Album Review: She Wolf

It’s very clear from the first beats of She Wolf that I am not listening to the Shakira that I’ve come to know and love. It seems that Shakira has traded her blatantly Latin beats and influences for twitchy eletrcopop. Although this switch might disappoint some hardcore fans, this reinvention is a good thing. She Wolf is a remarkable pop album, because of the way each of its nine songs (twelve if you include the translated songs) work together cohesively to redefine Shakira’s sound while still remaining true to her previous efforts. Don’t worry, Shakira hasn’t gone anywhere. She just sounds a little different

On She Wolf, Shakira is constantly on the prowl. Sex is a very prominent theme of the disc, and Shakira rhapsodizes the subject with her signature vocal ticks. She coos, growls, moans, and whispers her way through various lusty situations. On the title track, Shakira claims that all women contain wild animal that’s itching to escape and ravage unsuspecting men. On the excellent second single, Did it Again, Shakira chastises herself for succumbing to a dangerous man, yet it’s clear that she loved every second of passion with him. What elevates this from a Flo Rida song is that Shakira, no matter how love hurts her, seems to be in charge of her sexuality. She never preaches dependence. A she wolf needs no man.

As I write this, I do feel like there’s one potential exception to the point of my previous paragraph. The final song (before the Spanish translations kick in) is Mon Amour, an extremely spiteful song about Shakira’s ex-lover. She cries that she’s “fragile” and that “you broke my heart.” This might seem like a contradiction to what I just wrote, but the real message of the song seems to be that even though he broke Shakira’s heart, he’ll come crawling back to her. She won’t subvert herself to him. However, the real reason I bring this up is to segue into another important aspect of this album: the lyrics.

When the title track was released as the first single, I instantly preferred the Spanish version of the song. The lyrics were more poetic and logical. I was unimpressed with the awkward phrases in the English translation. However, I realized that this “kitschy” English was a constant theme of the disc—one that I appreciated as a deliberate effort. You see, to the American market, Shakira represents Latin flavor. However, a good deal of that has disappeared from the production of these tracks. A few retain some instrumentations and phrases that evoke older Shakira songs, but most do not. In other words, the lyrics constantly remind the listener of Shakira’s Columbian roots. Mon Amour is this most extreme example of this. “And every night I pray that you don’t knock her up/cause I still want to be the mother of your child.” Somehow Shakira’s delivery makes that line seem a bit awkward—entertainingly so. Moments like that remind the listener of Shakira’s foreign origin.

Overall, She Wolf is odd, sexy, and ultimately very entertaining. To me, Shakira has finally proven that she can conquer the world in both English and Spanish. All hail the She Wolf

Rating: 4/5 stars

Savage Songs: Loba, Did It Again, Gypsy, Spy

Single Review: She Wolf/Loba

Requester: Riha.

When we last heard from Shakira, she was shaking her assets with Wyclef Jean on the smash hit single, Hips Don't Lie. To date, that song remains the only song of her's where I prefer the English version to the Spanish rendition. Granted, I've never heard that song in Spanish, but you shouldn't let that detract from the compliment. Now Shakira is on the prowl with her latest single, She Wolf. For the purposes of this review, I will refer to the song as "She Wolf" unless I am specifically comparing the English and Spanish version, at which point i will use "Loba" to refer to the song en español. Take a guess which one I like better.

My initial reaction to the song was disappointment. To me, I expect Shakira to deliver strong vocals and attitude on all of her songs. Whether it's the dancehall vibe of Hips Don't Lie or the sultry fire of Objection (Tango), Shakira is best described by her strong personality. With She Wolf, Shakira is presenting an entirely new side to her vocals and sound. So my original disappointment resulted from my unmet expectations. However, it's not fair to review a song by how well it meets your preconceptions. Further listens made me realize: This may not be the Shakira I know, but this is a Shakira I could love. She Wolf is awesome.

First and foremost, this song sounds like nothing else on the Top 40. It's a bit jarring at first. The new wave guitar line and odd lyrics about lycanthropy and moon references make this song seem like an strange creation--sort of Blondie meets auto-tune. However, it all works. It may not demand your presence on the dance floor like Hips Don't Lie, but it does something more substantial: It creates an effect. Listening to the song, you almost feel moonlight washing over you. She Wolf has an almost dream-like quality...something that pairs with the magical realism of the song quite well.

If you struggle read or don't notice sarcasm, you may have failed to notice my preference for Loba over She Wolf. The lyrics are much more poetic. I cannot properly convey this to those who don't speak Spanish, but I will try with the chorus serving as an example. "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" versus "Una loba en el armario/Tiene ganas de salir/Deja que se coma el barrio/Antes de irte a dormir." As you can see, there's some obvious repetition in the English version which doesn't exist in the Spanish version. The chorus in Loba takes the opportunity to create an image of this she wolf tearing up the town. The Spanish lyrics more strongly capture the wild and untamed nature of the loba. This is sadly lost in translation.

That being said, both versions are very enjoyable. I have high hopes for Shakira's upcoming release, even if it does not sound like the Shakira I already know and I love. However, I'm happy to have a new Shakira sneak up on me. Sigilosa al pasar, no?

Rating: She Wolf 3.5/5 stars. Loba 4/5 stars (A rating I admittedly have been giving quite frequently. I NEED MORE SUGGESTIONS! I need to review more music I do not like).