Oral Fixation Vol. 2 [EXTRA TRACKS]

Shakira

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 2006)
• Original Release Date: March 28, 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Extra tracks
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000EQH2QK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,719 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #2 in	Music > World Music > Compilations > South & Central America > Colombia
  #2 in	Music > World Music > South & Central America > Colombia
  #26 in	Music > Latin Music > Latin Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The English-language Oral Fixation Vol. 2 finds Shakira reclaiming some of the bite she showcased on 1998's smashing Donde Estan Los Ladrones? The Colombian rock goddess is making up for lost time: this is her second disc of new material in 2005. It's quite a feat, considering the four-year gap since Laundry Service, her scattershot, English-language debut album. Oral Fixation Vol. 2 is more mature and better focused than the spin-cycle pop of that 2001 disc. Kick-off track "How Do You Do" starts with a haunting reading of "The Lord's Prayer" before launching into a risky questioning of faith and religion. Shakira touches on the highs and lows of celebrity on a trio of tracks--the bittersweet "Your Embrace," the guitar-driven "Costume Makes the Clown," and the disco-fied, politically charged "Timor." Selfish men and failed relationships--two oft-mentioned topics of interest--anchor much of Oral Fixation Vol. 2. First single "Don't Bother" is a bitter ode to strength, jealousy, and survival; "Dreams for Plans" is a wistful collage of relationship memories; and Carlos Santana slides a sexy guitar riff under soulful standout track "Illegal." The purple haze of Prince hangs over "Animal City," one of the disc's most inventive moments. It's a free-wheeling melange of rock riffs, electronic accents, mariachi horns and confident vocals. Two songs from Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 make appearances--the somber "Something" and "The Day and the Time," which improves greatly upon its Spanish counterpart. Vol. 1, while at times enjoyable, was a portrait of a gifted artist struggling to keep her footing and retain her confidence. Oral Fixation Vol. 2 finds Shakira embracing the eclectic beauty within. It's a wonderful sound. --Joey Guerra

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars above average pop/rock for the present day, April 7, 2006

By	Da Man "Da Man" (Pekin, IL) - See all my reviews

from the opening chant of "Our Father" through to the reprise of "La Tortura", which was obviously added to boost sales (as it was the biggest Spanish-language song since Los Lobos' "La Bamba" in 1987), Shakira takes us on a musical journey of many different styles and does a great job.

Track by track:
How Do You Do - part of it sounds almost too Avril Lavigne/Kelly Clarkson like, but the addition of religious imagery and various languages makes it a good track.

Illegal - the made-for-AC-radio ballad includes some fierce guitar playing by Carlos Santana. Very pretty and almost sounds like something from the 1980's

Hips Don't Lie - just added to the album... Shakira successfully did what the likes of J. Lo and Mariah have always failed to do when collaborated, she made Wyclef Jean assimilate to HER style of music, as opposed to her doing a hip hop number. A Latin-sounding booty-shaking fun track that is climbing the charts.

Animal City - one of the two most rocking tracks on the album, Shakira sings about celebrity and the way people change around her and become greedy.

The Day And The Time - a beautiful track about hope and redemption

Dreams For Plans - meloncholy but beautiful, with just a hint of Portishead trip-hop to the mix

Hey You - this sounds almost like something No Doubt would do, very fun song that you will tap your toes and sing along to, a potential single IMO.

Your Embrace - one of the saddest songs on the record, but another pretty melodic ballad

Costume Makes The Clown - instead of being the cheated... Shakira is the unfaithful one and she's trying to apologize to her boyfriend, a rocker

Something - Shakira sings in French and gives us another ballad, albeit more alternative sounding than the other tracks

Timor - this is the dance track, sounds a bit like a Madonna track. Shakira is singing about the oppressed and the government... even though she's singing about South America, I think Shakira's gay fanbase can definately adopt this track because it applies to them too... definately remix-worthy

La Tortura - this was one of the big hits last summer, added on the reissue to help boost sales (much like Hips Don't Lie), this is an alternate Spanglish mix with a little English thrown in

Not an award-worthy album and not a life-changer, but Shakira's album is still a very worthy listen and the second wind it's catching is well worth it and I hope this album holds on well. There's a little something for everyone, there are a few too many ballads, but the slow songs all work and are some of the best tracks here. Definate thumbs up.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great work, April 16, 2006

A Kid's Review

A few things before the actual review:

as someone has already said, you can just get hips dont lie at shakira.com if you have the original cd..the album was not repackaged so the fans rebought it..it was repackaged to attract the people that had not bought it yet

(referring to "da man")

Timor is near Indonesia, not South America..but since she says no specifics, i can see how it can apply to south america as well as [...]

and costume makes the clown is not about a relationship with a man..it's about her relationship with the audience and her fans


How Do You Do: great opening with the prayers in english and latin (there are arabic and hebrew ones later in the song)..the music can get a little tiring but the lyrics don't - 9.5/10

Illegal: Good song, but can get boring to some - 8/10

Hips Dont Lie: the hit single from the album..the lyrics are much more superificial than any other shakira song, but that's what people like listening to on the radio..the music, although a cover, is great - 9/10

Animal City: nice lyrics and music, a mixture of various sounds - 9.5/10

Dont Bother: first single from the album..good rock/pop song - 8.5/10

The Day and the Time: one of the two tracks translated from vol. 1..the spanish version - one of the best songs on vol. 1 - is better but this one works too - 8.5/10

Dreams For Plans - great ballad with melancholic and nostalgic lyrics - 9/10

Hey You: very No Doubt sounding..a fun track with teasing lyrics and music - 9/10

Your Embrace: best ballad on the album, unless dreams for plans counts as one - 9/10

Costume Makes the Clown: great rock song about superficiality in the media and shakira's relationship with her fans.. - 9.5/10

Something - the other translation from vol. 1..this one also sounds in better in spanish but i would rather listen to this english version than the other (tdatt)..sweet song about shakira's passion for a previous lover - 8.5/10

Timor - in my opinion, one of best songs shakira has made..it is one of the few tracks that has both lyrics and music completely done by her (most have her writing the lyrics, but co-writing the music part)..the political lyrics are well-written, while the dance music is very catchy and the children's chorus is a good addition - 10/10

La Tortura (Alternate Version) - the all-spanish version is better but hey, it's just two lines..great lyrics and wonderful music..alejandro's voice is perfect for the lyrics - 9.5/10


Overall = 9/10

Musically, the first volume is a better listen, but lyrically, this album tops it's predecessor

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unfair!, May 5, 2006

By	T. Kovac (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For Shakira fans who supported her by buying the initial release of the album it's unfair to have to have a re-release with 2 new songs added. Next time I'll wait to buy her CD or just rip it from someone else. In this day and age when artists are constantly asking their fans to buy the CD instead of burning a copy from a friend, I would expect the artists to show some loyalty as well. I'm not buying the same CD twice for 2 extra songs, even though those 2 songs are probably the best on the album.