when she words the meaning of her delectable prose.

I am positive that in a matter of months she will surprise us with a fantastic record in Spanish. She has to. The point of her music was never to gain millions of fans, but to touch them and embrace them, to make them one in all, and with this erratic attempt she has obviously lost that vision. The talent remains, but the form has betrayed her and us, hopefully momentarily.

Shakira is not only one of the best pop artists in modern music, even better she is an intelligent, compassionate, creative individual who is unafraid to pursue her own vision despite anyone's expectations. She Wolf is one of her best albums, full of consistently beautiful and uplifting music.

A note to the She Wolf haters: did you somehow mistake Laundry Service for Hamlet? Get a grip. She makes pop music. She has always made pop music. She is still at the head of the pack, and will very likely remain there despite any number of personal reinventions. Pick up the soundtrack to Love in the Time of Cholera--that is very recent new music from Shakira, and it is much more traditional, maybe you'll like it better. Personally I can listen to Did It Again a thousand times in a row before I start getting sleepy. And have you seen that video?! Oh my god she can dance like no other. Those hips don't lie, but they sure can hypnotize.

I've aways been a shakira fan! She makes great music that upbeat and catchy. It's also nice to hear some latin influenced music on the radio.I was realy skeptical when she decided like everybody to essentially copy this new dance craze in the music industry, but surprisingly most of this album is very good. If you want to hear old shakira just listen to Gypsy that reminds me of most of her other work.I also enjoyed She wolf, that song was basically a smash thanks to the hot sexy video.I really liked the way she mixes in vocals with the disco beats. Give it up to me, at first seemed like a rip off of madonnas give it to me,featuring a rapper as well. But this one totally kicks that one in the pan. This funky, unique and has great instruments in the back ground. She did a great job on the AMAS of performing this song. Spyglass had to be my favorite song. I love the chilling horns part. Its got a great beat and the lyrics are pretty sexy and seductive. Def. dance pop with an edge. Did it again was the only filler track was like,ugh! But it was still alot better then i thought. Why wait was another bangin track as well.I enjoyed this way better then lady gagas latest album. Im not saying that sucked by any means, but this one had better production quality,imo. Which is what i like to hear in dance music.This is a must have! great album!

Let's face it, if you are still longing for another Piez Descalzos or Donde estan los ladrones?, give it up, that Shakira is long gone. The Shakira we have now is a pop singer who have been crawling up the charts slowly but consistent, but who still has many flaws that could end up banishing her career. She wolf is clearly an effort to succeed in the mainstream pop world, a record designed to contend with the Brittney Spears of the world, but as any other calculated product, the flaws are bared and evidently visible. First is that stubborn tendency to imitate Beyonce; even though is true that Shakira has never been the most original artist (in the past she has drawn from Alanis Morissette and No Doubt), she is setting her foot in dangerous ground. Shakira lacks the strong stage presence that take even the most dull Beyonce's song to a higher level (listen to "Single Ladies" and then watch the video and tell me if you listen to the song the same way), but what Shakira lacked in stage presence she made up with her injection of intellectualism in her lyrics and musicianship, but in She Wolf, even that is very hard to find. Still, she managed to integrate some gems in the album. "Did it again" hit all the right notes and melodies, and for a moment there, Shakira's voice reminded me of that rebel girl with the pink highlights that she once was. "She wolf" is a really good club song a la Daft Punk, and "Gipsy" is vintage Shakira, the classic mix of Arabic sounds and instrumentation that always makes her shine. Things start to go down by the end of the record and the flaws come crawling back materialized by Kid Cudi and Flo Rida cameos. Shakira is more efficient when she pairs with singers that resemble her music panorama (remember Alejandro Sanz?), but hip hop is a big no no for her. Even Wyclef works since he seems to get the most out of Shakira's Latino roots. In the end one have to wonder if Shakira really believes that she is winning new fans by abandoning what makes her stand out, while I argue that her fans today were the same singing "Ciega sordomuda" at the top of their lungs. I only hope that by trying to become the next Madonna she doesn't end up as Kylie Minogue.

After picking up "She Wolf" and listening to it a few times, I have to say that it is (regrettably) my least favorite album by Shakira. "She Wolf" to me lacks the aggressiveness and sensuality Shakira usually packs into her music. Even when she doesn't sing in English, there's usually so much sexuality, passion and spirit rushing from each track. Yet, in this release, Shakira sounds a bit off. She sounds less sure of herself, she mulls and chews certain words to the point of needing a translator, the music itself feels very anti-climatic. What happened to the music and the artist that brought us hits like "La Tortura", "Where Ever, When Ever" and "Hips Don't Lie"? Sorry to say but that Shakira seems absent on the weak "She Wolf".

The Good: If there's one good thing Shakira accomplishes with "She Wolf" is that she's trying new things musically. Instead of trying to pull off a sound and album she's already done, "She Wolf" has a more laid back, light, Earthy/folksy feel to it. "Gypsy" stands out as a track because Shakira exudes vulnerability and sensuality in the simplicity of the music. "Good Stuff" and "Give It Up To Me" have crossover appeal with a touch of urban and hip-hop. "Men In This Town" has an interesting instrumental backing, sounding slightly electronic, and an interesting breakdown that has Shakira doing a small little rap. The strength of "She Wolf" is Shakira trying new styles and sounds.

The Bad: Her voice is weak on this album. I know English isn't her first language but I never minded or took note of her voice until this album. In certain songs, she doesn't at all sound as if she's into the music. "She Wolf" stands out in my mind because even her wolf howl is weak. She doesn't put a lot of effort musically into some of the songs, giving the impression that she never connects to some of these songs. Another weakness is that it feels like there isn't much to this album. "She Wolf" appears three times; album version, live and a spanish version. A mediocre song appearing three times pulls the album down. Adding in a few rappers to make the songs more 'American' friendly didn't always work; "Did It Again" was all right and though the Kid Kudi version was slightly improved, it just felt like an attempt to sell more albums than to add anything musically to the track.

In all, I was let down by "She Wolf". It feels rushed and though there are some good tracks, the singing and vocals on most of the tracks just feels out right lazy and weak. There are definitely more weak, skip-worthy tracks than there are hits. Buy at your own discretion but I recommend skipping it.

Listen To These: "Men In This Town", "Good Stuff", "Gypsy", "Give It Up To Me"

I loved Shikira's early work. It was the perfect blend of Latin, World Beat and at times Hip Hop. This is not a bad Cd, in fact it is one of my favorite workout CD's. What is missing is the uniqueness that is/was Shikira. I first heard the cut "Gypsy" live on YouTube accompanied by Arabic instruments. I liked it much better than the album version. I'm from New Orleans and what has happened to her is the same thing that happens to many of our local artists who sign with major record companies. The big guys just can't lay off the "vanilla button" and everything they touch sounds the same. Gone are the producers like the legendary Tom Dowd who actually listened to what an artist had to say and knew how to bring out THEIR best. I guess the best we can hope for at this point is a live acoustic Cd recorded in a less controlled environment like Austin City Limits.

Let me start off by saying that I'm not the "typical" Shakira fan. I say this because I don't particularly listen to pop music. Primarily, I listen to Death Metal and old-school Gangsta Rap. Bands like Autopsy, Blood Freak, and Incantation. Rappers like Brotha Lynch Hung, Three Six Mafia (their old stuff), and Celly Cel.

So why am I reviewing this album by Shakira, you ask?

I was absolutely infatuated with her voice when I first heard some songs on Laundry Service. I purchased that album, and loved every song on it but 1. I appreciated the album because it came out in a time when mainstream pop was REALLY taking off, and it was nothing like it. Yes, it did have a few dance numbers on it, but it stood out as rather unique and coupled with Shakira's amazing voice. Laundry Service had a genuine feel to it in the sense that you could tell Shakira put her heart and soul into making it. There was a great mix of multi-cultural vibes, and often very well written lyrics.

Listening to Laundry Service today in the car, I decided to stop by the music store and see what else she put out lately. I debated either purchasing Oral Fixation Vol. 2 or She Wolf. I opted to go with She Wolf because (to my knowledge) it's her newest album. I thought it would be a good purchase to compare from where she was in 2001's Laundry Service to today's album.

I'm still not sure what to make of this. It seems like a lot of that "genuine" heart and soul is missing, and has been replaced by synth dance beats and even at times, *GASP*, an almost hip-hop vibe. I had to do a double take at times just to make sure I didn't accidently pick up a Lady Gaga album. That should say quite a bit in the sense that this album is very dance/club heavy in its production.

The addition of a few rappers like Lil' Wayne and Kid Cudi is puzzling. They don't add anything to this album, and actually detract from what a talented singer like Shakira should be doing...SINGING. There's a few instances where Shakira almost sounds like she's trying to rap. I have a sneaky suspicion that the corporate influence has gotten to her with She Wolf.

I haven't listened to this album that much since I just got it today, so I'm going to reserve final judgment at this point and give the album 3 stars. I'm just worried that a talent such as Shakira is going to continue to go down this road...we don't need anymore dance/club artists, especially when Shakira's original product was so great as it was! Summing this up, Shakira doesn't need a makeover...but I really feel like most music listeners are the ones that need the makeover if every legit talent needs to make club and dance tracks to be successful these days.

I have to say that when I heard the 1st song (She Wolf) I was happy cos I was listening to new stuff from my fave singer. Thne it started to get old (after 1 month) and I realized that this was how the whole cd was gonna be. Its dissapointing to think that this is the same woman who did awesome songs, deep songs, that make you go "wow I never thought it like that" or "you know what i'm feeling right now". She's a singer who has a brain to compose her own music and can sing really well yet has chosen recently to write this type of mindless fun. It gets old fast, i rather have a smart thinker than a beautiful dancer any day of the week. OK back to the cd, like I said I'm not crazy about it BUT there are 2 songs Gypsy & Mon Amour, where you can feel the old Shakira (just a little if u can ignore the music). Where she hides beautiful lyrics that make you feel good and remember the good old times. Love her, not so much this CD, BUT that don't mean that I'm gonna abandon her cos I know how good she can be... I guess I just have to listen to her spanish cds...

Seriously, at the begining when I heard
Shakira going electro, I was like EEEWWW please NO!

But at the end I've realized there is just like 20% of
Electro music mixed with 80% of Latin,Arabic and Indian Music.

And she did it amazingly well!

She Wolf is hated or loved
but the song has so weird but great lyrics, it's
typical Shakira thing.

Gypsy is a sweet ballad with many different instruments.

Mon Amour is a rock Shakir song.

Did it Again is hard to describe, I really like the lyrics.
Speciaklly the Spanish version sounds amazing.

Give It Up To Me is a Timbaland produced song,
commercial yet sounds good!

Spy featres Wyclef Jean, sounds like a song from '80s.
Pretty cool.

Men In This Town is the hidden highlight of the album
and is like most of the electro, but it just sounds extremly
cool and includes the weird Shakira lyrics.

All in all, the album is really good.
To say Shakira went mainstream is maybe 50% right.
But She put her own style into the mainstream music
adding a lot of different instruments and sounds from different
countries.

I have been a huge fan of Shakira since I first saw her on MTV Unplugged. I dont speak Spanish so I didnt understand the exact meaning of her songs but her voice is so beautiful. Even today I still prefer to listen to her in Spanish.

I own all of her CDs I could find and this is perhaps the poorest of all of them, which Im actually distressed to write. I find most all of the songs overproduced and uninspired. Shakira actually sounds a bit labored, like her heart just isnt in these tunes. To me none of them stand out as special or catchy. Even "She Wolf" the first single, is overwrought.
Now the CD I purchased came with additional tracks and one is the spanish version of She Wolf. It is better to my ear than the english version. Perhaps her inflection when singing in spanish is simply superior. Though, I really liked Oral Fixation and Laundry Service so I dont think its as simple as just preferring her songs in spanish, but this is the first CD of Shakira that I have felt disappointed when listening. The best I can give it is 2 stars.